Österreich

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

temperate continental, cloudy cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains moderate summers with occasional showers

Europe Western Europe Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia landlocked strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys major river is the Danube population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

mostly mountains (Alps) in the west and south mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern margins

Grossglockner 3 798 m 12 461 ft Neusiedler See 115 m 377 ft Grossglockner Mount Everest

oil coal lignite timber iron ore copper zinc antimony magnesite tungsten graphite salt hydropower

Landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe

2524 km 1568 mi Czech Republic 402 km/250 mi Germany 801 km/498 mi Hungary 321 km/199 mi Italy 404 km/251 mi Liechtenstein 34 km/21 mi Slovakia 105 km/65 mi Slovenia 299 km/186 mi Switzerland 158 km/98 mi

0 km/0 mi 46.80 % 16.40 % 38.20 %

grains, potatoes, wine, fruit dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry lumber

construction machinery vehicles and parts food metals chemicals lumber and wood paper and paperboard communications equipment tourism

8 534 492	+0,65%	51,0 %	49,0 %
	0-14 14,3 %	15-64 67,1 %	65+ 18.6 %
	101,76 / km2 263,55 / mi2	65,92% 5 625 852	34% 2 908 640
	78,50 yrs	83,40 Jahre	81,00 Jahre

0.77 % 0.19 % 1.15 % 1.61 % 2.2 % 22.63 % 0.12 %

German (official nationwide) 88.6% Turkish 2.3% Serbian 2.2% Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6% Other (includes Slovene Official in South Carinthia And Hungarian Official in Burgenland) 5.3%

Catholic 73.8% (includes Roman Catholic 73.6%; other Catholic .2%) Protestant 4.9% Muslim 4.2% Orthodox 2.2% Other 0.8% (includes other Christian) None 12% Unspecified 2%

Austrians 91.1% Former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians Slovenes Serbs And Bosniaks) Turks 1.6% German 0.9% Other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)

Österreich Austria Autriche Austria Austria オーストリア Federal republic The name Oesterreich means "eastern realm" or "eastern march" and dates back to the 10th century; the designation refers to the fact that Austria was the easternmost extension of Bavaria, and in fact of all the Germans; the word Austria is a Latinization of the German name Bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of the Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members appointed by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 seats in proportion to its population; members serve 5- or 6-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world; according to tradition, in 1191, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner "Bundeshymne" (Federal Hymn) golden eagle, edelweiss, Alpine gentian National colors: red, white President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) notable earlier dates: 976 (Margravate of Austria established) 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded) 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed) National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Vienna 48 12 N, 16 22 E UTC+1 VIENNA 1.753 million 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland) Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

52 (2013)

7.6 beds/1,000 population (2011)

4.83 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

Supreme Court of Justice or Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 85 judges organized into 17 senates or panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof (consists of 20 judges including 6 substitutes; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 2 judges plus other members depending on the importance of the case)

16 years of age universal

Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Austria, with its well-developed market economy, skilled labor force, and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a relatively sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Economic growth was anemic at less than 0.5% in 2013 and 2014, and growth in 2015 is not expected to exceed 0.5%. Austria's 5.6% unemployment rate, while low by European standards, is at an historic high for Austria. Without extensive vocational training programs and generous early retirement, the unemployment rate would be even higher. Public finances have not stabilized even after a 2012 austerity package of expenditure cuts and new revenues. On the contrary, in 2014, the government created a "bad bank" for the troubled nationalized "Hypo Alpe Adria" bank, pushing the budget deficit up by 0.9% of GDP to 2.4% and public debt to 84.5% of the GDP. Although Austria's fiscal position compares favorably with other euro-zone countries, it faces several external risks, such as Austrian banks' continued exposure to Central and Eastern Europe, repercussions from the Hypo Alpe Adria bank collapse, political and economic uncertainties caused by the European sovereign debt crisis, the current crisis in Russia/Ukraine, the recent appreciation of the Swiss Franc, and political developments in Hungary. 394 485 478 833,7 $USD 46 222,5 $USD +0,35 % machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs Germany 41.9% Italy 6.5% Switzerland 4.6% Czech Republic 4.3% Netherlands 4.1% machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs Germany 30.4% Italy 6.5% France 5% US 4.7% Switzerland 4.5% Slovakia 4.2% euros (EUR) per US dollar 0.7489 (2014 est.) 1.5% (2014 est.)

124 508 km 77 366 mi	5 268 km 3 273 mi	358 km 222 mi (2011)
38 per 100 people country code - 43 satellite earth stations - 15	151,91 / 100	81,00 / 100 .at

Austria's public broadcaster, Osterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), was the main broadcast source until commercial radio and TV service was introduced in the 1990s cable and satellite TV are available, including German TV stations (2008)

FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters) shortwave 1 (2009)

65 202,93 kt 7,77 kt pro kopf

14,85 μg/m3

3 758,70 kt CO2 equivalent

8 391,40 kt CO2 equivalent

3

21

11

183

100 %	100 %

3 928 kg of oil equivalent per capita	66 %	12 %