Team handball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Handball)
Handball player leaps towards the goal prior to throwing the ball, while the goalkeeper extends himself trying to stop it. This was the Bosnian handball team playing in Visoko against Greece in the qualification for European championship.
Handball (also known as team handball, field handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.
The game is similar to football (soccer), though, as the name implies, the basic method of handling the ball involves the player's hands rather than their feet. It has been played internationally since the first half of the 20th century.
[edit] Field and ball
Handball is played on a court forty meters long by twenty meters (40mx20m) wide, with a dividing line in the middle and a goal in the center of either end. The goals are surrounded by a near-semicircular line that is generally six meters (6m) away from the goal. There is also a dashed near-semicircular line that is nine meters (9m) away from the goal.
After having been scored a goal against players of the team must move to the line in the very middle of the pitch. A player must be standing with the ball under control, whereafter the referee will blow his whistle to make the play go on. Note: All players of the team which are restarting the play, must be behind the line on their own half, or else the restarting throw will have to be retaken.
Only the defending goalkeeper is allowed to step inside the six meter (6m) perimeter, though any player may attempt to catch and touch the ball in the air within it. If a player should find himself in contact inside the goal perimeter he must immediately take the most direct path out of it. Should a defender make contact with an attacker while in the goal perimeter, their team is penalized with a direct attempt at the goal, with only one attacker on the seven-meter line and the defending goalkeeper involved. A penalty throw, which must be taken from the seven meter line after the whistle blows, can also be given, if the defender is blocking the attacker's way to goal standing inside the goal perimeter.
The ball is smaller than a football in order for the players to be able to hold and handle it with a single hand (though contact with both hands is perfectly allowed). Some American versions use a volleyball. It is transported by bouncing it between hands and floor — much as in basketball. A player may only hold the ball for three seconds and may only take three steps with the ball in hand. After taking three steps the player will have to make a dribble with one hand in order to continue moving forward, but if the ball is held in both hands after making a dribble and the player makes another dribble, a free throw will be given to the other team for "a double dribble". There are many unofficial rule variations; a common American version allows only a single step with the ball, after which the player must pass the ball to another teammate or shoot.
[edit] Game play
Size and line pattern of a handball field
A standard match duration consists of two periods of 30 minutes each during which each team may call one time-out. Normal league games are usually allowed to end in a draw, but in knockout tournaments, such as the final stages of the Olympics, two extension periods of 10 minutes are played, and if they also end in a draw another two times five minutes has to be played. If each of these ends in a tie after the extra time the winner is determined by an individual shootout from the 7-meter line, where each team is given five shots. The rules of the shootout is similar to the one of soccer, where, if a winner is not found within the first ten shots, the players return to the shooting, until one team has missed and the other scored. In two Olympic Finals of womens handball penalty shootout had to be used - both of them with Denmark participating (against Hungary in 1996 and South Korea in 2004); and both of them with Denmark as the winner.
The game is quite fast and includes body and contact as the defenders try to stop the attackers from approaching the goal. Only frontal contact by the defenders is allowed; when a defender stops an attacker with his or her arms instead of his or her torso, the play is stopped and restarted from the spot of the infraction or on the nine meter line, with the attacking team in possession.
Women's Handball - a jump shot
Penalties are given to players, in progressive format, if the contact between the players is particularly rough (even if it is indeed frontal). The referees may award a nine-meter free throw to the attacking team, or if the infraction was during a clear scoring opportunity, a seven-meter penalty shot is given. In more extreme cases they give the defender a yellow card (warning), a 2-minute penalty, or a red card (permanent expulsion). For rough fouls they can also order two-minute expulsions and a red card expulsion without having to warn the player first. Alternatively, if a player insults the referee - either by touching him with the intension to push or with verbal abuse, or if a player kicks or hits an opponent deliberately, the referee can expel the player forming a cross over his head with his arms, which will tell the player that he/she will have to leave the gym hall completely. Both a red card or an expulsion will - if the referee does not regret his decision within twenty-four hours - result in a quarantine for the player shown out. A team can only get three warnings (yellow cards); after that they will only be able to be penalised with 2-minute suspensions. One player can only get three 2-minute suspensions; after that he/she will be shown the red card, and cannot participate in that game anymore. A red card from three 2-minute suspensions does not result in a quarantine, such as a direct red card does. A Coach/Official can also be penalised progressively. After a yellow card and a 2-minute suspension, the red card is shown straight out, and unlike players, coaches cannot be shown a complete expulsion, but of course also be given a match quarantine. When shown a 2-minute suspension a coach will have to pull out one of his players for two minutes - note: the players is not the one punished and can be substituted in again, because the main penalty is the team playing with a man less than the other.
