How come Czechia is commonly known as the Czech Republic, but Slovakia isn't also commonly known as the Slovak Republic?

Although, the geographic name Czechia was recommended for use by the relevant Czech institutions at the beginning of the modern Czech state in 1993, in a short time, it was quickly replaced by conventional political name “the Czech Republic”, almost symmetrically reflecting the negative attitude of the political elite and the population to its Czech equivalent "Česko", partially from the initial unpreparedness of national Czechs at the time of the separation of Czechoslovakia in 1993 and the preponderant indifference to the new state's name. On the sutuation praticipated long time identifying with the new state formation. By far outweighing the ratio, the opposition to the name "Česko" has not contained any rational reasons, expressing purely subjective aestheticism of "I do not like it," without any officially proposed alternative (not only linguistically and historically justified), though the condition was due to the fact that no Czech authorities distributed as they were ordered. That is why the name knows only a relatively smaller proportion of native English speakers, however, in 2016 was finally adopted as official geografic name by UN (UNGEGN, UNTERM), ISO and EU terminological style guides. Until that time, Czechia was not included in those lists and in the field “short name” was nonsensically repeated political name Czech Republic. Although the Czech name has been adopted over the years, its English translation of the above reasons still missed the broader spectrum use. Fortunately, after the standardization (since 2016), the name has been slowly spread among English speaking people, however still majority of them use that clumsy political one.

History of the problem is the core of my article “Czechia - the name dispute”, which can be found here: Czechia - the name dispute (from 2013, thus, without description of the solution in 2016)

Why Czechia in common language ?

Our country has more than 1200 years old history and only very small part of it is the history of republican system. Czechia read "check-i-ya) is a geographical name, which is independent on time and state-political changes in the country, thus, it can be used for our country both in historical and contemporary context. The Czech Republic is transient political name, which does not work in broader context and all bad consequences of incorrect universal use of it appear everywhere. It belongs to diplomatic protocol only. Only shortsighted prefers to call country by the name, which is changeable. Simply, the Czech Republic is nothing else, than the current state formation in Czechia. The name Czechia is very old, coming from Latin and has its equivalents in all languages - Chequia (ES), Chéquia (PT), Tchéquia (Brazilian PT), Tchéquie (FR), Cechia (IT), Tschechien (DE), Tjekkiet (DK), Tsjechië (NL), Tsjekkia (NO), Tjeckien (SE), Cehia (RO), Çekya (TR), Češka / Чешка (HR, RS), Чехия (RU, BG), Чехія (UA, BY), Τσεχία (GR), etc. Why English should be only exception?

Why is atheism so prevalent in Czechia?

Reading standard templates of the explanation of Czech history and roles of historical personalities of Czechia, based on protestant (later “coronated” by the communist, strictly anticatholic regime) historical point of view, it looks, also some Catholic opinion should be mentioned (and I would highly recommend the work of great Czech historian Josef Pekař O smyslu českých dějin to people, who is able to read Czech). It is already an awkward cliché to say Czechs are "most atheistic" of all. It's not true. We are, in fact, a nation of believers. But, after certain historical experiences of religiously motivated violence, we are also very cautious about any manifestation of devotion, being very reserved to church institutions. However, when it comes to the crunch, we head to the monument of St. Wenceslas or to the cathedral. At first, it is necessary to say, we were first Christinianized Slavic nation (863 A.D.) and more, we Czechs, namely St. Vojtěch (Adalbert of Prague), Christianized Poles, Hungarians, and Prussians.

The causes of the situation have deep historical roots and the long "development" of its consequenses has resulted in very complicated sociological problem in Czechia of today: Religious wars and politic issues during centuries (Hussite wars in 15th, Thirty Years' War in 17th century) with popular misinterpretation, done by some historians (Palacký who was protestant) and politicians (president Masaryk, sympathizer of Hussitism, and one of ideological founders of so called "Czechoslovak Hussite Church", but with personal history of being Catholic), where still exists some simplification and false templates of the issue by system: 
(1) Czech Hussite movement in 15th century was right reformistic anti-catholic movement. However, Jan (John) Hus did not want to establish a new church, he wanted to reform Catholic church suffered by vacant seat and abuse of the power by the church at that time. The movement became anticatholic only thanks to radical Hussites (btw. today is Czech Hussite church much more close to Catholic than to protestant churches as well as it was in its genuine requirements); 
(2) Austrian Empire = Germanization = catholicism / Czech national revival = anti-catholicism. Yet the main representatives of national revival were Catholics. So, nothing is more far from the truth, that these myths. 

Anti-Catholic propaganda started already during so-called “first republic”, supported by Masaryk, however only in non-violent contours. The main suppression of Catholicism in Czechia started by persecution of the Catholic church during Nazi occupation of Czechia (according to the English Prosecutor Col. Leonard Wheeler there were imprisoned in our country 487 Catholic priests, 70 of whom were executed), and all was “coronated” by huge antipropaganda (communist mister of culture Nejedlý, film director Vávra and his propagandistic films) and persecution of catholic church in Czechoslovakia by communist time. It is also highly important to say, that the Czech catholic church was only one from countries-satellites of Soviet Union, which never officially recognized communism legal regime (bishops in their pastoral letter of March 4, 1948, refused to recognize the legality of the new regime) in the country with terrible consequences (torture, executions, murders, cancellation of orders, imprisoning of priests and nuns, stealing of all properties, cancellation of many churches, etc, etc.). Individuals have been subjected to judicial and less institutionalized murders, imprisonment and torture, which killed or destroyed their lives so much that they died shortly after release, and to severe and systematic discrimination against Catholics in access to higher education and more important positions in society. All was accompanied by continual hysterical propaganda against the catholic church. The hatred crimes towards the Catholic church in Czechoslovakia committed by the communist regime were much more significant than in other countries of the Soviet block. The persecution took many forms and involved both the Church as a whole and its individual members. In the church, as an organization, it was the complete liquidation of an independent church press, the expulsion of the church from society into churches, the submission of a series of purely ecclesiastical matters to the state curator, the destruction of orders and religious congregations, the unjustified internment or the imprisonment of high church dignitaries and intervention in the occupation of ecclesiastical authorities making it impossible for them to be named. The Communist regime also attempted to rewrite and modify the history of the Czech nation so that the Catholic Church acted as a negative agent, which effort was successful and its consequences are present even today.

