Exploring Austria's Borders: Defining The Alpine Nation's Boundaries

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a total area of 83,871 square kilometres (32,383 sq mi). It shares borders with eight countries: Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The current borders stem from 1918, following the end of the First World War, the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the creation of Czechoslovakia. Austria's longest border is with Germany, at 784km in length, and mainly consists of Alpine mountain ranges.

Austria's longest border is with Germany

The border between Austria and Germany was established in 1871 and has remained unchanged since the end of World War II. It concerns two German states in the south of the country, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, and four Austrian states in the northwest, Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, and Upper Austria. The border mostly consists of Alpine mountain ranges, and the two countries share a common language, which facilitates cross-border cooperation.

The border between Austria and Germany is not just the longest for Austria but also for Germany, which has another border of equal length with the Czech Republic. The exact course of the international borders within Lake Constance has never been defined. Two Austrian pene-exclaves, Jungholz and Kleinwalsertal, can only be reached by road through German territory.

Austria shares a border with Switzerland, a non-EU member state

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, sharing borders with eight countries. To the north, Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic. To the east, it shares borders with Slovakia and Hungary. In the south, Austria is bordered by Slovenia and Italy. To the west, it shares borders with Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Austria's border with Switzerland is 158 km (98 mi) long. Interestingly, this border has the peculiarity of being divided into two segments due to the country of Liechtenstein, which divides it into two parts. The northern segment of the border begins at the tripoint formed by the Austrian, Swiss, and German borders. The second portion of the border starts south of Liechtenstein and ends near the Resia Pass, at the geographic tripoint between Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, which sits at 2,000 m (6,562 ft) above sea level.

The border between Austria and Switzerland has existed since the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which established Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire. In 1719, the birth of Liechtenstein altered the demarcation of the border, dividing it into two distinct portions. More recently, in 1919, the border changed again when South Tyrol became a part of Italy following the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I.

Despite Switzerland being a non-EU member state, cross-border cooperation between Austria and Switzerland is well-established, with a shared focus on sustainable development, environmental issues, and tourism.

Austria's border with the Czech Republic was established in 1918

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major European power under the Habsburg dynasty, which included Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. However, rising nationalism in Central Europe during the second half of the 19th century led to increasing tensions between the Czechs and Germans within the empire. The Czechs demanded to be ruled by a government in Prague, their kingdom's capital, rather than Vienna. At the same time, ethnic Germans sought to participate in the German unification process.

After World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell, and the independent nations of German Austria and Czechoslovakia were created. The German-majority districts in Bohemia and Moravia, with over 3 million German inhabitants, sought to join German Austria, but the Czechs quickly occupied these regions to maintain the "integrity of the Bohemian lands." The Treaty of St. Germain in 1919 recognised Czech control over these districts.

The newly formed nations established diplomatic relations on January 20, 1920. However, when Austria came under dictatorial rule in 1934, Austrian Social Democrats sought refuge in Czechoslovakia, publishing the Arbeiter-Zeitung, which had been banned by the Austrofascists, and illegally exporting it to Austria. In 1938, Austria was annexed by Germany, and once again, politicians and dissidents fled to Czechoslovakia, which, alongside Switzerland, remained the only democracy in Central Europe at the time.

During World War II, the region was annexed by Germany and became the protectorate of "Bohemia-Moravia." The demarcation of the border remained unchanged, and during the Cold War, it became part of the "Iron Curtain." With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992, and the independence of the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993, the current Austro-Czech border was established.

Austria's border with Hungary is situated in the country's northwestern section

Austria's border with Hungary is situated in the country's eastern section. Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with a total area of 83,871 square kilometres (32,383 sq mi). It is predominantly mountainous, with the Alps occupying 62% of its territory.

Austria shares borders with Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west, Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, and Slovenia and Italy to the south. The country's border with Hungary is 331 km (205 mi) long.

The history of the border between Austria and Hungary is closely tied to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. Before 1918, the Leitha, March, and Lafnitz Rivers formed the border between the "Habsburg hereditary lands" and the Kingdom of Hungary. However, after the war, a three-year dispute between the two countries over the territory of Western Hungary, which had a predominantly German-speaking population, led to the creation of the new Austrian province of Burgenland.

The dismantling of the electric fence along the Hungary-Austria border in 1989 marked the first fissure in the "Iron Curtain" that had divided Europe since the end of World War II. This open border allowed Hungarians to cross into Austria easily, leading to increased cross-border trade and interaction between the two countries.

The landscape along the border varies, from the mountains of the Alps to the plains of the Pannonian Basin and the Little Hungarian Plain. The Neusiedler See, a lake located on the border, illustrates the diversity of Austria's landscape, as it contrasts with the Alpine lakes to the west.

Austria's border with Italy has existed since 1919

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, sharing its borders with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy. The country's southern border with Italy has existed since 1919, following the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which was signed on September 10, 1919, after World War I.

The Austria-Italy border is a 404-kilometer (251-mile) land border that runs along the Alps. The demarcation of this border follows the ridgeline of the Carnic Alps mountain range and marks the allocation of waters between the Inn and Adige rivers. The border begins at the Dreilanderpunkt tripoint, where the borders of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland meet, and ends at Monte Forno, the summit marking the tripoint between Austria, Italy, and Slovenia.

The border between Italy and Austria has undergone several changes over the years. A border between the two nations has existed since 1861, but the current border was established in 1920 following the peace treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Republic. The most notable change to the border occurred in 1920 when South Tyrol, which was previously part of Austria, became part of Italy. South Tyrol, also known as Alto Adige in Italian and Deutschsüdtirol in German, was created as an autonomous Italian province in 1948.

The cross-border region between Austria and Italy is economically vibrant, with northern Italy experiencing higher employment levels compared to the rest of the country. The Austrian province of Tyrol and the Italian province of Bolzano/Bozen (South Tyrol) have a more advanced level of cooperation, maintaining numerous exchanges in the artistic and cultural fields within the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion.

The Austria-Italy border is unique as it is the world's first "mobile border," recognized as such in the 1994 border treaty signed in Vienna. This treaty stipulates that the border may shift due to environmental changes, requiring a diplomatic agreement between the two countries to confirm these shifts officially.

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