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 2006 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 2006.

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

The environment comprises anything that creates natural conditions for the existence of organisms, including human beings, and is a prerequisite for their further evolution. Its components are especially the air, water, rocks, soil, organisms, ecosystems and energy.

Act No. 114/1992 Coll., on Nature and Landscape Conservation distinguishes six categories of especially protected areas:

Large protected areas:

• National parks - large areas unique on a national or international scale, whose major parts are occupied by ecosystems, either natural or affected little by human activity, where flora, fauna and inanimate nature are of extraordinary scientific and educational significance
• Protected landscape areas - large areas with harmoniously shaped landscape, characteristic relief, a significant proportion of natural ecosystems of forest and permanent grass stands, a sizeable proportion of tree species and as the case may be, preserved monuments of historical settlements

Small protected areas:

• 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
• National nature reserves – small-scale areas of extraordinary natural value, whose natural relief with a typical geological structure is tied with ecosystems significant at national and international levels
• Natural monuments – the same criteria as for national natural monuments apply. The significance is regional only
• Natural reserves – small-scale areas of concentrated natural value with ecosystems typical of and significant for the given geographical area

Environmental protection expenditures include expenditures on the acquisition of fixed assets for environmental protection and environmental protection non-investment expenditures related to environmental protection activities (technologies, processes, equipment or parts thereof), where the main purpose is to collect, treat, monitor, control, reduce, prevent, or eliminate pollutants and pollution or any other degradation of the environment, resulting from the operating activity of enterprises. The data are collected by means of an annual statistical questionnaire of the CZSO by the seat of investor's head office.

Expenditures on the acquisition of fixed assets for environmental protection are all expenditures on fixed assets acquired by reporting units through purchase, own activity, free transfer, transfer under respective legislation, or change from private use to business. Environmental protection non-investment expenditures include wage costs, payments for rent, energy and other materials and supplies and payments for services whose main purpose is the protection of the environment.

Environmental pollution control projects include:

• Air pollution control and climate protection
• Wastewater management
• Waste management

Other environmental pollution control projects include:

• Landscape and biodiversity protection
• Soil, groundwater and surface water protection and remediation
• Vibration and noise abatement (excl. workplace protection)
• Radiological protection
• Research and development
• Other environmental protection activities

Economic benefit from environmental protection activities:

• Revenues from the sale of services for the environmental protection: It concerns revenues from the sale of services provided for the purpose of protecting the environment
• Revenues from the sale of by-products: It concerns revenues from the sale of by-products, which were created during activities connected with the protection of the environment
• Savings from the re-use of by-products: Apart from the saving from the individual re-use of by-products, the saving on costs achieved by enterprises thanks to measures taken to protect the environment in a given year is also taken as a contribution

Emission refers to a process of discharging xenobiotic substances of various states into the air. Emissions are given in terms of kilograms per hour or tonnes per year.

The amounts of the given pollutants discharged into the air are listed in the Register of Emissions and Air Polluters (REZZO), which keeps records of the following types of polluters broken down by their thermal outputs:

• REZZO 1 (big polluters): includes stationary fuel-burning systems 5 MW or more in thermal output, plus systems operated in especially important technological processes
• REZZO 2 (medium size polluters): 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
• REZZO 3 (small polluters): includes local technological systems with stationary fuel-burning equipment whose thermal output is lower than 0.2 MW, 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
• REZZO 4 (mobile polluters): mobile systems equipped with air-polluting combustion or other engines. This group includes especially road and rail motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft

Specific emissions are emissions of pollutants per unit of time per unit of area or per capita.

Waste is any movable thing its owner disposes of or intends to dispose of, which classified to a group of wastes listed in Act on Waste. Hazardous waste is waste included in the List of Hazardous Waste given in the implementing regulation as well as any waste exhibiting one or more hazardous characteristics listed in Act on Waste.

Waste management refers to gathering, concentration, collection, purchase, sorting, transport, storing, treatment, use and disposal of waste. The ways of waste management are divided into two groups, in compliance with the division according to the EU, for waste recovery (R-codes) and for waste disposal (D-codes).

This statistical information presents results obtained by processing statistical questionnaires. The population of respondents includes enterprises and sampled municipalities (classified to CZ-NACE 751). The survey taken in enterprises according to the official seat of the producer of waste and municipalities provided data on industrial and municipal wastes, respectively.

Municipal waste refers to all wastes generated within the municipality by the activity of actual persons, coming under Group 20 of the Waste List, except for wastes produced by legal or natural persons holding a business licence. In this publication the municipal waste refers to all wastes generated within the municipality by the activity of actual persons, which is not regulated by special rules or restrictions, and similar wastes generated by trades, offices, etc., including components of these wastes collected separately.

Standard waste collection refers to collection of mixed wastes from dustbins, containers or bags.

Bulky waste collection refers to collection of wastes overly large to be placed in dustbins, containers or bags.

The enterprises covered by the survey employed 20 and more people and their principal activity classified them to CZ-NACE divisions/groups coded 01 – 36, 40 –41, 45, 502, 505, 52, 55, 601 – 602, 61, 62, 642, 747, 7481, 851 – 852, 9211, and 93. Furthermore, units with 5 and more employees classified to CZ-NACE 37 (Recycling) and 5155 (Wholesale of chemical products), and units classified to CZ-NACE 5157 (Wholesale of waste and scrap) and 90 (Sewage and refuse disposal, sanitation and similar activities), with no limit on the number of employees, were also included in the survey.

The area of water-supply and sewerage systems embraces activities linked to the administration and operation of these systems, i.e. providing sufficient supply of good quality drinking water and removing sewage water, including its treatment.

Public water-supply and sewerage systems water-supply and sewerage systems established and run in the interest of the general good.

Production of water includes both invoiced and non-invoiced water. The sum of these two items may differ from figures for the total production by amount of water received from or supplied to other organizations.

Wastewater treatment plants are buildings and equipment used for treating wastewater in a mechanical, biological and/or another treatment stage. Equipment used for coarse pre-treatment of wastewater (rakes, sand traps, oil traps, etc.), cesspools and simple devices with mechanical function, which are not monitored and operated regularly, are not considered to be wastewater treatment plants.

The capacity or WWTPs given here referes to design capacities (in m³/day) or higher if imeplemented intensification measures that raised the design capacity have been approved by the water authority.

The data of the area of water-supply and sewerage systems have been obtained from the processing of CZSO questionnaires completed by watercourse management organizations and operators of water-supply and sewerage systems. Information on water-supply and sewerage systems has been collected form major operators. At present, a sample survey is also conducted to collect data from small operators and the data obtained are grossed up to regions and the country.

A total of 257 profiles of the state water quality monitoring network are located within the territory of the Czech Republic along important water courses.

Pollution degree classification:
I - very clean water
II - clean water
II - polluted water
IV - heavily polluted water
V - very heavily polluted water