The opening table gives an overview of all regions and districts of the Czech Republic. Data on areas of regions and districts as at 31 December 2000 have been derived from the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre in Prague.

The size structure of municipalities (by population) was processed following the territorial self-governing arrangement in force on 31 December 2000. Municipality population figures were taken over from the statistical balance by municipality as at 31 December 2000.

Data on climate are shown in basic meteorological figures measured at meteorological stations located in the territory of the region. These data were taken over from the Czech Institute for Hydrometeorology in Prague.

ENVIRONMENT

Act No. 114/1992 Coll., on Nature and Landscape Conservation distinguishes six categories of especially protected areas: national parks and protected landscape areas (referred to as large protected areas), national nature reserves, nature reserves, national nature monuments, and nature monuments (referred to as small protected areas).

As this publication is a regional one, only protected small areas (SPA) will be mentioned:

• National nature reserves – small-scale areas of extraordinary natural value, whose natural relief with typical geological structure is tied with ecosystems significant at national and international levels.
• Natural reserves – small-scale areas of concentrated natural value with ecosystems typical of and significant for the given geographical area.
• National natural monuments – small-scale natural formations (including those formed by human activity), with deposits of minerals and habitats of endangered species in fragments of ecosystems of national or international environmental, scientific or aesthetic significance.
• Natural monuments – the same criteria as for national natural monuments apply. The significance is regional only.

• Water pollution control (except ground water)
• Air pollution control and climate protection
• Environment-friendly management of waste
• Nature and land conservation
• Reduction of impact of physical factors
• Protection of soil and ground water

• REZZO 1: includes stationary fuel-burning systems more than 5 MW in thermal output, plus systems operated in especially important technological processes. The systems classified to this group are referred to as ‘big polluters’;
• REZZO 2: includes technological systems incorporating stationery fuel-burning equipment whose thermal output ranges from 0.2 to 5 MW, equipment of important technological processes, and coal mines and similar areas, where burning, evaporating or escaping of pollutants is possible. This group is referred to as ‘ medium-sized polluters’.
• REZZO 3: includes local technological systems with stationary fuel-burning equipment whose thermal output is lower than 0.2 MW (with the exception of local furnaces use in flats, residential and weekend houses), production process equipment not falling into the category of big and medium-sized polluters, areas work done can pollute the air, storage sites of fuel, raw materials, products, waste and captured emitted pollutants, and other facilities and activities polluting the air to a large extent. This group is referred to as ‘small polluters’.
• REZZO 4: mobile systems equipped with air-polluting combustion or other engines. This group includes especially road and rail motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft. It is referred to as ‘mobile polluters’. Since 1995, the balance has been including emissions of solid and sulphur dioxide pollutants from transport.

• Hazardous waste is waste that possesses one or more of the following hazardous characteristics: explosiveness, flammability, oxidation ability, thermal instability of organic peroxides, ability to liberate toxic gases when in contact with air or water, environmental toxicity, subsequent hazardous nature, acute toxicity, delayed action, corrosiveness, infectiousness, radioactivity. The Waste List (Decree No. 337/1997 Coll. of the Ministry for the Environment) classifies such waste into the N category.
• Other waste includes waste classified to the O category of the Waste List.

Use and disposal methods

1. Physical and chemical methods
They include sorting, recycling, recovery, solidification, vitrification, bitumenisation, and chemical treatment of waste.

2. Biological methods
They use biological processes to reduce the level of pollutants in waste or the extent of dangerous properties of waste and especially include biological decontamination, anaerobic decomposition and composting.

3. Disposal (elimination)
These methods include incineration and thermal disposal of waste with/without the use the heat produced, permanent deposition of waste in landfills, sedimentation basins and dumps, including underground deposition.

4. Storing
Temporary deposition of waste between individual activities, the waste being handled for the time dictated by operational, organizational, and technological or transport reasons.