Geography, Regions, Transport and Natural Heritage of the Czech Republic
The frame
Czechia covers about 78,871 km², is landlocked and borders Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. It has 14 regions (kraje) and three historical lands: Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. The highest point is Sněžka, 1,603 m, in the Krkonoše on the Polish border; Šumava's highest is Plechý.
The country is a European watershed: water drains to the North Sea (Elbe/Labe), the Baltic (Odra) and the Black Sea (Morava and Dyje). Longest river on Czech territory: the Vltava, about 430 km. Largest natural lake: Černé jezero; largest pond: Rožmberk; largest reservoir: Lipno.
Nature and transport
There are four national parks - Krkonoše, Šumava, Podyjí and České Švýcarsko - plus protected landscape areas and geoparks such as Český ráj. Karst landscapes matter: the Moravian Karst with the Macocha abyss. Natural heritage questions often test the difference between a national park and a protected landscape area.
Transport: Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) plus Brno and Ostrava; motorways D1 Prague–Brno–Ostrava, D5 to Nuremberg, D8 to Dresden, D2 to Bratislava; rail corridors I–IV. Know which region a site belongs to - Český Krumlov is South Bohemia, Kutná Hora Central Bohemia, Karlovy Vary the eponymous region.
Traps: Elbe is longer overall but shorter on Czech soil than the Vltava; České Švýcarsko lies on the Elbe near Děčín, not in the Krkonoše.
Worked example: 'Which river flows through Český Krumlov and to which sea?' - Vltava, then Labe, then North Sea.
Rule of thumb: for any site, know region, river basin and one natural feature.