After having lost the ball during an attack, the ball has to be laid down quickly or else the player not following this rule will face a 2-minute suspension. Also gesticulatingly or verbally rejecting to follow the referee's order, as well as arguing with his/her decisions, will normally result in a 2-minute suspension. Alternatively, if it is done in a very provocative way, a player can be given a 2-minute suspension if he/she does not walk straight out on the bench after been given a suspension, or if the referee considers the tempo deliberately slow.
Ball movement and possession is similar to basketball. If the attacker commits an infraction, such as charging, the possession of the ball can be awarded to the defending team. Players may also cause the possession to be lost if they make more than three steps without dribbling or after stopping their dribble. However unlike basketball, the player may take three steps instead of two (pivoting on one foot is considered a step) and the ball must be "patted" down instead of the more controlled basketball method.
Typical scene in a handball game
The usual formations of the defense are the so-called 6-0, when all the defense players are within the 6 meter and 9 meter lines; the 5-1, when one of the players cruises outside the 9 meter perimeter, usually targeting the center forwards; and the least common 4-2 when there are two such defenders. The usual attacking formation includes two wingmen, a center-left and a center-right which usually excel at high jumps and shooting over the defenders, and two centers, one of which tends to intermingle with the defense (also known as the pivot or line player, somewhat similar to the hole set (2-meter) in water polo), disrupting the defense formation, and the other being the playmaker (similar to basketball). The formations are very variated from country to country. The most common formation for the central european teames as well as the scandinavian teams is 6-0, but it can alternatively be extended to a 5-1, if you want a man (usually the far wing is placed as a disturbance for the other team in the middle in front of the 9-meter perimeter) to disturb the play of the other team. Even more different the Ukrainian team "HC Motor Zaporyshe" tend to play. As their basis of play they play a 3-3 formations with man marking all over their defensive area, which can make it really difficult for the attacking team to make any open chances. Primarily this formation is used by teams outside Eastern Europe only when behind with a few goals with a few minutes left, in the attempt to steal the ball faster.
Goals are much more common in handball than in most other sports; usually, both teams score at least 20 goals, and it is not uncommon to have a match end (say) 33-31. This was not true in the earliest days, when the scores were more akin to that of ice hockey, but as offensive play (in particular in terms of counterattacks after a failed attack from the other team) has improved, more and more goals have been scored each match.
[edit] History
Dimensions of a field of field handball played with 11 players at 1936 summer olympics compared to a football field.
Team handball has origins reaching as far as the antiquity: urania in ancient Greece, harpaston in ancient Rome, fangballspiel in medieval Germany, etc. There are also records of handball-like games in medieval France, and among the Inuit on Greenland, in the Middle Ages. By the 19th century, there existed similar games of haandbold from Denmark, hazena in Bohemia and Slovakia, gandbol in Ukraine, torball in Germany, as well as versions in Ireland and Uruguay.
The team handball game as we know it today was formed by the end of the 19th century in northern Europe, primarily Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The Dane Holger Nielsen drew up the rules for modern handball (håndbold) in 1898 (and published them in 1906), and R.N. Ernst did something similar in 1897.
Another set of team handball rules was published on October 29, 1917 by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz and Erich Konigh from Germany. After 1919 these rules were further improved by Karl Schelenz. The first international games were played under these rules, between Germany and Belgium for men in 1925 and Germany and Austria for women in 1930.
In 1926, the Congress of the International Amateur Athletics Federation nominated a committee to draw up international rules for field handball. The International Amateur Handball Federation was formed in 1928. The International Handball Federation was formed later in 1946
Men's field handball was played at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin at the special request of Adolf Hitler[citation needed]. It was removed from the list of sports, to return as team handball in 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Women's team handball was added as an Olympic discipline in 1976, at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
The International Handball Federation has organized Men's World Championships in 1938, and then every two, three or sometimes four years since the World War II. The Women's World Championships have been played since 1957. The IHF also organizes Women's and Men's Junior World Championships.
