Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Nicknames for Prague have included: Praga mater urbium/Praha matka mest ("Prague – Mother of Cities") in Latin/Czech, Stovezatá Praha ("City of a Hundred Spires") in Czech and Zlaté mesto/Goldene Stadt ("Golden City") in Czech/German.

Geographically, Prague is situated on the Vltava River in central Bohemia. The city proper is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million. Prague has been the political, cultural and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1,100 years. For many decades during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was the permanent seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus was also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The city has played a significant role in twentieth-century history, in both World Wars, and the post-war Communist era.

Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the turmoil of the twentieth century. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, making the city one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, receiving more than 4.1 million international visitors annually, as of 2009. Prague is classified as an alpha-world city.