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 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. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous democratic country Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union 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: 83,870 km²
Land: 82,444 km²
Water: 1,426 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 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
Extremes 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: 16.91%
Permanent crops: 0.86%
Other: 82.23% (2001)

Irrigated land: 457 km² (2000 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

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: 8,184,691 (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 0.11% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 3.9% (1999)

Nationality
Noun: Austrian
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)

Languages: German (official nationwide) Slovene (official in Carinthia) Croatian (official in Burgenland) Hungarian (official in Burgenland)

Religions: Roman Catholic 73.6% Protestant 4.7% Muslim 4.2% other 3.5% unspecified 2% none 12% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.6% (male 656,058/female 624,574)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 2,790,673/female 2,756,612)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 543,626/female 813,148) (2005 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 40.44 years
Male: 39.3 years
Female: 41.61 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.11% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 8.81 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 9.7 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 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-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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2005 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.66 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5.74 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.53 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.92 years
Male: 76.03 years
Female: 81.96 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 10,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2003 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 (Vienna)

Dependent areas

Independence: 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday: National Day 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
Head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003)
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 25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%
Note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

Legislative branch
Elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2006)
Election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP 79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17; seating as of May 2005 after split within the Freedom Party: OeVP 79, SPOe 69, Greens 17, BZOe 11, FPOe 7

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

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY
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 William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.
From the us embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [43] (1) 31,339-0, 31,375, 31,335
From the us fax: [43] (1) 3,100,682

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. The economy features up-to-date industrial and agricultural sectors. Timber is a key industry 47% of the land area being forested. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. Slow growth in Europe has held the economy to 0.7% growth in 2001 1.4% in 2002 0.8% in 2003 and 1.9% in 2004. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries particularly the new EU members Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy continue to deregulate the service sector and encourage much greater participation in the labor market by its aging population. The aging phenomenon together with already high health and pension costs poses fundamental problems in tax and welfare policies.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $255.9 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $31,300 (2004 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.3%
Industry: 30.8%
Services: 66.9% (2004 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (2004 est.)

Labor force: 3.45 million (2004 est.)
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 4%
By occupation industry and crafts: 29%
By occupation services: 67% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2004 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 3.9% (1999)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.5%
Highest 10: 22.5% (1995)

Distribution of family income gini index: 31 (1995)

Budget
Revenues: $142.5 billion
Expenditures: $146.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 64.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.8% (2004 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: $-3.283 billion (2004 est.)

Exports: $102.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles and parts paper and paperboard metal goods chemicals iron and steel; textiles foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 32% Italy 8.9% US 6% Switzerland 4.8% France 4.2% UK 4.2% (2004)

Imports: $101.2 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles chemicals metal goods oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 46.3% Italy 6.8% Switzerland 4.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12.73 billion (2003)

Debt external: $15.5 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003) 1.0626 (2002) 1.1175 (2001) 1.0854 (2000)


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Electricity
Production: 58.49 billion kWh (2002)
Consumption: 55.09 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 14.7 billion kWh (2002)
Imports: 15.4 billion kWh (2002)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 1.731 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 7.81 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 403 million m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 6.033 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 24.9 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.881 million (2003)
Mobile cellular: 7,094,500 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: highly developed and efficient
Domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available
International: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .at
Hosts: 387,006 (2004)
Users: 3.73 million (2003)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.497 billion (FY01/02)
Percent of gdp: 0.9% (2004)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007 at the earliest compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from 8 months to 6 (June 2004)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 55 (2004 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 (2004 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 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)

Pipelines: gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 6,021 km (3,552 km electrified)
Standard gauge: 5,565 km 1.435-m gauge (3,430 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 422 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2004)

Roadways

Waterways: 358 km (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,624 GRT/37,425 DWT
By type: cargo 6, container 2
Foreign owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
Registered in other countries: 19 (2005)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe