Austria's Administrative Divisions: States, Regions, Or Cantons?

Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine federal states, also called provinces or regions. These states are called Bundesländer in German and Länder in English. Each state has its own elected legislature, government, and unique culture and landscape. The states are:

- Burgenland

- Carinthia (Kärnten)

- Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)

- Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)

- Vorarlberg

- Tyrol (Tirol)

- Salzburg

- Styria (Steiermark)

- Vienna (Wien)

Austria has nine federal states, called 'Länder'

Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine federal states, called Länder. Each of these federal states has its own unique personality, culture, and landscape. They are:

• Burgenland, with its capital in Eisenstadt
• Styria (Steiermark in German), with its capital in Graz
• Carinthia (Kärnten), with its capital in Klagenfurt
• Tyrol (Tirol), with its capital in Innsbruck
• Vorarlberg, with its capital in Bregenz
• Salzburg (Salzburgerland), with its capital in Salzburg
• Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), with its capital in Linz
• Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), with its capital in St Pölten

Each Austrian federal state has an elected legislature, the federal state parliament, and a federal state government (Landesregierung) headed by a governor (Landeshauptmann or Landeshauptfrau). The federal state constitution determines how the seats in the federal state government are assigned to political parties, with most federal states having a system of proportional representation based on the number of delegates in the federal state parliament.

Vienna, the capital of Austria, is both a city and a federal state. The mayor of Vienna has the rank of a federal state governor, while the city council also functions as a federal state parliament. Despite this, city and federal state business must be kept separate. While the city council and the federal state parliament have identical memberships, they hold separate meetings, and each body has separate presiding officers. When meeting as a city council, the deputies can only deal with city affairs; when meeting as a federal state parliament, they can only deal with affairs of the state.

Each state has its own elected legislature and government

Austria is a federal republic made up of nine federal states, or provinces. Each of these states has its own elected legislature and government, with a governor at its head. The federal state constitution determines how seats in the federal state government are assigned to political parties, with most federal states having a system of proportional representation based on the number of delegates in the federal state parliament.

The nine federal states of Austria are:

• Carinthia (Kärnten)
• Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
• Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)
• Vorarlberg
• Tyrol (Tirol)
• Salzburg
• Styria (Steiermark)
• Burgenland
• Vienna

Each state has a state capital, except for Vienna, which is a state in its own right in addition to being the federal capital. In Vienna, the City Council and the mayor function as the state parliament and state governor, respectively.

Austrian federalism is largely theoretical, as the federal states are granted few legislative powers. Austria's constitution initially granted all legislative powers to the federal states, but many powers have since been taken away. The federal states can pass laws that stay within the limits of the constitution, but only on a few matters, such as planning and zoning codes, nature protection, hunting, fishing, farming, youth protection, certain issues of public health and welfare, and the right to levy certain taxes.

All other matters, including criminal law, civil law, corporate law, most aspects of economic law, defense, most educational matters, telecommunications, and much of the healthcare system, are regulated by national law.

The capital, Vienna, is both a city and a state

Vienna is a unique city in Austria as it acts as both the national capital and one of the country's nine federal states. With a population of about 1.92 million, it is by far the largest municipality in the country. Vienna is Austria's primate city, with a metropolitan area of nearly 2.9 million people, representing nearly one-third of the country's population.

As a federal state, Vienna has the right to its own legislation and provincial executive body. The highest executive body is the Vienna Provincial Government, which is headed by the Governor. The Provincial Parliament has 100 members, and the Provincial Government is formed by the Governor and 12 members of the government called City Councillors.

Vienna's mayor has the rank of a federal state governor, while the city council also functions as a federal state parliament. However, under the municipal constitution, city and federal state business must be kept separate. While the city council and the federal state parliament have identical memberships, they hold separate meetings and have separate presiding officers. When meeting as a city council, the deputies can only deal with city affairs; when meeting as a federal state parliament, they can only address state affairs.

Vienna is the economic and political centre of Austria. It is the seat of many international organisations, including the United Nations, OPEC, and the OSCE. The city is also a cultural hub, with a rich history in music, theatre, opera, and film.

Austrian federal states have limited legislative powers

Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine federal states. The European Commission calls them provinces. Austrian federal states can pass laws that stay within the limits of the constitution, and each federal state has representatives in the main Austrian parliament.

Each Austrian federal state has an elected legislature, the federal state parliament, and a federal state government (Landesregierung) headed by a governor (Landeshauptmann or Landeshauptfrau). The federal state constitution determines how the seats in the federal state government are assigned to political parties, with most federal states having a system of proportional representation based on the number of delegates in the federal state parliament.

Austrian federalism is largely theoretical, as the federal states are granted few legislative powers. Austria's constitution initially granted all legislative powers to the federal states, but many powers have been subsequently taken away, and only a few remain. These include planning and zoning codes, nature protection, hunting, fishing, farming, youth protection, certain issues of public health and welfare, and the right to levy certain taxes.

All other matters, including criminal law, civil law, corporate law, most aspects of economic law, defense, most educational matters and academia, telecommunications, and much of the healthcare system are regulated by national law. There is also no judiciary of the federal states, as the constitution defines the judiciary as an exclusively national matter. This centralisation follows a historic model where central power during the time of the empire was largely concentrated in Vienna.

Austrian federal states are formally and practically endowed with a much smaller degree of autonomy than American states or German lands. Even so, Austrians tend to identify passionately with their respective federal states and often defend what little independent governance their federal state has.

The nine states are: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Styria, Vienna

Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine federal states, also called provinces or regions. These states are:

• Burgenland — One of the least populous states, Burgenland is known for its wine taverns and Lake Neusiedl, Europe's second-largest steppe lake.
• Carinthia — Carinthia is one of three Austrian regions that border Italy. Its capital, Klagenfurt, is a lively city nestled among lakes and mountains.
• Lower Austria — Less mountainous than western Austria, Lower Austria is known for its fertile valleys and plains. The stretch of the Danube River Valley between Melk and Krems is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Upper Austria — Upper Austria is known for its rolling hills and the famous Salzburg Lake District. Its capital, Linz, is an alternative to Vienna and Salzburg, with impressive modern architecture like the Ars Electronica Center.
• Tyrol — Tyrol is known for its majestic mountains and legendary ski resorts. Its capital, Innsbruck, is a lively city nestled in a region of peaks and valleys.
• Vorarlberg — Austria's westernmost state features tranquil lakes, thundering rivers, forest-covered hills, castles, and cheese. The region's capital is Bregenz.
• Salzburg — Salzburg is known for its rich salt mines, cultural attractions, and bucolic countryside. The capital, also called Salzburg, is renowned for its cultural glories.
• Styria — One of the largest Austrian states, Styria has been dubbed the "green heart of Austria." Its capital, Graz, is Austria's second-largest city and is known for its ultra-modern architecture.
• Vienna — Vienna is the nation's capital and most populous state. It is known for its grand architecture, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg, and the Vienna State Opera.

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