As of December 2006, the IHF reports to have 159 member federations representing approximately 1,130,000 teams and a total of 31 million players, trainers, officials and referees.
[edit] International tournaments
[edit] External links
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Czech Republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Czech republic)
Česká republika
Czech Republic |
|
|
Motto: Pravda vítězí
(Czech: "Truth prevails") |
| Anthem: Kde domov můj |
|
|
Capital
(and largest city) |
Prague
50°05′N 14°28′E |
| Official languages |
Czech |
| Government |
Republic |
| - President |
Václav Klaus |
| - Prime Minister |
Mirek Topolánek |
| Formation |
Ninth century |
- Independence
from Austria-Hungary |
October 28, 1918 |
| - Dissolution of Czechoslovakia |
January 1, 1993 |
| Accession to EU |
May 1, 2004 |
| Area |
| - Total |
78,866 km² (117th)
30,450 sq mi |
| - Water (%) |
2.0 |
| Population |
| - 2006 (30 Sept.) estimate |
10,280,968 (77th) |
| - 2001 census |
10,230,060 |
| - Density |
130/km² (77th)
337/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) |
2006 estimate |
| - Total |
$204.4 billion (46th2) |
| - Per capita |
$20,000 (37th2) |
| GDP (nominal) |
2006 estimate |
| - Total |
$128,556 billion (40th) |
| - Per capita |
$12,504 (42nd) |
| HDI (2004) |
 0.885 (high) (30th) |
| Currency |
Czech koruna (CZK) |
| Time zone |
CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) |
CEST (UTC+2) |
| Internet TLD |
.cz 3 |
| Calling code |
+4201 |
1 Shared code 42 with Slovakia until 1997
2 Rank based on 2006 IMF data
3 also .eu, shared with other European Union member states. |
The Czech Republic (officially Czech: Česká republika (help·info), short form in Czech: Česko IPA: [ʧεsko]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is the historic Prague (Czech: Praha), a major tourist attraction. Other major cities include Brno, Ostrava, Zlín, Plzeň, Pardubice, Hradec Králové, České Budějovice, Liberec, Olomouc, Karlovy Vary and Ústí nad Labem.
The country is composed of two entire historic regions, Bohemia and Moravia, and parts of Silesia.
- See also: Names of the Czech Republic and Czech lands
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech part found itself without a common single-word name. In 1993, The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the name Czechia as an official alternative in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions, but this has not caught on in English usage. The official website of the Czech Republic (www.czech.cz) run by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not use the name Czechia any longer as of 2006. Its Czech equivalent is Česko.
[edit] History
-
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlement in the area dating back to the Neolithic era. In the classical era, from the 3rd century BC Celtic migrations, the Boii (see Bohemia) and later in the 1st century Germanic tribes of Marcomanni and Quadi settled there. During the Migration Period of ca. the 5th century, many Germanic tribes moved westward and southward out of Central Europe. In an equally significant migration, Slavic people from the Black Sea and Carpathian regions settled in the area (a movement that was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Huns, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). Following in the Germans' wake, they moved southward into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present day Austria. During the 7th century the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the 8th century (see Great Moravia).
The Bohemian or Czech state emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the Přemyslids. The kingdom of Bohemia was a significant local power during the Middle Ages. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire during the entire existence of this confederation.
Religious conflicts such as the 15th century Hussite Wars and the 17th century Thirty Years' War had a devastating effect on the local population. From the sixteenth century, Bohemia came increasingly under Habsburg control as the Habsburgs became first the elected and then hereditary rulers of Bohemia. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of Austrian Empire and later of Austria-Hungary.
Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. This new country incorporated regions with majority German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian speaking populations. Although Czechoslovakia was a centralist state, it provided what was at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities. However, it did not grant its minorities any territorial political autonomy, which resulted in discontent and strong support among some of the minorities to break away from Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler used the opportunity and, supported by Konrad Henlein's Sudeten German Party, gained the almost wholly German speaking Sudetenland through the Munich Agreement. Poland occupied areas with Polish minority around Český Těšín, while Slovakia gained greater autonomy, with the state being renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia". Eventually Slovakia broke away further in March 1939, allied to Hitler´s coalition and the remaining Czech territory was occupied by Hitler who installed the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which was proclaimed part of the Reich and where the Protectorate President and Prime Minister were subordinate to the Nazi Reichsprotektor ('imperial protector'). Approximately 390,000 citizens, including 83,000 Jews, were killed or executed, and hundreds of thousand of others were sent to prisons and concentration camps or forced labour. The Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its army fighting against the Germans were acknowledged by Allies (Czech troops fought in Great Britain, North Africa, Middle East and Soviet Union). Prague uprising ended the war.
