Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak: ÄŒeskoslovensko; Slovak after 1990: ÄŒesko-Slovensko) was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918 (upon declaring its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire) until 1992 (with a government-in-exile during the World War II period). On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Basic characteristics

Form of state:

• 1918–1938: a democratic republic
• 1938–1939: after annexation of Sudetenland by Germany in 1938 gradually turned into a state with loosened connections between Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian parts. A large strip of southern Slovakia and Ruthenia was annexed by Hungary, and the Zaolzie region by Poland.
• 1939–1945: De-facto split into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the Slovak Republic. De jure Czechoslovakia continued to exist, a government-in-exile supported by the Western Allies was based in London; after German invasion of Russia also recognised by the USSR.
• 1945–1948: a country governed by a coalition government with Communist ministers (including the prime minister and minister of interior) playing leading roles
• 1948–1989: a Communist country with a centrally planned economy (from 1960 onwards officially a Socialist Republic):
• 1969–1990: a federal republic consisting of the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic;
• 1990–1992: a federal democratic republic consisting of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

Neighbors: Germany (1945–1990: BRD and DDR), Poland, from 1945 Soviet Union (1992: Ukraine), Romania (until 1939), Hungary, Austria

Topography: Generally irregular terrain. Western area is part of north-central European uplands. Eastern region is composed of northern reaches of Carpathian Mountains and Danube River Basin lands.

Climate: Predominantly continental but varied from the moderate temperatures of Western Europe in the west to more severe weather systems affecting Eastern Europe and the western Soviet Union in the east.

Official names

• 1918–1920: Republic of Czechoslovakia (abbreviated RÄŒS); short form Czecho-Slovakia
• 1920–1938: Czechoslovak Republic (ÄŒSR); short form Czechoslovakia
• 1938–1939: Czecho-Slovak Republic; short form Czecho-Slovakia
• 1945–1960: Czechoslovak Republic (ÄŒSR); short form Czechoslovakia
• 1960–1990: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ÄŒSSR); Czechoslovakia
• April 1990: Czechoslovak Federative Republic (Czech version) and Czecho-Slovak Federative Republic (Slovak version),
• afterwards: Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (ÄŒSFR, with the short forms ÄŒeskoslovensko in Czech and ÄŒesko-Slovensko in Slovak)