Following World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. After World War II, a reconstituted Czechoslovakia fell under the Soviet rule. Following the invasion by the Warsaw Pact troops in 1968, anti-Soviet demonstrations ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom. On 1 January 1993, the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Music and dance are important parts of Czech traditions. The Slovácko verbŭnk is an improvised dance performed by boys and men living in the South Moravia and Zlín districts of the country. The arts are well known the world over.

The Czech Republic is a land-locked country in Central Europe bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and the Slovak Republic. The Czech Republic has a beautiful and diverse landscape. Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly countryside.  The Sněžka, at a height of 1,602 m, is the highest point in the country.