Austria

Austria Photo Gallery

Austria Realty

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Flag Description of Austria:The Austrian flag, originally adopted in 1918, was officially adopted (again) in 1945, after being banned during World War II. Stripes of red and white have been a collective emblem of Austria for over 800 years, and their first usage on the flag occur.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion. But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened . Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions. Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE? Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace? WHY?? There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance: The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Official name Republik Österreich (Republic of Austria)
Form of government federal state with two legislative houses (Federal Council [62]; National Council [183])
Head of state President: Heinz Fischer
Head of government Chancellor: Werner Faymann
Capital Vienna
Official language German
Official religion none
Monetary unit euro (€)
Population (2013 est.) 8,496,000COLLAPSE
Total area (sq mi) 32,386
Total area (sq km) 83,879
Urban-rural population

Urban: (2011) 67.7%

Rural: (2011) 32.3%

Life expectancy at birth

Male: (2011) 78.1 years

Female: (2011) 83.4 years

Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate

Male: 100%

Female: 100%

GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2013) 48,590

Background of Austria

Austria has a well-developed social market economy with a high standard of living and close ties to other EU economies, especially Germany's.

Austria, largely mountainous landlocked country of south-central Europe. Together with Switzerland, it forms what has been characterized as the neutral core of Europe, notwithstanding Austria’s full membership since 1995 in the supranational European Union (EU).

A great part of Austria’s prominence can be attributed to its geographic position. It is at the centre of European traffic between east and west along the great Danubian trade route and between north and south through the magnificent Alpine passes, thus embedding the country within a variety of political and economic systems. In the decades following the collapse in 1918 of Austria-Hungary, the multinational empire of which it had been the heart, this small country experienced more than a quarter century of social and economic turbulence and a Nazi dictatorship. Yet the establishment of permanent neutrality in 1955, associated with the withdrawal of the Allied troops that had occupied the country since the end of World War II, enabled Austria to develop into a stable and socially progressive nation with a flourishing cultural life reminiscent of its earlier days of international musical glory. Its social and economic institutions too have been characterized by new forms and a spirit of cooperation, and, although political and social problems remain, they have not erupted with the intensity evidenced in other countries of the Continent. The capital of Austria is historic Vienna (Wien), the former seat of the Holy Roman Empire and a city renowned for its architecture.

Geography of Austria

• Location: Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
• Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E
• Area: total: 83,871 sq km
• land: 82,445 sq km
• water: 1,426 sq km
• Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
• Land boundaries: total: 2,524 km
• border countries: Czech Republic 402 km, Germany 801 km, Hungary 321 km, Italy 404 km, Liechtenstein 34 km, Slovakia 105 km,
• Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
• Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
• Climate: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
• Terrain: in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
• Elevation extremes: lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
• highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
• Natural resources: oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
• Land use: arable land: 16.25%
• permanent crops: 0.77%
• other: 82.98% (2011)
• Irrigated land: 1,170 sq km (2007)
• Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 3.66 cu km/yr (18%/79%/3%)
• per capita: 452.4 cu m/yr (2008)
• Natural hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
• Environment - current issues: 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
• Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
• Geography - note: 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

Land Austria is bordered to the north by the Czech Republic, to the northeast by Slovakia, to the east by Hungary, to the south by Slovenia, to the southwest by Italy, to the west by Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and to the northwest by Germany. It extends roughly 360 miles (580 km) from east to west.

• Relief

Mountains and forests give the Austrian landscape its character, although in the northeastern part of the country the Danube River winds between the eastern edge of the Alps and the hills of Bohemia and Moravia in its journey toward the Alföld, or Hungarian Plain. Vienna lies in the area where the Danube emerges from between the mountains into the drier plains.

The Austrian Alps form the physical backbone of the country. They may be subdivided into a northern and a southern limestone range, each of which is composed of rugged mountains. These two ranges are separated by a central range that is softer in form and outline and composed of crystalline rocks. The Alpine landscape offers a complex geologic and topographical pattern, with the highest elevation—the Grossglockner (12,460 feet [3,798 metres])—rising toward the west. The western Austrian Länder (states) of Vorarlberg, Tirol, and Salzburg are characterized by the majestic mountains and magnificent scenery of the high Alps. This high Alpine character also extends to the western part of the state of Kärnten (Carinthia), to the Salzkammergut region of central Austria, and to the Alpine blocks of the state of Steiermark (Styria).

