Final answer:
The Czech Republic is the country with the cities of Brno, its second-largest city, and Ostrava. Brno is a center of culture and administration while Ostrava is an industrial hub. Both cities reflect the country's diverse economic and cultural profile.
Step-by-step explanation:
The country that has the cities of Brno, its second-largest city, and Ostrava is the Czech Republic. Brno serves as the cultural and administrative center of the South Moravian Region, whereas Ostrava is known as an industrial hub located in the northeast of the country. Both cities are significant in their own right and contribute to the Czech Republic's diversity and economic strength.
Historically, the region now known as the Czech Republic was comprised of Bohemia and Moravia. The Czech Republic, together with Slovakia, formed Czechoslovakia until they split into two independent nations on January 1, 1993. Since then, the Czech Republic has transitioned effectively from a communist state to a market economy and is a member of the European Union since 2004.
While the Czech Republic has a primate city, which is Prague, being more than twice as large as Brno, it still takes pride in its other cities. Brno and Ostrava each have their own unique stories and significance in the Czech Republic's cultural and economic landscape.