In 1945-6 almost the entire German minority of Czechoslovakia, about 2.7 million people, were expelled to Germany and Austria. During this time, thousands of Germans were held in prisons, detention camps, and used in forced labour. In the summer of 1945, there were several massacres. Only 250,000 Germans who had been active in the resistance against the Nazis or were necessary for the economy were allowed to stay, though many of them emigrated later.
Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, particularly because of a general disappointment with the West (due to the pre-war Munich Agreement) and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union (due to the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule). In the 1946 elections, the Communists received a plurality of the vote (38%) and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front, and moved quickly to consolidate power. The decisive step took place in February 1948. During a series of events characterized by communists as a "revolution" and by anti-communists as a "takeover", the communist People's Militias secured control of key locations in Prague, and a new, all-communist government was formed.
For the next 41 years, Czechoslovakia was a Communist state within the eastern bloc. This period was marked by a variety of social developments. The Communist government nationalized the means of production and established a command economy. The economy grew rapidly during the 1950s and 60s, but slowed down in the 1970s and stagnated during the 80s. Meanwhile, the political climate was highly repressive during the 1950s (including numerous show trials), but became more open and tolerant in the 1960s, culminating in the Prague Spring. This was forcibly ended on 21 August 1968 when an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to introduce political pluralism and create "socialism with a human face". From then until 1989, the political establishment returned to censorship of opposition, but without the highly repressive measures of the 1950s.
In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to a multi-party political system through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution". However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened until on January 1, 1993, the country peacefully split into the independent Czech and Slovak republics. Both countries went through economic reforms and privatizations, with the intention of creating a market economy.
From 1991 the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12, 1999 and the European Union on May 1, 2004.
[edit] Geography
-
Map of the Czech Republic
The Czech landscape is quite varied; Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Labe (German: Elbe) and Vltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Sudetes with its part Krkonoše, where one also finds the highest point in the country, the Sněžka at 1,602 metres (5,256 ft). Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the Odra (German: Oder) river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also possesses a 30,000 square metre exclave in the middle of Hamburg docks which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported down river could be transferred to seagoing ships; this territory reverts to Germany in 2018.
[edit] Demographics
-
[edit] Population
| Population of Czech Lands (Czech Statistic. Ofice) |
| Year |
Total |
Change |
Year |
Total |
Change |
| 1857 |
7,016,531 |
- |
1930 |
10,674,386 |
6.6% |
| 1869 |
7,617,230 |
8.6% |
1950 |
8,896,133 |
-16.7% |
| 1880 |
8,222,013 |
7.9% |
1961 |
9,571,531 |
7.6% |
| 1890 |
8,665,421 |
5.4% |
1970 |
9,807,697 |
2.5% |
| 1900 |
9,372,214 |
8.2% |
1980 |
10,291,927 |
4.9% |
| 1910 |
10,078,637 |
7.5% |
1991 |
10,302,215 |
0.1% |
| 1921 |
10,009,587 |
-0.7% |
2001 |
10,230,060 |
-0.7% |
The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%, out of which 3.7% claimed Moravian ethnicity and 0.1% Silesian in the 2001 census). Largest minorities are Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Germans (0.4%), and Roma people.
[edit] Religion
The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the least religious populations in the European Union. According to the 2001 census, 59% of the country is agnostic, atheist, non-believer or no-organized believer, 26.8% Roman Catholic and 2.5% Protestant.[1] According to a 2005 Eurobarometer poll, 30% of Czech respondents do not believe in a god, spirit, or life forces. 50% believe in some sort of spirit or life force, and 19% believe in a god.[2]
[edit] Weather and Climate
Czech republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains are during the summer. The temperature difference between summers and winters is relatively high due to the geographical position - no access to sea.
Even within the Czech republic, temperatures vary a lot depending on the altitude. In general, at higher altitudes the temperatures decrease and precipitation increases. Another important factor is the distribution of the mountains. The climate therefore is very diverse.