North of the massive Alpine spur lies a hilly subalpine region, stretching between the northern Alps and the Danube and encompassing the northern portion of the state of Oberösterreich (Upper Austria). To the north of the river is a richly wooded foothill area that includes a portion of the Bohemian Massif, which extends across the Czech border into the state of Niederösterreich (Lower Austria). This part of Austria is furrowed by many valleys that for centuries served as passageways leading to the east and southeast of Europe and even—in the case of medieval pilgrims and Crusaders—to the Holy Land. The lowland area east of Vienna, together with the northern part of the state of Burgenland, may be regarded as a western extension of the Little Alföld (Little Hungarian Plain).

• Drainage

Austria is a land of lakes, many of them a legacy of the Pleistocene Epoch (i.e., about 2,600,000 to about 11,700 years ago), during which glacial erosion scooped out mountain lakes in the central Alpine district, notably around the Salzkammergut. The largest lakes—lying partly in the territory of neighbouring countries—are Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the west and the marshy Neusiedler Lake (Neusiedlersee) in the east.

Nearly all Austrian territory drains into the Danube River system. The main watershed between the Black Sea and the North Sea runs across northern Austria, in some places lying only about 22 miles (35 km) from the Danube, while to the west the watershed between the Danube and the river systems emptying into the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coincides with the western political boundary of Austria. In the south the Julian and Carnic (Karnische) Alps and, farther to the west, the main Alpine range mark the watershed of the region draining into the Po River of northern Italy.

• Climate

The wooded slopes of the Alps and the small portion of the plains of southeastern Europe are characterized by differing climatic zones. The prevailing wind is from the west, and, therefore, humidity is highest in the west, diminishing toward the east. The wetter western regions of Austria have an Atlantic climate with a yearly rainfall of about 40 inches (1,000 mm); the drier eastern regions, under the influence of the more continental type of climate, have less precipitation.

In the lowlands and the hilly eastern regions, the median temperature ranges from about 30 °F (−1 °C) in January to about 68 °F (20 °C) in July. In those regions above 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), by contrast, the temperature range is between about 12 °F (−11 °C) in January, with a snow cover of approximately 10 feet (3 metres), and about 36 °F (2 °C) in July, with roughly 5 feet (1.5 metres) of snow cover.

• Plant and animal life

Two-thirds of the total area of Austria is covered by woods and meadows. Forests occupy some two-fifths of the country, which is one of the most densely forested in central Europe. Spruce dominates the forests, with larch, beech, and oak also making a significant contribution. In the Alpine and foothill regions coniferous trees predominate, while broad-leaved deciduous trees are more frequent in the warmer zones.

Wild animals, many protected by conservation laws, include the brown bear, eagles, buzzards, falcons, owls, cranes, swans, and storks. Game hunting is restricted to certain periods of the year, with deer and rabbits the most frequent quarry. Austrian rivers nurture river and rainbow trout, grayling, pike, perch, and carp.

Demographics of Austria

• Population: 8,223,062 (July 2014 est.)
• Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.6% (male 573,146/female 546,596),15-24 years: 11.6% (male 488,564/female 468,891),25-54 years: 42.9% (male , 1,766,729/female 1,756,880) ,55-64 years: 12.7% (male 515,913/female 528,988), 65 years and over: 19.2% (male 670,750/female 906,605) (2014 est.)
• Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 49.1 %, youth dependency ratio: 21.6 %,elderly dependency ratio: 27.6 %, potential support ratio: 3.6 (2014 est.)
• Median age: total: 44.3 years, male: 43.2 years, female: 45.3 years (2014 est.)
• Population growth rate: 0.01% (2014 est.)
• Birth rate: 8.76 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
• Death rate: 10.38 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
• Net migration rate: 1.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
• Urbanization: urban population: 67.7% of total population (2011), rate of urbanization: 0.48% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
• Major cities - population: VIENNA (capital) 1.72 million (2011)
• Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female, 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female , 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female , 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female, 55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female, 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female, total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
• Mother's mean age at first birth: 28.5 (2011 est.)
• Infant mortality rate: total: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births, male: 5.01 deaths/1,000 live births, female: 3.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.17 years, male: 77.25 years, female: 83.24 years (2014 est.)
• Total fertility rate: 1.43 children born/woman (2014 est.)
• Contraceptive prevalence rate: 69.6%

note: percent of women aged 18-46 (2009)

• HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2009 est.)
• HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (2009 est.)
• HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
• Drinking water source: improved-urban: 100% of population, rural: 100% of population, total: 100% of population

unimproved- urban: 0% of population, rural: 0% of population, total: 0% of population (2012 est.)

