The Czech Republic has an area of 78,864 km² and borders Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. It is interesting to note that nearly all borders with the neighboring countries are formed by mountain ranges , and this is entirely so with respect to Bohemia.
The mountains of Šumava, Český les (Bohemian Forest), and the Krušné Mountains in the northwest stretch along the border with Germany. The border with Poland is formed by the Krkonoše Mountains, the highest Czech mountains with the highest peak in the Czech Republic, Sněžka (1,602 meters).
These mountains are far from being the only natural treasures of the country. The area of Třeboňis also a beautiful place, a region of hundreds of smaller and larger ponds.
You will also find nice places along the Elbe and Vltava rivers, the longest Czech river (430 kilometers), or in the vicinity of the biggest Czech man-made lake – Lipno (4,870 hectares).
You can discover a true natural paradise in several regions of rock towns, that of Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise), České Švýcarsko (Bohemian Switzerland) and the Adršpašsko-Teplické Rocks.
The hilly landscape of Bohemia has a contrasting counterpart in the fertile and level landscape of South Moravia with the Morava River. But when going northward, Moravia also rises to increasingly higher hills and mountains, starting with the rolling plains of the White Carpathians, the Javorníky, and further north you already have true mountains – the Beskydy and the Jeseníky, which form the borders with Slovakia and Poland.
Six areas of the Czech Republic have even been identified as interesting biosphere ecosystems, and these areas have been included in the UNESCO list of global biosphere reserves. These are the areas of Pálava, Křivoklát, Šumava, Třeboň, the Krkonoše and Bílých Karpat (the White Carpathians).
Particularly valuable areas of the Czech natural countryside have been declared national parks, protected landscape areas, national nature reserves, national natural heritage sights and natural reserves, and are subject to special regulations on natural heritage protection.
There are many rare and protected areas in the Czech Republic, but the most important among them are the Šumava National Park (the biggest national park in the Czech Republic), the Krkonoše National Park, the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and the Podyjí National Park.