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The Czech Republic has a total area of 78,866 km 2 and lies between two neighbouring mountain ranges – the Czech Highlands and the Carpathians, which have greatly differing geological ages and characters. The hilly terrain is distinguished by significant differences in elevation (1602 metres above sea level for the peak of the mountain SnûÏka and 115 metres above sea level for the valley of the river Elbe at the state border). Highlands and lowlands are represented on a relatively small territory; most of the territory has a height above sea level of 200-600 metres. The long-term average for annual precipitation varies greatly in the Czech Republic depending on the height above sea level and the relief. The driest area in North-West Bohemia has an average annual total of just 450 mm, whereas the greatest average is on the ridges of the Jizerské mountains with 1700 mm. The average annual precipitation in the Czech Republic is 668 mm. Water resources (water wealth) in the Czech Republic are replenished almost exclusively by precipitation. Their volume in the long-term average represents 16.7 billion m 3 per year, which represents 1621 m 3 per inhabitant; fluctuation between wet and dry years is from 8 to 19 billion m 3 . The Czech Republic is thus a country with relatively moderate and unevenly distributed resources of water; in comparison with the average in the countries of the EU, the water resources of the Czech Republic are approximately half (per unit area and per inhabitant). From approximately 30 % to 50 % of water resources can be considered useable. The territory of the Czech Republic is an important European watershed with the upper reaches of basins of large European Rivers such as the Elbe the Odra and the Danube (on the territory of the Czech Republic , the basin of the river Morava . The average density of the network of natural and man-made water courses in the Czech Republic , the total length of which exceeds 76,000 km, is 0.96 km of water course per km 2 of territory. On the water courses of importance in terms of water management, the longterm trend of reducing released pollutants is having a positive impact on the basic parameters of conventional pollution of surface water. Despite the implementation of many measures for sources of pollution and the achievement of a significant improvement in the elimination of heavy metals and organic substances in water, not all problems associated with the quality of surface water have yet been resolved.
http://www.sovak.cz
e-mail: sovak@csvts.cz
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