Map of Austria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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 Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country 'permanently neutral' as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999.


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Location: Central Europe north of Italy and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N 13 20 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 83,858 km²
Land: 82,738 km²
Water: 1,120 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries
Total: 2,562 km
Border countries: (8) Czech Republic 362 km; , Germany 784 km; , Hungary 366 km; , Italy 430 km; , Liechtenstein 35 km; , Slovakia 91 km; , Slovenia 330 km; , Switzerland 164 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; continental cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool 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
Extremes highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

Natural resources: iron ore oil timber magnesite lead coal lignite copper hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 17%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 23%
Forests and woodland: 39%
Other: 20% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 457 km² (1995 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

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


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Population: 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Austrian
Adjective: Austrian

Ethnic groups: German 98% Croatian Slovene other (includes Hungarians Czechs Slovaks Roma)

Languages: German

Religions: Roman Catholic 78% Protestant 5% Muslim and other 17%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375)
15-64 years: 68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536)
65 years and over: 15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 9.74 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.8 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.45 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.44 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.84 years
Male: 74.68 years
Female: 81.15 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.23% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 9,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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: Vienna

Administrative divisions: 9 states (bundeslaender singular - bundesland); Burgenland Kaernten Niederoesterreich Oberoesterreich Salzburg Steiermark Tirol Vorarlberg Wien

Dependent areas

Independence: 1156 (from Bavaria)

National holiday: National Day 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)
Head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4 February 2000)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%
Note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

Legislative branch
Elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be held in the fall of 2003)
Election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party - SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14

Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof

Political parties and leaders: Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]

International organization participation: AfDB AsDB Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CCC CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EIB EMU ESA EU FAO G- 9 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MINURSO NAM (guest) NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNIDO UNIKOM UNITAR UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOT UNOMIG UNTAET UNTSO UPU WCL WEU (observer) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Peter MOSER
In the us chancery: 3,524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008-3,035
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 895-6,700
In the us fax: [1] (202) 895-6,750
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kathryn Walt HALL
From the us embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [43] (1) 313-39-2,060
From the us fax: [43] (1) 313-39-2,057

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) white and red

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Austria with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living is closely tied to other EU economies especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In 2000 Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes to meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.2%
Industry: 30.4%
Services: 67.4% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: grains potatoes sugar beets wine fruit; dairy products cattle pigs poultry; lumber

Industries: construction machinery vehicles and parts food chemicals lumber and wood processing paper and paperboard communications equipment tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (2000)

Labor force: 3.7 million (1999)
By occupation services: 68%
By occupation industry and crafts: 29%
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 3% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.4% (2000 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $56.3 billion
Expenditures: $60.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $63.2 billion (2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment paper and paperboard metal goods chemicals iron and steel; textiles foodstuffs
Partners: EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7% Italy 8.7% France 4.5%) Switzerland 5.9% US 4.5% Hungary 3.9% (1999)

Imports: $65.6 billion (2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals metal goods oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Partners: EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5% Italy 7.9% France 5.3%) US 5.4% Switzerland 3.0% Hungary 2.8% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $16 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001) 1.0854 (2000) 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999) 12.91 (1999) 12.379 (1998) 12.204 (1997) 10.587 (1996)


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Electricity
Production: 59.283 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 29.53%
Production by source hydro: 67.65%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 2.82% (1999)
Consumption: 53.231 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 13.507 billion kWh (1999)
Imports: 11.605 billion kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4 million (3,600,000 analog main lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network connections) (1999)
Mobile cellular: 4.5 million (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: highly developed and efficient
Domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .at
Service providers isps: 37 (2000)
Users: 2.6 million (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.7 billion (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY98)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 55 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 31
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1999)

Railways
Total: 6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified)
Standard gauge: 5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001)

Roadways

Waterways: 358 km (1999)

Merchant marine
Total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: minor disputes with Czech Republic and Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs