It is the capital of the Czech Republic. is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is the fifteenth-largest city in the European Union.^[5] It is also the historical capital of Bohemia. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, the city is home to about 1.24 million people. Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100-year existence. It is also nicknamed the mother of cities and the city with 100 spires.