The Czechoslovak persecution of the Catholic Church is commonly referred to as the cruelest within the part of the post-war communist regimes, not directly annexed to the USSR.

Anti-propaganda in schools from an early age has lead to some kind of religious tepidity of Czechs and was the main cause of increase of atheism in Czechia. Due to all false historical explanations from that time that mentality remains unconsciously in people until now.

Quora, Oct.26, 2018

The Munich "Legacy"

The Munich Agreement, called in Czechia “the Munich Dictate” or “Munich Betrayal”, permitting Hitler's Third Reich the annexation of 1/3 of the area of Czechoslovakia by friendly democratic states, is considered by many Czechs an absolute failure of democratic powers - Great Britain and France. As was later confirmed, their politics of appeasement was shortsighted and only enabled and facilitated Nazi Germany to start WWII in the optimal situation. President Beneš predicted it: „I do not believe that joining the Czechoslovak border region after the Munich dictatorship would be enough for Hitler, he expected to try to get much more.....“ or „the fate of France is clear. If Paris continues in its current policy towards us, it will be so far that Germans will conquer the Maginot line by our cannons and our tanks and Paris will bomb by our aircraft …" He was right......

Many decades after the Munich dictate, there are still conflicts about whether we should have faced the enemy and lead more or less clearly a previously lost struggle. Many books and treatises on this subject have been written, and the interest continues, although history is irreversible and the subject is predominantly presented in the form of the unnecessary "what would have been if", combining reflections and speculation about the real possibilities at that moment. Experts - and not just military ones - analyze the chances of our defense, and they mostly lead to an unambiguous result: defeat would have been inevitable, just as a matter of time. 7 millions Czechs against around 100 millions of Germans (hard to count with Slovaks, who directed to fascist regime, which was confirmed after complete occupation of Czechia, when they immediately left Czechoslovakia and became an ally of Nazi Germany, however not all Slovaks agreed with it and some of them later joined Czechoslovak foreign units, fighting again Germans), being practically surrounded geographically by German territory, unfinished and not well armed border fortifications, not very good state of some kind of military technique, above all obsolete types of aircrafts and anti-aircraft weapons as a result of old-fashioned military doctrine (but our tanks, cannons and some aircraft were later used by the German army as Beneš predicted :-( ), pro-German politics and not friendly relations of the other neighbors (Poland and Hungary, participating in the annexation), but, enormous enthusiasm and will of people to fight, thus, high morale of soldiers on the other side. Our political representations at that time did not think about positive factors, and I would like to say that they committed one of the most significant, perhaps the most significant, mistake in the modern history of our country. People declared their disagreement by demonstrations, but the decision to accept the dictate by politics did not change. At that time, the Czech people felt betrayed by both friendly powers and Czechoslovak government.

Today, after so many years, the situation seems to be a little bit different. Regardless of some lack of interest in the society, blaming us for the situation is in a minority. By far the most frequent argument of pragmatists, as well as in the fateful moments of President Beneš and other political representations of the state, the declared responsibility for the countless sacrifices of lives that the armed resistance would have brought is in the lead and that if we had rejected MA and defended our borderland, we would have been immediately accused of aggression and declared initiators of the war. Maybe, but the fault was on both sides.

At all events, the historical result of the Munich dictate (“crowned” by the occupation of all Czechia in March 1939) is a permanent deep and open wound. We live in a long-term complex that has its roots right at that time and that situation (despite a number of people who did not resign and left to fight against Nazis outside of our territory). If we felt this historical failure also as OUR fundamental mistake, we would not have to suffer by it, being aware and prepared to not to repeat it.

Homeland should be defended at all events. More, if we had decided to fight it would have changed the history of WWII, because Germans would have made obvious all their real intentions to all, which could have been the moment of awakening or dawning of other nations and some blaming us for initiating the war would have become absurd.

                                                                                                              Vladimír Hirsch (2018)

Czechia vs. Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

What is the correct pronunciation of Czechia

Czechia is pronounced correctly /ˈtʃɛkiə/ - written by symbols of the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), in simple transcription "checki-ya"

Listen here: How to pronounce Czechia :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFvNbq-IaaQ¨

Czechia pronunciation 

The word comes from the root "Czech" (adjective, language, inhabitant), which is pronounced /ˈtʃɛk -/ (IPA), simply "check" and originally Latin suffix "-ia"
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Notice: the digraph "cz" comes from the old Czech orthography, typical for West Slavic languages (Czech, Polish), which was taken over by Latin and later also by English for the name to express pronunciation of /t͡ʃ/ (IPA key). In Polish is "cz" digraph still used, in modern Czech (since the standardization of modern orthography in 19th century) is substituted by consonant "č" (however it was introduced already at the break of 14th and 15th century), usually denoting the voiceless postalveolar affricate consonant [t͡ʃ] like the English "ch" in the word chocolate. "Č" originated in Czech language, and from it was adopted in Slovak, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovenian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin. It is used also in Latvian and Lithuanian.

Czechia jersey

Česko jersey

Ice hockey jerseys Česko / Czechia

Team Czechia