• Nationality: noun: Austrian(s), adjective: Austrian
• Ethnic groups: 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)
• Religions: Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
• Languages: German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
• Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write, total population: 98%, male: NA, female: NA
• School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 16 years, male: 15 years, female: 16 years (2011)
• Education expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2010)
• Maternal mortality rate: 4 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
• Health expenditures: 10.6% of GDP (2011)
• Physicians density: 4.86 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
• Hospital bed density: 7.6 beds/1,000 population (2010)
• Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 20.9% (2008)
• Gender Parity of Austria
• Austria's Infant and child mortality
• Austria's Percentage of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade of primary

People

• Ethnic groups

Ethnic Austrians constitute the vast majority of the population. Small but significant groups of German-speaking Swiss and ethnic Germans also reside in the country. Serbs, Bosniaks (Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina; living mainly in the larger cities), Turks (living primarily in Vienna), Hungarians and Croats (living mainly in Burgenland), and Slovenes (living mainly in Kärnten) constitute the major ethnic minorities.

• Languages

Although Croatian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Turkish, and other languages are spoken by the various minority groups, nearly all people in Austria speak German. The dialect of German spoken in Austria, except in the west, is Bavarian, sometimes called Austro-Bavarian. About seven million people speak Bavarian in Austria. A Middle Bavarian subdialect is spoken chiefly in Ober- and Niederösterreich as well as in Vienna. A Southern Bavarian subdialect is spoken in Tirol (including southern Tirol), in Kärnten, and in parts of Steiermark. The speech of most of the remainder of the country’s inhabitants tends to shade into one or the other of those subdialects. In the west, however, an Alemannic (Swiss) dialect prevails: the inhabitants of Vorarlberg and parts of western Tirol are Alemannic in origin, having cultural and dialectal affinities with the German Swiss to the west and Swabians in Germany to the north.

• Religion

About three-fourths of Austrians are Christian. The overwhelming majority of Christians are adherents to Roman Catholicism; Protestants (mainly Lutherans) and Orthodox Christians form smaller groups. Islam has a small but important following, mainly among the Bosniak and Turk populations. Vienna’s Jewish population, which was all but destroyed between 1938 and 1945 (see Holocaust), has increased steadily since that time but remains tiny. More than one-tenth of the population is nonreligious.

• Settlement patterns

The pattern of rural settlement in Austria was shaped centuries ago by the exigencies of the Alpine environment, and new rural building is still influenced by these ancient traditions, especially in the west and in the centre of the country. By contrast, rural housing in the eastern parts of the country, especially in the lowlands, is dominated more by agricultural needs than by harsh weather conditions.

While Austria is mountainous, it is also a highly urbanized country. More than half of the population lives in cities and towns of more than 10,000 residents, and about one-fourth of the total population lives in the Vienna urban agglomeration. Graz, Austria’s second largest city, is the gateway to the Balkans. Linz is an important industrial centre. Innsbruck, situated just north of Brenner Pass, is the rail centre through which all the mainline rail traffic of western Austria passes, north-south and east-west. Salzburg is a centre of music and Baroque architecture. Klagenfurt lies astride routes that provide access to both Italy and the Balkans.

• Demographic trends

Austria’s population grew steadily from the mid-20th century to the mid-1990s; it then remained fairly constant into the early 21st century. An increasingly high life expectancy has served to offset the declining birth rate.

Because of its geographic position and historical affinities, Austria in general and Vienna in particular served as a haven for refugees and other emigrants from eastern Europe during the decades of the Cold War, when migration out of the Soviet bloc was severely restricted. Austria supported a generous policy of admitting and maintaining such migrants until places for them abroad could be found. About 170,000–180,000 Hungarians escaped into Austria after the uprising in Hungary in 1956; some remained permanently in Austria, but most were resettled overseas. After the precipitous political upheavals of 1989–91, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Austria became the first station in the West for thousands of emigrants from eastern Europe. Many remained permanently in Austria, particularly in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and other large cities. In the early 21st century, foreign residents accounted for more than one-tenth of the country’s total population. Among them were many EU nationals residing permanently in Austria, a large number of them in Vienna.

