| Every year, thousands of people from all over
the world come to Canada to start a new life. They come with many different
skills and the hope of contributing to their new society.
This website has been written to help Canadians
welcome Czech immigrants to Canada. Perhaps you are hosting a Czech family
as part of the HOST Program, learning about Czech newcomers in school,
or working with Czechs who have recently settled in Canada. This website
will introduce you to the Czech Republic and give you some information
about its culture. |
|
| Our culture may seem strange to Czechs in some
ways, but there will still be many things in common. Czech newcomers will
have many of the same questions that you might have if you moved to a new
city or town. For instance, they will wonder where they will find a job,
which schools their children will attend and what their new community will
be like. While it is helpful to learn a little bit of the background of
your Czech friends, what they will most appreciate is your offer of time
and friendship. |
| The
Roma, often known as Gypsies, are thought to be descendants of people who
migrated from India in the 15th century. In 1997, about 1,500 Roma from
the Czech Republic applied for refugee status in Canada. |
|
| Although this cultural profile provides insight
into some customs, it does not cover every facet of life. The customs described
may not apply in equal measure to all newcomers from the Czech Republic.
The people of the Czech Republic are 94% ethnic
Czechs and 3% Slovak. The rest are Polish, Germans, Hungarians and Roma.
About 300,000 Roma (Romové) live in the Czech Republic.
|
Summary Fact Sheet |
|
| Official
Name: |
Czech Republic |
| Capital: |
Prague |
| Type of Government: |
Parliamentary
Democracy |
| Population: |
10.3 million |
| Area: |
78,864 sq. km |
| Major Ethnic
Groups: |
Czech, Slovak,
Polish, German, Roma |
| Languages: |
Czech, Slovak |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholicism,
Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity, Judaism |
| Unit of Currency: |
Koruna |
| National
Flag: |
Top half white,
bottom half red, with a blue triangle extending from the base on the hoist
side to the middle of the flag |
| Date of Independence: |
January 1, 2022 |
|
|
| More
than 70,000 Czechs have made Canada their home, including Thomas Bata,
founder of Bata Shoes, Yuri Dojc, one of Canada's top photographers, Karel
Ancerl, a former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Josef
Skvorecký, novelist and winner of the Governor General's award for
fiction in 1984. |
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