Regions of the Czech Republic

This article is about current administrative division of the Czech Republic. For the traditional historical division of the country, see Czech lands.

Regions of the Czech Republic
Also known as: Kraje České republiky (Czech)
Category	Unitary state
Location	Czech Republic
Number	13 regions + Prague
Populations	293,311 (Karlovy Vary Region) – 1,397,997 (Central Bohemian Region)
Areas	3,163 km2 (1,221 sq mi) (Liberec Region) – 10,929 km2 (4,220 sq mi) (Central Bohemian Region)
Government	Region government, National government
Subdivisions	District

Regions of the Czech Republic (Czech: kraj, plural: kraje) are higher-level territorial self-governing units of the Czech Republic. Every region is governed by a regional council, headed by a governor (hejtman). Elections to regional councils take place every four years.

According to the Act no. 129/2000 Coll. ("Law on Regions"), which implements Chapter VII of the Czech Constitution, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions and one capital city with regional status as of 1 January 2000.

History

The first kraje were created in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the reign of Charles IV in the 14th century and they lasted till 1862/68. Kraje were reintroduced in 1949 in Czechoslovakia and still exist today (except for the early 1990s) in its successor states despite many rearrangements.

Competences

Historical lands and current administrative regions

Rights and obligations of the regions include:

• Establishment of secondary schools;
• Responsibility for hospitals and social facilities;
• Construction and repair of second and third class roads;
• Organization of integrated transport systems;
• Ordering of public intermunicipal transport;
• Protection of the nature;
• Cooperation in the distribution of EU funds within the NUTS-2 regions;
• Tasks within the integrated rescue system;
• Right to propose laws to the Chamber of Deputies and submit complaints to the Constitutional Court.

List of regions

Licence plate	Region	Capital	Population (2021)	Area (km2)	Population density (/km2)	GDP (in million CZK)	GDP per capita
A	Prague	n/a	1,335,084	496	2,360	637,704	547,096
S	Central Bohemian	Prague	1,397,997	10,929	104	288,888	253,912
C	South Bohemian	České Budějovice	643,551	10,058	62	150,970	251,106
P	Plzeň	Plzeň	591,041	7,649	73	137,911	216,639
K	Karlovy Vary	Karlovy Vary	293,311	3,310	92	65,789	216,639
U	Ústí nad Labem	Ústí nad Labem	817,004	5,339	154	188,041	229,146
L	Liberec	Liberec	442,476	3,163	135	94,451	229,146
H	Hradec Králové	Hradec Králové	550,803	4,759	115	133,767	244,549
E	Pardubice	Pardubice	522,856	4,519	112	116,639	230,880
J	Vysočina	Jihlava	508,852	6,796	75	121,318	234,530
B	South Moravian	Brno	1,195,327	7,188	159	285,855	254,684
M	Olomouc	Olomouc	630,522	5,272	123	134,376	211,467
Z	Zlín	Zlín	580,119	3,963	149	131,789	222,885
T	Moravian-Silesian	Ostrava	1,192,834	5,427	227	280,210	222,638
CZ	Czech Republic	Prague	10,701,777	78,871	136	2,767,717	271,161

Coats of arms

• 
  Central Bohemian Region
• 
  South Bohemian Region
• 
  Plzeň Region
• 
  Karlovy Vary Region
• 
  Ústí nad Labem Region
• 
  Liberec Region
• 
  Hradec Králové Region
• 
  Pardubice Region
• 
  Vysočina Region
• 
  South Moravian Region
• 
  Olomouc Region
• 
  Zlín Region
• 
  Moravian-Silesian Region

See also

• Administrative divisions of Czechoslovakia
• Districts of the Czech Republic
• List of Czech regions by GDP
• List of Czech regions by Human Development Index
• ISO 3166-2:CZ
• NUTS:CZ