The annual average temperatures differ a lot with the altitude. At the highest peak (Snezka - 1602m) the average temperature is only -0.4°C, whereas in the lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as 10°C and this also applies for the country capital Prague, but this is due to urban factors.
The coldest month is usually January followed by February and December. During these months there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes also in the major cities and lowlands, but this snow tends to melt very quickly and so most of the winter is just wet.
During March, April and May, the temperatures usually increase rapidly and especially during April the temperatures and weather tend to vary a lot during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to the snow melting and there are often floods.
The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, the summer temperatures are about 20°C higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade, temperatures above 30°C are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rains and storms.
Autumn usually begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During October, temperatures usually fall back under 15 or 10°C and decidious trees begin to drop off leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.
[edit] Politics
- More information on politics and government of the Czech Republic can be found at Politics of the Czech Republic, the main article in the Politics and government of the Czech Republic series.
[edit] Political system
Czech Republic is a pluriform multi-party parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament is bi-cameral, with the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) and the Senate.
[edit] Military
-
The Czech Armed Forces (Czech: Armáda České republiky) consists of Land and Air Forces and of specialized support units. In 2004 the Czech military completely phased out conscription and transformed into a fully professional military force. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12, 1999. Military spending is around 1.8% of GDP (2006)
[edit] Administrative divisions
-
The Czech Republic is divided into 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) with their own assemblies and the capital city (hlavní město) Prague (Praha). The older 73 districts (okresy, sing. okres); 3 statutory cities with the status of districts (Statutární města, sing. Statutární město, viz. Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň); and the city-district-region of Prague (Hlavní město Praha) were disbanded in an ill-executed administrative reform[1]; however are still traditionally recognized and remain the seats of various branches of state administration[2].
Map of the Czech Republic with regions
| (Lic. plate) |
Region |
Capital |
Population (2004 est.) |
| A |
Prague (Praha) |
— |
1,170,571 |
| S |
Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj) |
offices located in Prague (Praha) |
1,144,071 |
| C |
South Bohemian Region (Jihočeský kraj) |
České Budějovice |
625,712 |
| P |
Plzeň Region (Plzeňský kraj) |
Plzeň |
549,618 |
| K |
Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) |
Karlovy Vary |
304,588 |
| U |
Ústí nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj) |
Ústí nad Labem |
822,133 |
| L |
Liberec Region (Liberecký kraj) |
Liberec |
427,563 |
| H |
Hradec Králové Region (Královéhradecký kraj) |
Hradec Králové |
547,296 |
| E |
Pardubice Region (Pardubický kraj) |
Pardubice |
505,285 |
| M |
Olomouc Region (Olomoucký kraj) |
Olomouc |
635,126 |
| T |
Moravian-Silesian Region (Moravskoslezský kraj) |
Ostrava |
1,257,554 |
| B |
South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj) |
Brno |
1,123,201 |
| Z |
Zlín Region (Zlínský kraj) |
Zlín |
590,706 |
| J |
Vysočina Region (Vysočina) |
Jihlava |
517,153 |
[edit] Economy
-
[edit] General situation
One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-2001 was led by exports to the European Union, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. The rate of corruption remains one of the highest among OECD countries.
Uncomfortably high fiscal deficit is becoming a problem.
Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatization will add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.
The country is scheduled to fully implement the Schengen Agreement and therefore abolish the border controls with all of its neighbors (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia) as of 31 December 2007.
The Czech government has expressed a desire to adopt the euro currency in 2010, but its introduction is only in the early planning stages and there are growing doubts whether budget deficit will not force postponement. More likely dates are 2011 or 2012.
[edit] Tourism
-
Prague - Charles Bridge at night
The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism: in 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5% of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people - over 1% of the population.[3]
There are several centres of tourist activity: The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction, and the city is also the most common point of entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country.[4] Most other cities in the country attract significant numbers of tourists, but the spa towns such as Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně are particularly popular holiday destinations. Other popular tourist sites are the many castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn, Konopiště and Český Krumlov. Away from the towns, areas as Český Ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.
[edit] Culture
The country is also famous for its love of puppetry and marionettes. The Pilsner style beer originated in Western Bohemian Plzeň.
[edit] International rankings
[edit] Miscellaneous topics
[edit] Reference
- Some of the material comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
[edit] External links
[edit] Government
[edit] Wikitravel
Coordinates: 50°05′N 14°28′E
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