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 Monetary Union in 1999.

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: 16.59%
Permanent crops: 0.85%
Other: 82.56% (2005)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2003)

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

Population: 8,199,783 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.077% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: 5.9% (2004)

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 Sloveneofficial in Carinthia and Hungarian official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.1% (male 633,375/female 603,459)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,781,291/female 2,749,539)
65 years and over: 17.5% (male 585,747/female 846,372) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 41.3 years
Male: 40.2 years
Female: 42.4 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.077% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 8.69 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 9.84 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.91 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.012 male/female
65 years and over: 0.692 male/female
Total population: 0.953 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.54 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5.56 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.47 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.21 years
Male: 76.32 years
Female: 82.26 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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

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

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 Kaernten (Carinthia) Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria) Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria) Salzburg Steiermark (Styria) Tirol Vorarlberg Wien (Vienna)

Independence: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
Head of government: Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe) (since 11 January 2007); Vice Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERER (OeVP) (since 11 January 2007)
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 (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); 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 elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%
Note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

Legislative branch
Elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next scheduled for the fall of 2010)
Election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%, other 4.2%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 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 [Peter WESTENTHALER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; 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: ACCT (observer) 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 ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURSO NAM (guest) NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PFP Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNIDO UNMEE UNOMIG UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WEU (observer) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO 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, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW
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
From the us fax: [43] (1) 3,100,682

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

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 Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations especially in the banking and insurance sectors with central eastern and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector a sound industrial sector and a small but highly developed agricultural sector. 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. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program aimed at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business environment further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms; however lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in 2006. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe held the economy to growth rates below 3% in 2002-05. Due to higher growth across Europe Austria grew 3.3 percent in 2006. To meet increased competition - especially from new EU members and Central European countries - Austria will need to continue restructuring emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $284.1 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.3% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $34,700 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.6%
Industry: 30.6%
Services: 67.8% (2006 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: 5.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 3.52 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 3%
By occupation industry: 27%
By occupation services: 70% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line: 5.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.3%
Highest 10: 22.5% (2004)

Distribution of family income gini index: 31 (2002)

Budget
Revenues: $154.3 billion
Expenditures: $158.3 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt: 62.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.4% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $126.3 billion (2005)

Current account balance: $10.26 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $134.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles and parts paper and paperboard metal goods chemicals iron and steel textiles foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 30.2% Italy 9% US 5.9% Switzerland 4.7% (2006)

Imports: $133.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles chemicals metal goods oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 45.5% Italy 7% Switzerland 4.5% Netherlands 4.1% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12.91 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $594.3 billion (October 2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $66.32 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $74.89 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003) 1.0626 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 61.02 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Consumption: 60.25 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Exports: 17.73 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Imports: 20.4 billion kWh (2005 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1.57 billion m³ (2005)
Consumption: 9.217 billion m³ (2005)
Exports: 936.1 million m³ (2005)
Imports: 9.063 billion m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 14.39 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.564 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 9.255 million (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: highly developed and efficient
Domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership elipsing 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)

Internet
Country code: .at
Hosts: 2.427 million (2007)
Users: 4.2 million (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 0.9% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7 months of training followed by an 8-year reserve obligation (2006)

Airports: 55 (2007)
With paved runways total: 25
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: 15 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 30
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 26 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 6,383 km
Standard gauge: 5,924 km 1.435-m gauge (3,772 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 371 km 1.000-m gauge; 88 km 0.760-m gauge (25 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 133,718 km
Paved: 133,718 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways: 358 km (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,705 GRT/40,627 DWT
By type: cargo 5, container 2
Foreign owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
Registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 2) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Enns Krems Linz Vienna

Disputes international: in 2006 Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in a parliamentary motion threatening international legal action

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