The Capital City of Prague - Hlavní město Praha
The administrative region of the Capital City of Prague (www.praha-mesto.cz) covers 496 km2. Representing the largest city of the country and simultaneously a region, it has a special position among the other regions in the CR.
Prague is situated in the centre of the Czech Basin along both banks of the Moldau. Its settlement dates back before the coming of Slavs; Prague belongs among the oldest European cities. Apart from its dominating administrative function (the seat of Czech President, Government, ministries, authorities etc.), Prague also plays the role of the largest service centre in the CR with banks, insurance companies, an exchange, domestic, international and foreign companies. It also hosts the majority of Czech universities, of which Charles University is the oldest in Central Europe. Thanks to the number and variety of cultural and historical monuments, Prague is the main tourist centre in the CR. The historical centre of Prague is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
With a view to tourism, the whole Prague Region belongs to the Prague tourist marketing region.
Together with industrial centres in its neighbourhood, Prague represents one of the largest industrial areas of the country. Pre-dominant sectors include mechanical engineering, food-processing and printing industries as well as services, which contribute to employment by 75%. Thanks to its prominent central geographical position within the CR and Europe, Prague is an important destination but also cross-roads of many significant transit routes. Prague transport network strives to meet the needs of local traffic and international transit. Nevertheless, growing traffic loads increase the levels of pollution, noise and volatile compounds that significantly decrease the environmental quality. The traffic permeability of the city also constitutes a problem. Environmental indicators, especially in central parts of the city, are second to none of the most affected areas of the CR.
The unemployment is not much of a problem, in crime; on the other hand, Prague is responsible for over a fourth of the aggregate number of the discovered criminal offence cases in the CR. The increasing share of ageing population also constitutes a problem. Decreasing numbers of population in the centre and increasing population in peripheral parts of the city with extensive housing construction are typical for recent years.