Economy of Austria

Austria’s government played an important role in the economy from the post-World War II years until the late 20th century. In 1946 and 1947 the Austrian parliament enacted legislation that nationalized more than 70 firms in essential industries and services, including the three largest commercial banks, such heavy industries as petroleum and oil refining, coal, mining, iron and steel, iron and steel products (structural materials, heavy machinery, railway equipment), shipbuilding, and electrical machinery and appliances, as well as river navigation. Later reorganization reduced the number of nationalized firms to 19 and placed the property rights with limited powers of management and supervision into a holding company owned by the Republic of Austria, the Österreichische Industrieverwaltungs-Aktiengesellschaft (ÖIAG; Austrian Industrial Administration Limited-Liability Company). In 1986–89 ÖIAG was restructured to give it powers to function along the lines of a major private industry, and it was renamed Österreichische Industrieholding AG. During the 1990s, particularly after Austria joined the EU in 1995, many companies and enterprises were partially or completely privatized, which reduced the direct role of government in Austria’s economy. Indeed, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ÖIAG functioned largely as a privatization agency, as it sold off large portions of many of its holdings. However, the government continued to control, at least partially, some companies and utilities. Austria’s economy may have been somewhat slow to liberalize and privatize, but by the early 21st century it had made the transition from an industrially and agriculturally based economy to one in which the service sector represented some two-thirds of the gross domestic product (GDP). Although Austria suffered its worst recession since World War II as a result of the euro-zone debt crisis, it weathered the financial storm comparatively well. By 2010 the economy had stabilized, thanks largely to robust domestic demand, low unemployment, and the continued economic health of Austria’s main trading partner, Germany.

Agriculture and forestry

Agriculture employs only a small percentage of Austria’s workforce and accounts for only a tiny portion of the GDP. Because of the country’s mountainous terrain, only about half of the land can even potentially be cultivated. Agricultural areas are found mainly in the east—particularly in Burgenland, Steiermark, Kärnten, and Niederösterreich—and farms are usually small or of medium size. Crops include sugar beets, wheat, corn (maize), barley, potatoes, apples, and grapes. Pigs and cattle also are raised.

Many farmers need additional income through nonfarm employment, and a significant number of farmers (so-called mountain farmers) receive subsidies from the government and the EU for maintaining the cultural landscape (e.g., preventing the natural reforestation of clearings), which is important for tourism. However, both specialization and concentration on quality rather than quantity allow Austria’s small farmers to compete within the EU. For example, the number of organic farms in the country increased from about 100 in the late 1970s to more than 21,000 in the early 21st century—more than in any other EU country.

Austria’s vast forested areas provide ample timber resources. Some of the timber felled is processed in the country, and most of it is exported, especially to Italy.

Resources and power

The natural resources available within the country for industrial exploitation are of considerable significance. Austria is a leading producer of natural magnesite, a magnesium carbonate used extensively in the chemical industry. Kärnten is the main centre of its production. Other important mineral resources include iron, lignite, anhydrous gypsum, lead and zinc, and antimony. Iron ore from Eisenberg (in Steiermark) is obtained through opencut mining and is processed in such industrial centres as Linz and Leoben.

While oil and natural gas deposits in northeastern Austria are exploited, oil and gas must be imported to meet industrial and consumer needs. The large oil refinery at Schwechat processes crude oil from Austrian sources as well as oil pumped through the Vienna-Adriatic pipeline from the port of Trieste, Italy. Additional natural gas is supplied by pipeline from Ukraine. Coal, mainly bituminous, is found chiefly in Oberösterreich and Steiermark and only in relatively small quantities.

The country’s power needs are met by coal, oil, natural gas, and hydroelectric plants. Increases in domestic power production have helped offset the country’s import debt in its balance of payments. In fact, with its dense network of rivers and mountainous terrain, Austria is a major exporter of hydroelectric power. In 1978 a plan to build a nuclear power plant on the Danube was roundly opposed, and the Austrian parliament passed legislation prohibiting nuclear power generation. The government aggressively promoted the use of renewable energy, and by the early 21st century, renewable sources accounted for almost one-third of Austria’s energy production.

Manufacturing

Austria’s manufacturing sector accounts for a significant portion of the GDP; it is also one of the country’s main generators of foreign currency through exports, an important factor in the economy of a small country. Austrian manufacturing focuses on specialized high-quality products, mainly in the traditional industries. Although high-technology production was slow to take hold in the country, by the turn of the 21st century a number of firms had begun to find success through advanced technological development.

