Austria's Geographical Identity: Eastern Or Western Europe?

Austria is a small, landlocked country in south-central Europe. It is bordered by eight countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany. It is largely mountainous, with the Austrian Alps forming the physical backbone of the country. Austria's geographic position has embedded it within a variety of political and economic systems throughout history.

During the Cold War, Austria was considered part of Western Europe, as it was not part of the Eastern Bloc of communist states under the influence of the Soviet Union. However, the term Eastern Europe is ambiguous and has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations.

Some definitions of Eastern Europe include countries such as Belarus, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania, while others may also include the Balkans, Baltic states, Caucasus, and the Visegrád group. Central European countries, which lie between Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Europe, often share historical and cultural similarities with Eastern Europe.

Austria is considered by some to be part of Central Europe, along with countries such as Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Switzerland. However, the boundaries between Central, Eastern, and Western Europe are not clear-cut and are subject to different interpretations.

Austria's geographic position

Austria is bordered by eight countries: the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia to the south, Italy to the southwest, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west, and Germany to the northwest. The country covers a distance of roughly 360 miles (580 km) from east to west.

The Austrian landscape is characterised by mountains and forests, with the Austrian Alps forming the country's physical backbone. The Alpine landscape is geologically complex, with the highest peak, the Grossglockner, rising to 12,460 feet (3,798 metres) in the west. The Alpine region extends across several Austrian states, including Vorarlberg, Tirol, Salzburg, Kärnten (Carinthia), Steiermark (Styria), and Salzkammergut.

North of the Alps lies a hilly subalpine region stretching between the mountains and the Danube River. The Danube, which flows towards the Alföld or Hungarian Plain, is a major trade route and winds through Austria, passing through Vienna as it emerges from the mountains into drier plains.

Austria is also a land of lakes, with many formed during the Pleistocene Epoch by glacial erosion. The largest lakes are Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the west and the marshy Neusiedler Lake (Neusiedlersee) in the east.

Nearly all Austrian territory drains into the Danube River system, with watersheds extending across the country. The Julian and Carnic Alps in the south, and the main Alpine range in the west, mark the watershed of the region draining into the Po River in northern Italy.

Austria's neighbours

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It has several neighbouring countries, which are detailed below.

Germany

Austria shares an 801km (498mi) border with Germany to the north. Germany is a Western European country, and its inclusion in the NATO alliance during the Cold War would have placed it in the West in Cold War-era classifications.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic borders Austria to the north, with a 402km (250mi) border. Like Germany, the Czech Republic is considered a Western country, as it was part of the NATO alliance during the Cold War.

Slovakia

Slovakia shares a 105km (65mi) border with Austria to the east. During the Cold War, Slovakia was part of the Eastern Bloc, which would have placed it in the East in contemporary classifications.

Hungary

Hungary is located to the east of Austria, with a 331km (205mi) border. Hungary was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, which would have placed it in the East in Cold War-era classifications.

Slovenia

Slovenia is located to the south of Austria, with a 330km (185mi) border. During the Cold War, Slovenia was considered part of the East, as it was part of the Eastern Bloc.

Italy

Austria shares a 404km (251mi) border with Italy to the south. Italy is a Southern European country, and its history has been more influenced by Mediterranean cultures and dynamics.

Switzerland

Switzerland is located to the west of Austria, with a 158km (98mi) border. Switzerland was neutral during the Cold War, but its proximity to Western Bloc countries would have placed it in the West in Cold War-era classifications.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is a principality located to the west of Austria, with a 34km (21mi) border. Like Switzerland, Liechtenstein was neutral during the Cold War, but its proximity to Austria and Switzerland would have placed it in the West in Cold War-era classifications.

Summary

In summary, Austria shares borders with several countries, most of which are considered Western or Central European. Only Slovakia and Hungary would have been considered part of the East during the Cold War. However, it is important to note that the classification of countries as Eastern or Western is complex and ambiguous, with historical, cultural, geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, and socioeconomic connotations.

Austria's landscape

North of the Alpine spur lies a hilly subalpine region, stretching between the northern Alps and the Danube. 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 Niederösterreich (Lower Austria). This part of Austria is furrowed by many valleys that have served as passageways leading to the east and southeast of Europe. The lowland area east of Vienna, together with the northern part of Burgenland, may be regarded as a western extension of the Little Alföld (Little Hungarian Plain).

Austria is a land of lakes, with many of them a legacy of the Pleistocene Epoch, during which glacial erosion scooped out mountain lakes in the central Alpine district, notably around the Salzkammergut. The largest lakes are Lake Constance in the west and the marshy Neusiedler Lake in the east. Nearly all Austrian territory drains into the Danube River system.

The country's capital, Vienna, lies in the area where the Danube emerges from between the mountains into the drier plains. Other notable landscapes in Austria include the Kaisertal Nature Reserve, Arlberg (known as the "Cradle of Alpine Skiing"), Styria's rolling vineyards, Krimml Waterfalls, Eisreisenwelt (the world's largest ice cave system), and the ancient Dachstein glacier.

Austria's history

The area of today's Austria has been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic period. Around 400 BC, it was inhabited by the Celts and then annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC. Christianization in the region began in the 4th and 5th centuries, during the late Roman period, followed by the arrival of numerous Germanic tribes during the Migration Period.

In the 10th century, the name Ostarrîchi (Austria) was first used to refer to the territory of the Babenberg March. In 1156, Austria became an independent duchy of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 13th century, the Habsburgs began to accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria, and from the 16th century, Vienna served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital. In 1804, Austria established its own empire, which became a great power and one of the largest states in Europe.

In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand escalated into World War I, and the empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. During World War II, Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany by Adolf Hitler, and it became a sub-national division. After its liberation in 1945, the country regained its sovereignty and declared its perpetual neutrality in 1955.

Austria is a semi-presidential representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. It has the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita with high standards of living. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and of the European Union since 1995.

Austria's economy

Austria has a highly developed social market economy, with the country being one of the fourteen richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The Austrian economy is dominated by the service or tertiary sector, which constitutes approximately 70% of the gross value added (GVA). The largest service sector employers work in sales, hotel and restaurant services, as well as health and education.

Tourism is an essential pillar of the Austrian economy, accounting for around 10% of Austria's GDP. In 2001, Austria was the tenth most visited country in the world, with over 18.2 million tourists. Austria is a mountainous country with one of the largest natural land reserves in Central Europe.

Austria has a strong labour movement. The Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) comprises constituent unions with a total membership of about 1.5 million—more than half the country's wage and salary earners. The ÖGB has often opposed the Schüssel government's programme for budget consolidation, social reform, and improving the business climate.

The Austrian economic system can be characterised as a free-market economy with a strong social focus, taking into account the weaker members of society. Austria also features a system of economic and social partnership, which has traditionally played a strong and reconciliatory role in wage and price policies.

Austria is a highly developed industrialised country, with an important service sector. The most important industries are food and luxury commodities, mechanical engineering and steel construction, chemicals, and vehicle manufacturing. Austrian industry covers every branch of manufacturing, from basic goods to the labour-intensive production of highly processed products.

Austria has its own resources of petroleum and natural gas. The generation of hydroelectric power is constantly being expanded, making Austria the leader in the field of hydroelectric power in the European Union.

In 2024, Austria had a very high nominal GDP per capita of $58,669, ranked 13th in the world. However, 2024 is projected to be the second consecutive year of recession in Austria, with declining investment, lower exports, and weak private consumption holding back economic activity.

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