Austria: A Country In Its Own Right

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state. Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

Austria is a federal parliamentary republic and representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive.

Austria 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. It hosts the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Interpol.

Austria is a largely mountainous country because of its location in the Alps. The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps, and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria (83,871 km2 or 32,383 sq mi), only about a quarter can be considered low-lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft). The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into low lands and plains in the eastern part of the country.

Austria's history

• In the late Iron Age, Austria was occupied by the Hallstatt Celtic culture, who first organised as a Celtic kingdom referred to by the Romans as Noricum.
• At the end of the 1st century BC, the lands south of the Danube became part of the Roman Empire.
• In the 6th century, the Bavarii, a Germanic people, occupied these lands until it fell to the Frankish Empire established by the Germanic Franks in the 9th century.
• The name Ostarrîchi (Austria) has been in use since 996 AD when it was a margravate of the Duchy of Bavaria and from 1156 an independent duchy (later archduchy) of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806).
• Austria was dominated by the House of Habsburg and House of Habsburg-Lorraine from 1273 to 1918.
• In 1806, when Emperor Francis II of Austria dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Austria became the Austrian Empire, and was also part of the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.
• In 1867, Austria formed a dual monarchy with Hungary: the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• When this empire collapsed after the end of World War I in 1918, Austria was reduced to the main, mostly German-speaking areas of the empire (its current frontiers), and adopted the name, the Republic of German-Austria.
• However, union with Germany and the chosen country name were forbidden by the Allies at the Treaty of Versailles. This led to the creation of the First Austrian Republic (1919-1933).
• Following the First Republic, Austrofascism tried to keep Austria independent from the German Reich. Engelbert Dollfuss accepted that most Austrians were German and Austrian, but wanted Austria to remain independent from Germany.
• In 1938, Austrian-born Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Germany, which was supported by a large majority of Austrians.
• After the German defeat in World War II, the German identity in Austria was weakened. Ten years after the Second World War Austria again became an independent republic as the Second Austrian Republic in 1955.
• Austria joined the European Union in 1995.

Austria's geography

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state.

Austria is a predominantly mountainous country, with the Alps forming the physical backbone of the country. The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps, and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria (83,871 km2 or 32,383 sq mi), only about a quarter can be considered low-lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft). The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into low lands and plains in the eastern part of the country.

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.

The Danube River is the longest river in Austria, with 350 km of its 2,848 km length in the country. The largest lake is Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the west, and the marshy Neusiedler Lake (Neusiedlersee) in the east.

Austria's population and demographics

Austria's population was estimated to be 9,170,647 as of April 2024, with the population of the capital, Vienna, exceeding 2 million, representing about a quarter of the country's population. The population density in Austria is 111 per square kilometre, with the total land area being 82,409 square kilometres. The median age in Austria is 43.4 years, with a life expectancy of 81.7 years.

The country is largely homogeneous, with 88.6% of the population being native German speakers, while the remaining 11.4% speak several minority languages. The non-German speakers can be divided into two groups: traditional minorities, who are related to territories formerly part of the Habsburg monarchy, and new minorities, resulting from recent immigration.

The three numerically significant traditional minority groups are the Carinthian Slovenes, Croats, and Hungarians, with around 14,000, 25,000, and 20,000 people, respectively. The rights of these groups are protected by law and generally respected in practice.

As of 2023, there were 1.8 million foreign-born residents in Austria, corresponding to 22.3% of the total population. Turks form one of the largest ethnic groups, with around 350,000 people, closely followed by Serbs, at around 300,000. Descendants of foreign-born immigrants also make up a significant portion of the population, with more than 620,100 people.

The total fertility rate in Austria is 1.52 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. The country has a relatively high life expectancy, with 84.5 years for females and 78.9 years for males.

Religion in Austria

In 2001, about 74% of Austria's population were registered as Roman Catholic, while about 5% considered themselves Protestants. Austrian Christians are obliged to pay a mandatory membership fee to their churches, calculated by income, at about 1%.

Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been a continuous decline in Christianity, with data for 2023 listing 4,638,000 members of the Catholic Church, or around 50% of the total Austrian population. The number of Protestants has also declined, with the Lutheran church recording a loss of 74,421 adherents between 2001 and 2016.

In 2021, 22.4% of the population declared that they had no religion, up from 12% in 2001. Around 340,000 people were registered as members of various Muslim communities in 2001, with this number doubling to 745,600 in 2021. In 2021, another 436,700 residents were members of Eastern Orthodox Churches, with smaller numbers of Buddhists, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Jews.

Austria's economy

Austria has a highly developed social market economy, and is one of the fourteen richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The service sector generates the vast majority of the country's GDP, with Vienna becoming a finance and consulting hub. Vienna is also a popular tourist destination, with tourism accounting for around 10% of Austria's GDP.

Germany has historically been Austria's main trading partner, but since Austria became a member state of the European Union, it has gained closer ties to other European Union economies. This development has reduced its economic dependence on Germany. Austria's membership in the EU has also drawn an influx of foreign investors, attracted by the country's access to the European Single Market and proximity to the aspiring economies of the European Union.

Austria's culture and society

Austria is a landlocked country in south-central Europe, with a population of around 9 million. It is bordered by eight other European countries, each of which has influenced Austrian culture. The country is divided into nine provinces, and nearly every province shares a border with another European country. The people of each province tend to have some distinctions, often noticeable in language and dialect. One of the most prominent parts of Austria's landscape is the Alps, which historically isolated many inhabitants of the region from the rest of the country.

Austria is historically a strongly Catholic country, having been the centre of the Habsburg monarchy from 1273 to 1918. The country is ethnically homogeneous, with just over 90% identifying as Austrian. However, there are notable Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian minorities. Austrian law guarantees the preservation of their language and culture. The country is also home to numerous immigrant, refugee, and transmigrant groups that have largely arrived since the end of World War II.

Austria is known for its classical music, folk music, baroque architecture, coffee culture, winter sports, and Alpine traditions. The country is also famous for its castles, palaces, and buildings, with many of its castles created during the Habsburg reign. Vienna, the capital city of Austria, has long been an important centre of musical innovation. Composers of the 18th and 19th centuries were drawn to the city by the patronage of the Habsburgs, and Vienna became the European capital of classical music. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann Strauss, Jr., among others, were associated with the city.

Austrian society places great value on an egalitarian social structure. The welfare system of Austria reflects this value of equality, providing support for most of the population's health, education, employment, and retirement needs. The vast majority of Austria's population has a high literacy rate, and all children are given the right to free education, along with transportation and learning resources.

Austria is also known for its food and beverages. Austrian cuisine is derived from the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is influenced by Hungarian, Czech, Jewish, Italian, Balkan, and French cuisines. The country is famous for its pastries and sweets, and for its coffee culture. Beer and wine are also popular in Austria, with the Grüner Veltliner grape providing some of the country's most notable white wines.

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

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