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).
Country Facts
Audio File:
National anthem of Austria
- Head Of Government:
- Chancellor: Karl Nehammer
- Population:
- (2024 est.) 9,295,000
- Currency Exchange Rate:
- 1 USD equals 0.937 euro
- Head Of State:
- President: Alexander Van der Bellen
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
.
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 Alfold, or
Hungarian
Plain. Vienna lies in the area where the Danube emerges from between the mountains into the drier plains.
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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
Lander
(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
Karnten
(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
Oberosterreich
(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
Niederosterreich
(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 Alfold
(Little Hungarian Plain).
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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.
Danube River
Vineyards along the Danube River in the Wachau region, Austria.
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.