Austria-Hungary's Historical Extent: A Vast Empire's Legacy

Austria-Hungary was a major European power before World War I, occupying much of central Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a relatively young nation-state, containing a rich mix of people and cultures. It was rapidly modernising and ruled by ambitious militarists and industrialists keen on expansion, particularly in the Balkans. Spanning almost 700,000 square kilometres, it was Europe's second-largest nation by territory and third-largest by population, with 52 million people. Hungary is approximately 93,028 sq km, while Austria is approximately 83,871 sq km, making Austria 90.16% the size of Hungary.

Austria is 90.16% the size of Hungary

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major European power in the years prior to World War I. Occupying much of central Europe, it was a relatively young nation-state with a rich mix of people and cultures. It was rapidly modernising and ruled by ambitious militarists and industrialists keen on expansion, particularly in the Balkans. This created rivalry and tension with neighbouring Russia, which saw itself as the guardian power of Slavs and Orthodox Christians in eastern Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire spanned almost 700,000 square kilometres and contained 52 million people, making it Europe's second-largest nation by territory and third-largest by population.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was Europe's second-largest nation by territory

The Austrian and Hungarian kingdoms had large commercial marines, with the Austrian marine based in Trieste (today part of Italy). By 1913, the Austrian marine had 16,764 vessels with a tonnage of 471,252, and crews numbering 45,567. Of these, 394 of 422,368 tons were steamers, and 16,370 of 48,884 tons were sailing vessels. The Hungarian marine in 1913 comprised 545 vessels of 144,433 tons, and crews numbering 3,217. Of these, 134,000 of 142,539 tons were steamers, and 411 of 1,894 tons were sailing vessels.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a large and powerful force in Europe, with a significant presence on land and at sea.

Austria's commercial marine in 1913 had 16,764 vessels

Austria-Hungary was a major European power in the years prior to World War I, occupying much of central Europe. It was a relatively young nation-state with a rich mix of people and cultures, and was rapidly modernising. The Austro-Hungarian Empire spanned almost 700,000 square kilometres and contained 52 million people, making it Europe's second-largest nation by territory and third-largest by population.

The Austrian merchant marine was based in Trieste, which was also the headquarters of the merchant line Österreichischer Lloyd (later Lloyd Triestino, now Italia Marittima). The Austro-Hungarian Navy was under the control of the Imperial and Royal Naval Section (K. u. k. Marinesektion), a separate department under the common War Ministry of the Realm (Reichskriegsministerium).

In 1913, Austria-Hungary's three battleships participated in an international naval demonstration in the Ionian Sea that protested the Balkan Wars.

Hungary's river is 966 km long

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major European power before World War I, occupying much of central Europe. It was a relatively young nation-state with a rich mix of people and cultures. It spanned almost 700,000 square kilometres and contained 52 million people, making it Europe's second-largest nation by territory and third-largest by population.

Hungary is approximately 93,028 sq km, while Austria is approximately 83,871 sq km, making Austria 90.16% the size of Hungary.

Hungary's river Tisza is 966 km (600 mi) long. The river used to be 1,419 km (882 mi) long, but István Széchenyi organised the "regulation of the Tisza", which started on 27 August 1846 and ended in 1880. The river now has 589 km (366 mi) of "dead channels" and 136 km (85 mi) of new riverbed. The river flows through the Great Hungarian Plain, one of the largest flat areas in central Europe. The Tisza is a major tributary of the middle Danube River, rising in the Bukovina segment of the Carpathian Mountains. Its two headstreams, the Black and White Tisza, unite east of Sighet, Romania, on the Ukraine-Romania border. From Sighet, the Tisza flows northwest through a small portion of Ukraine and then into Hungary. It then flows in a great northward loop to where the Slovak, Ukrainian, and Hungarian frontiers converge near Chop, Ukraine. The Tisza continues southwest through Hungary to Szolnok; then it cuts southward across the Great Alfold, paralleling the Danube, which it joins 28 miles (45 km) north of Belgrade, Serbia.

Austria-Hungary was a relatively young nation-state

The Austro-Hungarian Empire spanned almost 700,000 square kilometres and was home to 52 million people, making it Europe's second-largest nation by territory and third-largest by population. It was a rich mix of people and cultures, with Hungary covering approximately 93,028 sq km and Austria covering approximately 83,871 sq km. The population of Hungary was around 9.7 million people, while 786,489 fewer people lived in Austria.

The Austrian and Hungarian commercial marines were also impressive, with the Kingdom of Hungary's marine in 1913 comprising 545 vessels of 144,433 tons and crews numbering 3,217. Of these, 134,000 of 142,539 tons were steamers, and 411 of 1,894 tons were sailing vessels. The Austrian marine, meanwhile, had 16,764 vessels with a tonnage of 471,252 and crews numbering 45,567. It included 394 of 422,368 tons of steamers and 16,370 of 48,884 tons of sailing vessels. The Austrian Lloyd was one of the biggest ocean shipping companies of the time.

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