Austria's Western Neighbor: Exploring The Country Next Door

Austria is bordered by several countries, including Switzerland and Liechtenstein to its west. Germany also shares a border with Austria to its northwest. The country is located in Central Europe and is predominantly mountainous, with the Austrian Alps forming the physical backbone of the country.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west

Switzerland and Liechtenstein are the countries directly west of Austria. Switzerland is a landlocked state occupying an area of about 15,940 square miles, split geographically between the Jura, Swiss Plateau, and the Alps. It has a population of over 8,401,120, with the majority of residents living in large cities like Geneva and Zurich, which are on the Swiss plateau. Switzerland shares a 158km (98-mile) border with Austria, divided into two sections by Liechtenstein. The shorter section stretches through the Alpine Rhine into Lake Constance, while the longer section extends through the Grison Alps.

Liechtenstein is a double-landlocked state bordered by Austria to the north and east and Switzerland to the south and west. It is a constitutional monarchy under the Liechtenstein Prince, with German as its official language. It is the fourth-smallest country in Europe, occupying an area of about 62 square miles, with a population of about 37,877. Liechtenstein has a mountainous landscape, making it a popular destination for winter sports. The Austria-Liechtenstein border is 21 miles (34km) long.

Germany to the northwest

Germany is located to the northwest of Austria. It shares an 801km (497-498 miles) border with its neighbour, making it the longest border for both countries. The boundary runs from east to west, with the western point at the tripoint border of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, and the eastern end where the two countries meet with the Czech Republic near the village of Schwarzenberg-am-Bohmerwald. The border passes through the states of Upper Austria, Salzburg, and Tyrol in Austria, and Bavaria in Germany.

One of the border crossings between the two countries is the Ammer Saddle, a mountain pass in the Alps between Bavaria and Tyrol. The westernmost third of Austria forms a narrow corridor between Germany and Italy, which is between 20 and 37 miles wide.

Austria and Germany have historically been closely linked. German is the official language of both countries, and until 1806, Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire, of which the German states were a part. Since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, the Alps have not served to mark political boundaries.

The Czech Republic to the north

The Czech Republic lies directly north of Austria, with a border of 249 miles (402 km) between the two countries. The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with a population of over 10.6 million people. Its capital and largest city is Prague, which is home to over 1.3 million people. Other major cities in the Czech Republic include Plzen, Ostrava, and Brno.

The Czech Republic is a unitary parliamentary state, with a non-religious population that makes it the sixth safest country in the world. The country occupies an area of approximately 30,450 square miles (78,866 square km). The landscape is mostly mountainous, with the Bohemian Forest, a low mountain range with windswept plateaus and a harsh climate, covering about 10% of the country's area.

The border between the Czech Republic and Austria is marked by several towns, including Ceske Velenice, Mikulov, and Drasenhofen in the Czech Republic, and Gmund and Breclavin in Austria.

Italy and Slovenia to the south

Italy and Slovenia lie to the south of Austria. The Austrian-Slovenian border is a 330-kilometre (210-mile) land border. To the southwest of Slovenia is the Italian port city of Trieste, which is adjacent to the country. Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region is situated to the west of Slovenia.

Slovenia is a small but topographically diverse country, with portions of four major European landscapes: the European Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Pannonian and Danubian lowlands and hills, and the Mediterranean coast. The country is mostly elevated, with its terrain outside the coastal area consisting of karstic plateaus and ridges, Alpine peaks, and valleys, basins, and arable or pastoral land in between. The only major flat area is in the northeast.

Slovenia has four main physiographic regions. The first is the Alpine region, which covers about two-fifths of the country's surface area. The High Alps, which include the Kamnik and Savinja, the Karavanke, and the Julian Alps, make up the northern and northwestern sections of the country, along the borders with Italy and Austria. The Julian Alps include Mount Triglav, Slovenia's tallest peak at 9,396 feet (2,864 metres). The subalpine "ridge-and-valley" terrain is slightly lower than the High Alps. The Pohorje, located south of the Drava River, is the main subalpine range. The historical name for the central Alpine lands is Gorenjska (Upper Carniola).

The Kras (Karst), a spur of the Dinaric Alps in the southwestern part of the country, is the second-largest physiographic region. Karst topography is characterised by caves and underground rivers. The Suha and Bela Krajinas, which make up the majority of the region, are separated by wooded limestone ridges in dry and blind valleys, hollows, and poljes. Water is scarce in this region. The third-largest physiographic region, which covers one-fifth of the country, is the fertile Subpannonia in the east and northeast of Slovenia. It includes the valleys of the Sava, Drava, and Mura rivers. Its basins contain the cities of Maribor and Celje. The fourth and smallest physiographic region, which covers about one-twelfth of the country, is Primorska, or the Slovene Littoral. It is made up of Slovenia's portion of the Istrian Peninsula, the Adriatic hinterland, and the Soča and Vipava river valleys. The country's 29-mile (47-kilometre) coastline makes up its riviera.

Italy, which borders Slovenia to the southwest, is a country in Southern Europe. It is a peninsula situated in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by seas on three sides: the Adriatic to the east, the Ionian to the south, and the Tyrrhenian to the west. The Apennine Mountains form the country's backbone, with the Alps serving as a northern barrier. The country's terrain is mostly hilly to mountainous, with some tiny plains, notably in the north-central Po Valley, an extensive delta where the Po River empties into the Adriatic Sea.

Italy has a varied climate, but it is mostly Mediterranean, with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The Alps have a large impact on the climate, as they divide the peninsula from the rest of Europe and create a more continental climate with colder winters and hotter summers. The northern regions, which are shielded from the sea's moderating influence, have more severe winters, while the south enjoys a longer summer. The northern and southern regions of Italy have a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and moderate rainfall. The northern regions have a more continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The southern regions have a more Mediterranean climate, with warm winters and dry summers.

Slovakia and Hungary to the east

Slovakia and Hungary are the countries that lie to the east of Austria. Slovakia, a landlocked country in Central Europe, shares a 105km (65-mile) border with its neighbour. The lower course of the River Morava forms a large part of the border between the two countries. There is a crossing point at the border which connects Berg in Austria and Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The only motorway crossing between the two countries is in Jarovce. Slovakia covers an area of about 19,000 sq miles and has a population of over 5,435,343. Bratislava is followed by Kosice as the largest city in the country. The Slovakian landscape is mostly mountainous, and Slovak is the language of government and business. The country gained independence on 1 January 1993 after the Velvet Divorce.

Hungary, another landlocked country, shares a 331km (205-mile) border with Austria. The country's current borders were established by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. Austria and Hungary were separated by an electric border fence from the end of World War II until 1989 when communism collapsed in Hungary. The foreign affairs minister of Hungary announced in October 2017 that they would be opening six new crossing points on their border with Austria. Hungary occupies an area of about 35,920 sq miles in Central Europe and has a population of over 9,797,561. Budapest is the largest city and the capital of the country, with other major urban regions including Gyor, Pecs, Szeged, and Debrecen.

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