Iron and steel production has long been a leading industry. An important Austrian innovation in steelmaking was the basic oxygen process, or LD process, originally named for the cities of Linz and Donawitz (the latter now part of Leoben); it is used under license by steelworks throughout the world. A considerable portion of Austria’s iron and steel industry is involved with construction abroad. Iron and steel firms furnish plants and installations of all descriptions in every phase of construction and equipping in Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Working alone or in consortia with firms of other countries, Austrian companies typically build hydroelectric or thermal power stations, chemical plants, steelworks, and seamless pipelines. The industrial plants may be largely equipped with such Austrian capital goods as electrical and electronics equipment. Austria is noted for providing plants abroad “completely to measure.”

Other important manufactured products include aluminum, industrial machinery, motor vehicles (especially industrial and rough-terrain vehicles) and parts, chemicals, electronic goods and components, textiles, and such consumer goods as foodstuffs, glass and porcelain, and highly prized handmade products.

In general, Austria’s manufacturing sector consists mainly of small- and medium-sized firms, although a small number of large firms do produce such goods as cement, paper, beer, and sugar and sugar products. In the early 21st century the majority of manufacturing companies were Austrian-owned, either held privately or controlled by the government. However, a significant number of German, Dutch, Swiss, and other foreign companies have manufacturing facilities in Austria.

Finance

Monetary policy is determined by the European Central Bank and implemented by the Austrian National Bank (Österreichische Nationalbank), founded in 1922. Austria was among the first group of countries to adopt the single currency of the EU, the euro, in 1999; it made the complete switch from schillings to euro notes and coins in 2002.

Financial services are handled by a wide range of institutions, including large nationally owned and foreign banks, the Austrian Post Office Savings Bank (Österreichische Postsparkasse), smaller local savings banks, and commercial credit and agricultural credit cooperatives. The Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse), founded in 1771 by Empress Maria Theresa, is one of the oldest such institutions in Europe. Shares of both Austrian and foreign companies are traded there.

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Austrian private investors and entrepreneurs have found a new arena for foreign investment in Austria’s former imperial domains—above all Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and, to a lesser extent, northern Italy. Thousands of Austrian companies, mostly small and medium-sized, have been involved in investment projects in these countries since the mid-1990s. Notable examples of Austrian ventures in eastern European countries have included an extensive network of OMV gas stations and numerous branch offices of Bank Austria. When the European economy sharply contracted in 2009, these investments became a liability, as Austrian banks found themselves dangerously exposed to slumping economies in central and eastern Europe. By the end of that year, most of the country’s major financial institutions had received some degree of bailout assistance from the government, and a number of banks had been fully nationalized.

Trade

Austria’s main trading partners are EU member countries, the United States, China, and Switzerland. Important exports include machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and iron and steel; among the major imports are machinery, transport equipment, vehicles, chemicals, mineral fuels, and food products.

Services

At the beginning of the 21st century, the service sector employed roughly two-thirds of Austria’s workforce and generated the large majority of the country’s GDP. However, this should not be interpreted as an indication of rapid economic modernization or of the swift development of high-technology service industries. Services, more than any other sector of the Austrian economy, were clearly dominated by the government. Public services were particularly expanded in connection with the so-called “controlled capitalism” concept of the post-World War II years, whereby the social welfare state, through the nationalization of companies, aimed to create more jobs, particularly protected jobs. The public sector also reached out into once privately performed services: banking and insurance; teaching at all levels; cultural institutions such as theatres, symphony orchestras, and operas; transportation and communication; all levels and kinds of administration; and the general health care system, including hospitals, clinics, and most retirement homes. In all, a minority of service jobs are in the private sector, while the government at all levels (local, state, and federal) still controls the majority.

Despite its leading contribution to the economy, the service sector in Austria creates rather little new money, with the exception of financial services, some services offered abroad (such as banking in eastern European countries), and tourism. Indeed, tourism is Austria’s most important invisible asset. With its picturesque landscape, villages, towns, and cities; its highly developed hotel and catering industry; its renowned facilities for skiing and other outdoor sports; its spas and resorts; and its fabled cultural institutions—not to mention its relative ease of access—Austria is to the outsider a tourist destination par excellence.

