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. 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.


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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: 83,871 km²
Land: 82,445 km²
Water: 1426 km²
Rank: 114
Comparative: about the size of South Carolina; slightly more than two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 2,524 km
Border countries: (8) Czech Republic 402 km; Germany 801 km; Hungary 321 km; Italy 404 km; Liechtenstein 34 km; Slovakia 105 km; Slovenia 299 km; Switzerland 158 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: mostly mountains (Alps) in the west and south; mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern margins

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
Agricultural land: 38.4%
Forest: 47.2%
Other: 14.4%

Irrigated land: 1170 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 77.7 km³ (2011)

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: 8,665,550 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 95
Growth rate: 0.55% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 153
Below poverty line: 4.2% (2013 est.)

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) 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% (2001 est.)

Religions: 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% (2001 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.05%
15-24 years: 11.55%
25-54 years: 42.98%
55-64 years: 12.51%
65 years and over: 18.92% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49.2%
Youth dependency ratio: 21.2%
Elderly dependency ratio: 28%
Potential support ratio: 3.6%

Median age
Total: 43.6 years
Male: 42.5 years
Female: 44.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.55% (2015 est.)
Rank: 153

Birth rate: 9.41 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 204

Death rate: 9.42 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 58

Net migration rate: 5.56 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 24

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 66% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: VIENNA (capital) 1.753 million (2015)

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
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.45 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.82 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.06 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 206

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.39 years
Male: 78.76 years
Female: 84.15 years
Rank: 22

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 203

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 69.6%
Note: percent of women aged 18-46

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 4.83 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 7.6 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.1% (2014)
Rank: 93

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.8% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 44

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years

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
Note: 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

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Vienna
Geographic coordinates: 48 12 N 16 22 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 9 states (Bundeslaender singular - Bundesland); Burgenland Kaernten (Carinthia) Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria) Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria) Salzburg Steiermark (Styria) Tirol (Tyrol) Vorarlberg Wien (Vienna)

Dependent areas

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

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER
Head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (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
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term ; election last held on 25 April 2010 (next to be held on 25 April 2016); chancellor appointed by the president but determined by the majority coalition parties in the Federal Assembly; vice chancellor appointed by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Election results: Heinz FISCHER reelected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 79.3% Barbara ROSENKRANZ (FPOe) 15.2% Rudolf GEHRING 5.4%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of the Federal Council or Bundesrat and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: National Council - last held on 29 September 2013
Election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 27.1% OeVP 23.8% FPOe 21.4% Greens 11.5% Team Stronach 5.8% NEOS 4.8% other 5.6%; seats by party - SPOe 53 OeVP 46 FPOe 42 Greens 22; Team Stronach 11 NEOS 9

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Justice or Oberster Gerichtshof ; 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 ; Regional Courts (20); district courts (120); county courts

Political parties and leaders:

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) 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hans Peter MANZ
In the us chancery: 3,524 International Court NW Washington DC 20,008-3,035
In the us telephone: [1] 895-6,700
In the us FAX: [1] 895-6,750
In the us consulate general: Chicago Los Angeles New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alexa Lange WESNER
From the us embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16 A-1090 Vienna
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [43] 31,339-0
From the us FAX: [43] 3,100,682

Flag description: 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

National symbols: golden eagle edelweiss Alpine gentian; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'Bundeshymne'
Lyrics and music: Paula von PRERADOVIC/Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART or Johann HOLZER
Note: adopted 1947; the anthem is also known as 'Land der Berge Land am Strome' ; 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 thereafter associated with the Nazi regime; a gendered version of the lyrics was adopted by the Austrian Parliament in fall 2011 and became effective 1 January 2012

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 46

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 189

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 25

Gross national saving:
Rank: 49

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55%
Government consumption: 19.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 21.1%
Investment in inventories: 0.2%
Exports of goods and services: 56.4%
Imports of goods and services: -52.1%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.3%
Industry: 28.4%
Services: 70.2%

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: 1.8% (2014 est.)
Rank: 137

Labor force: 3.86 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 96
By occupation agriculture: 5.5%
By occupation industry: 26%
By occupation services: 68.5%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 42

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 4.2% (2013 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4%
Highest 10: 22%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 131

Budget
Revenues: $218.1 billion
Expenditures: $228.6 billion
Surplus or deficit: -2.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 116

Taxes and other revenues: 50% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 16

Public debt:
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 : 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
Rank: 27

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 84

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 181

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 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
Rank: 19

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 27

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 25

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 42

Current account balance:
Rank: 34

Exports:
Rank: 31
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles and parts paper and paperboard metal goods chemicals iron and steel textiles foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 30.4% Italy 6.5% France 5% US 4.7% Switzerland 4.5% Slovakia 4.2% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 29
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles chemicals metal goods oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 41.9% Italy 6.5% Switzerland 4.6% Czech Republic 4.3% Netherlands 4.1% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 55

Debt external:
Rank: 18

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 20

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 19

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 68.02 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Production rank: 39
Consumption: 69.01 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 40
Exports: 17.69 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 10
Imports: 24.96 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 8
Installed generating capacity: 22.36 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 36
Generation sources fossil fuels: 20.8% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 184
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 43
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 67.2% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 45
Generation sources other renewable sources: 12% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 13

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 20,240 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 71
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 78
Crude oil imports: 157,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 40
Crude oil proven reserves: 48.5 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 79

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 191,900 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 57
Products consumption: 263,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 47
Products exports: 50,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 61
Products imports: 117,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 43

Natural gas
Production: 1.297 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 60
Consumption: 8.2 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 51
Exports: 3.973 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 33
Imports: 10.41 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 23
Proven reserves: 9.656 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 80

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 66.68 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 52

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3.27 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38
Fixed lines rank: 45
Mobile cellular total: 13 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150
Mobile cellular rank: 71

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 (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
Users total: 7.2 million
Users percent of population: 83.7%
Users rank: 53

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 115

Military and security forces

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 military service (6 months) or optionally alternative civil/community service (9-12 months); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service; in a January 2012 referendum a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system (2015)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 52 (2013)
Rank: 90
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: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 13
With unpaved runways total: 28
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways: 24 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 5,268 km
Standard gauge: 5,268 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 29

Roadways
Total: 124,508 km
Paved: 124,508 km (2012)
Rank: 39

Waterways: 358 km (2011)
Rank: 89

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 3 (2010)
Rank: 134

Ports and terminals
River port: Enns Krems Linz Vienna


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 11,906 (Afghanistan); 19,577 (Russia) (2014)
Stateless persons: 570

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