Labour and taxation

Government at various levels remains an important job provider, though to a much lesser degree than it was in the mid-20th century. Public sector jobs are protected, meaning that the government ensures automatic wage raises, certain bonuses, and most often tenure for life—conditions the private sector can hardly match. Public employment agencies are either at the federal, state, or community level or involved in such semipublic entities as social security, mandatory health insurance, public interest groups, unions, and religious administrations. They also may be in the entrepreneurial sector, as communities, states, and the federal government still engage in competitive business (e.g., real estate, housing, and even retail trade). This persistent government involvement has helped to keep unemployment in Austria at a rather low level for many years.

Government, management, and labour follow a wage-price policy that attempts to avoid social cleavages and strikes through cooperative participation in a joint wage-price commission. The representatives of the various segments of the economy—together with the chambers of commerce, agriculture, and labour and the federation of trade unions—have tried, with the active cooperation of the government, to coordinate wage and price movements. It is within this framework that collective bargaining takes place, and agricultural prices are also negotiated by the wage-price commission without infringement of the market economy.

The three important economic groups—labour, management, and farmers—have similar structures. Each has its own independent organization: the trade unions, the management association, and the farmers’ federation. At the same time, laws provide for semiofficial “chambers” for each group. This type of guild organization promotes cooperation in the governmental wage-price commission. Despite the divergent interests of the various groups, their cooperation has resulted in relative economic stability, and labour-management relations have remained unmarked by major crises.

Tax revenues are drawn chiefly from an income and wage tax and, in line with the countries of the EU, a value-added tax. Other sources of revenue include expressway usage permits, gasoline taxes, and one-time “environmental assessment” taxes on imported cars.

Transportation and telecommunications Austria has a dense road system inherited from its centuries as the hub of a vast continental empire. The country serves as an important link between western, northern, and central Europe and Italy, eastern Europe, and the Balkans. It has a highly developed transportation infrastructure of highways, passenger and freight trains, waterways, and air services.

Starting with the key link between Salzburg and Vienna, Austria has continued to develop its extensive expressway (autobahn) system. There are routes connecting Bregenz at the Swiss and German borders through Vorarlberg and Tirol, routes connecting Innsbruck with Italy, and routes connecting Salzburg and Vienna to Italy and the Balkans; these are often spectacular feats of highway engineering through unsurpassed Alpine scenery.

The Austrian rail network is controlled by Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen; ÖBB), which is under state ownership but operates as an independent commercial enterprise. More than half of the track is electrified.

The Danube is the most important river connection between Germany and the Black Sea, and both freight and passenger vessels travel along this waterway. Although Austria is landlocked, its shipyards build vessels for Austria and for other countries.

Austrian Airlines, which began operations in March 1958, serves destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and North Africa. Wholly owned by the Austrian government until the late 1980s, the airline was slowly privatized over the next two decades, culminating in its eventual takeover by Lufthansa in September 2009. Austria’s major airport is at Schwechat, near Vienna.

Telecommunications systems, including a fibre-optic network, are well developed. Cellular telephones are ubiquitous, and Austria boasted almost 1.5 cellular subscriptions per person in the early 21st century. During this period, rates of personal computer ownership and Internet usage were among the highest in the region, and almost three-fourths of Austrians were regular Internet users.

Government of Austria

• Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Austria
• conventional short form: Austria
• local long form: Republik Oesterreich
• local short form: Oesterreich
• Government type: federal republic
• Capital: name: Vienna
• geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
• time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
• daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
• Administrative divisions: 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Karnten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
• Independence: 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 holiday: National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
• Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 1 October 1920, revised 1929, replaced May 1934 (authoritarian-corporate constitution), replaced by German Weimar constitution in 1938 following German annexation; latest reinstated 1 May 1945 (1920 constitution with 1929 revisions); amended many times, last in 2008 (2013)
• Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court
• International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
• Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
• Executive branch:

chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004)

head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Michael SPINDELEGGER (OeVP) (since 21 April 2011)

cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

elections: president elected for a six-year term (eligible for a second term) by direct popular vote and formally sworn into office before the Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung; presidential election last held on 25 April 2010 (next to be held on 25 April 2016); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

election results: Heinz FISCHER reelected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 79.33%, Barbara ROSENKRANZ 15.24%, Rudolf GEHRING 5.43%

note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

• Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; delegates appointed by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 seats in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by popular vote for a five-year term under a system of proportional representation with partially open party lists)
• elections: National Council - last held on 29 September 2013 (next to be held by September 2018)
• election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 27.1%, OeVP 23.8%, FPOe 21.4%, Greens 11.5%, Team Stronach for Austria 5.8%, NEOS - The New Austria 4.8%, other 5.6%; seats by party - SPOe 53, OeVP 46, FPOe 42, Greens 22; Team Stronach for Austria 11, NEOS - The New Austria 9
• Judicial branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 85 judges organized into 17 senates or panels of five 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)
• judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by executive branch departments and appointed by the president; judges serve for life; Constitutional Court judges nominated by several executive branch departments and approved by the president; judges serve for life; Administrative Court judges recommended by executive branch departments and appointed by the president; terms of judges and members determined by the president
• subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (4); Regional Courts (20); district courts (120); county courts
• Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Josef BUCHER]

Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Michael SPINDELEGGER] Communist Party of Austria or KPOe [Mirko MESSNER] Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE] The Greens [Eva GLAWISCHNIG] NEOS - The New Austria [Matthias STROLZ] Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN] "Team Stronach for Austria" [Frank STRONACH]

• Political pressure groups and leaders: Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic)

Federal Economic Chamber Labor Chamber or AK (Social Democratic-leaning think tank) OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

• other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
• International organization participation: 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), 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, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
• Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hans Peter MANZ (since 2 December 2011)

chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700

FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

• Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexa L. WESNER (since 6 September 2013)

embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0

FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

• National anthem: name: "Bundeshymne" (Federal Hymn)

lyrics/music: Paula von PRERADOVIC/Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART or Johann HOLZER (disputed)

note: adopted 1947; the anthem is also known as "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" (Land of the Mountains, Land on the River); Austria adopted a new national anthem after World War II to replace the former imperial anthem composed by Franz Josef HAYDN, which had been appropriated by Germany in 1922 and was now associated with the Nazi regime

• Group: All, OREA, Europe/French Dependencies, European Union, Europe

Government and Society of Austria

• Constitutional framework

Under the constitution of 1920—with minor changes made in 1929—Austria is a “democratic republic: its law derives from the people.” A federal republic, Austria consists of nine self-governing Länder (states): Burgenland, Kärnten (Carinthia), Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Oberösterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, and Wien (Vienna). The states have considerable autonomy...>>>>read more<<<<

Languages, culture and religion of Austria

Languages

German is the official language of Austria and an important prerequisite for participating in the working, economic and social life of the country.

Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian are recognised as official languages of autonomous population groups in some regions.

English is taught as the first foreign language at most schools.

Culture and religion

There are all kinds of private registered societies and associations throughout Austria (culture, sports, social clubs, etc.). Information on associations can be found at municipal offices or the Magistrat offices (administration authority in cities) and on the website of the Ministry for the Interior.

All over Austria, you will find extensive cultural choices and sports facilities. Daily newspapers and special agendas provide information on current cultural and sporting events.

In recent years, Vienna was elected “Metropolis with the highest standard of living world-wide” several times in a row (Mercer study).

Austrian culture is greatly influenced by the centuries-long Catholic tradition. Daily life and legislation are however strictly secular. Social cohesion and tolerance are of the highest significance in Austrian society.

In Austria there is religious freedom. According to the last population census in 2001, the larger part of the Austrian population professes to be of Roman Catholic faith (around three quarters). This group is followed by persons without religious faith, Protestants, Muslims and members of the Christian Orthodox faith.

Energy of Austria

• GDP (purchasing power parity)

$361 billion (2013 est.)

$359.6 billion (2012 est.)

$356.5 billion (2011 est.)

note: data are in 2013 US dollars

• GDP (official exchange rate): $417.9 billion (2013 est.)

• GDP - real growth rate

0.4% (2013 est.)

0.9% (2012 est.)

2.8% (2011 est.)

• GDP - per capita (PPP)

$42,600 (2013 est.)

$42,500 (2012 est.)

$42,300 (2011 est.)

note: data are in 2013 US dollars

• Gross national saving

23.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

24.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

24.5% of GDP (2011 est.)

• GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 54.6%

government consumption: 19.2%

investment in fixed capital: 20.8%

investment in inventories: 0.5%

exports of goods and services: 56.9%

imports of goods and services: -52%

(2013 est.)

• GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.6%

industry: 28.6%

services: 69.8% (2013 est.

• Population below poverty line 6.2% (2012)

• Labor force 3.737 million (2013 est.)

• Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 5.5%

industry: 26%

services: 68.5% (2012 est.)

• Unemployment rate

4.9% (2013 est.)

4.4% (2012 est.)

• Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 8.3%

male: 8.8%

female: 8.7% (2012)

• Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4%

highest 10%: 22% (2011)

• Distribution of family income - Gini index

26.3 (2007)

31 (1995)

• Budget revenues: $200 billion
• expenditures: $212.1 billion (2013 est.)
• Taxes and other revenues:47.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
• Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) -2.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

• Public debt

75.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

74.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

note: this is general government gross debt, defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year; it covers the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; as a percentage of GDP, the GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product in current year prices

• Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (2013 est.)

2.6% (2012 est.)

• Commercial bank prime lending rate

2.2% (31 December 2013 est.)

2.5% (31 December 2012 est.)

• Stock of narrow money

$204.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$201.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 17 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

• Stock of broad money

$419 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$414 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

• Stock of domestic credit

$544.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$543 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

• Market value of publicly traded shares

$106 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$82.37 billion (31 December 2011)

$NA (31 December 2010 est.)

• Agriculture - products grains, potatoes, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber

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

• Industrial production growth rate 0.5% (2013 est.)

• Current Account Balance

$10.6 billion (2013 est.)

$7.085 billion (2012 est.)

• Exports

$165.6 billion (2013 est.)

$160.1 billion (2012 est.)

• Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs

• Exports - partners Germany 29.31%, Italy 6.25%, Switzerland 5.08%, United States 5%, France 4.27% (2013 est.)

• Imports

$167.9 billion (2013 est.)

$163.2 billion (2012 est.)

• Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs

• Imports - partners

Germany 40.39%, Italy 6.13%, Switzerland 5.36% (2013 est.)

• Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$27.21 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$25.16 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

• Debt - external

$812 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$786.1 billion (31 December 2011)

• Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$269.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$265.3 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

• Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$345.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$331.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

• Exchange rates euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.7634 (2013 est.)

0.7752 (2012 est.)

0.755 (2010 est.)

0.7198 (2009 est.)

0.6827 (2008 est.)

• Fiscal year calendar year

Austria Telecommunications Profile 2014

• Telephones - main lines in use 3.342 million (2012)

• Telephones - mobile cellular 13.59 million (2012)

• Telephone system

general assessment: highly developed and efficient

domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available

international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)

• Broadcast media 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)

• Internet country code .at

• Internet hosts 3.512 million (2012)

• Internet users 6.143 million (2009)

Austria Military Profile 2014

• Military branches Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

• Military service age and obligation registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory service; males under the age of 35 must complete basic military training (6 month duration); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service (2012)

• Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,941,110

females age 16-49: 1,910,434 (2010 est.)

• Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,579,862

females age 16-49: 1,554,130 (2010 est.)

• Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 48,108

female: 45,752 (2010 est.)

• Military expenditures

0.81% of GDP (2012)

0.82% of GDP (2011)

0.81% of GDP (2010)

Austria Transportation Profile 2014

• Railways

total: 6,399 km

standard gauge: 5,927 km 1.435-m gauge (3,853 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 384 km 1.000-m gauge (15 km electrified); 88 km 0.760-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)

• Roadways

total: 124,508 km

paved: 124,508 km (includes 1,719 km of expressways) (2012)

• Waterways 358 km (2011)

• Pipelines gas 4,736 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2013)

• Ports and terminals river port(s): Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna (Danube)

• Merchant marine registered in other countries: 3 (Cyprus 1, Kazakhstan 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)

• Airports 52 (2013)

• Airports - with paved runways total: 24

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 13 (2013)

• Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 28

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m:

24 (2013)

• Heliports 1 (2013)

Austria Transnational Issues Profile 2014

• Disputes - international none

• Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs

• Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 19,577 (Russia); 11,906 (Afghanistan) (2013)

stateless persons: 542 (2012)

Environment of Austria

• Austria's Carbon dioxide emissions
• Austria's Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
• Austria's Energy efficiency
• Austria's Habitat protection
• Austria's Marine habitat protection
• Austria's Resource usage
• Austria's Terrestrial habitat protection

Health of Austria

• Austria's AIDS morbidity
• Austria's AIDS mortality
• Austria's Condom use
• Austria's Contraceptive use among currently married women 15-49 years old
• Austria's Infant health
• Austria's Maternal health
• Austria's Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources
• Austria's Proportion of the population using improved sanitation facilities
• Austria's Tuberculosis morbidity
• Austria's Tuberculosis mortality
• Austria's Tuberculosis prevention
• Austria's Tuberculosis treatment

Disclaimer

This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].

Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.