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This page was last updated on 19 June 2008
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| Introduction | Austria | Top of Page

Background: | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

| Geography | Austria | Top of Page

Location: | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates: | 47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 83,870 sq km land: 82,444 sq km water: 1,426 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: | total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked)
Climate: | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
Terrain: | in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural resources: | oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 40 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: | 84 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%) per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
Natural hazards: | landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Environment - current issues: | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

| People | Austria | Top of Page

Population: | 8,205,533 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.8% (male 621,326/female 592,131) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,783,531/female 2,753,389) 65 years and over: 17.7% (male 599,415/female 855,741) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 41.7 years male: 40.7 years female: 42.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.064% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 8.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 79.36 years male: 76.46 years female: 82.41 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 10,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian
Ethnic groups: | Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
Religions: | Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
Languages: | German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA

| Government | Austria | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich
Government type: | federal republic
Capital: | name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions: | 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
Independence: | 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday: | National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution: | 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
Legal system: | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe) (since 11 January 2007); Vice Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERER (OeVP) (since 11 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
Legislative branch: | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next scheduled for the fall of 2010) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%, other 4.2%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7
Judicial branch: | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders: | Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Peter WESTENTHALER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
International organization participation: | ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott KILNER embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

| Economy | Austria | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms; however, lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in 2006 and 2007. Boosted by strong exports, growth nevertheless reached 3.3% in both 2006 and 2007, although the economy may slow in 2008 because of the strong euro, high oil prices, and problems in international financial markets. To meet increased competition - especially from new EU members and Central European countries - Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $317.8 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $373.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 3.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $38,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.6% industry: 30.3% services: 68% (2007 est.)
Labor force: | 3.566 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 4.4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 5.9% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 26 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.2% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 21.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $179.3 billion expenditures: $181.8 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt: | 59.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products: | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
Industries: | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | 2.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production: | 61.02 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - consumption: | 60.25 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports: | 17.73 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - imports: | 20.4 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Oil - production: | 23,320 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption: | 295,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 34,680 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 157,500 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves: | 62 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 1.57 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - consumption: | 9.217 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - exports: | 936.1 million cu m (2005)
Natural gas - imports: | 9.063 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 14.39 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | $10.04 billion (2007 est.)
Exports: | $164.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: | Germany 30.1%, Italy 9%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 4.7% (2006)
Imports: | $162.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: | Germany 45.4%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2006)
Economic aid - donor: | ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $18.22 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: | $752.5 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $202.5 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $182.2 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $126.3 billion (2005)
Currency (code): | euro (EUR)
Exchange rates: | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Austria | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 3.564 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 9.255 million (2006)
Telephone system: | general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership elipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations: | 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code: | .at
Internet hosts: | 2.427 million (2007)
Internet users: | 4.2 million (2006)

| Transportation | Austria | Top of Page

Airports: | 55 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2007)
Heliports: | 1 (2007)
Pipelines: | gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2007)
Railways: | total: 6,383 km standard gauge: 5,924 km 1.435-m gauge (3,772 km electrified) narrow gauge: 371 km 1.000-m gauge; 88 km 0.760-m gauge (25 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways: | total: 133,910 km paved: 133,910 km (includes 2,050 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways: | 358 km (2007)
Merchant marine: | total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,705 GRT/40,627 DWT by type: cargo 5, container 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2) registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 2) (2007)
Ports and terminals: | Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

| Military | Austria | Top of Page

Military branches: | Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
Military service age and obligation: | 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,986,411 females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,617,385 females age 16-49: 1,583,886 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | males age 16-49: 50,869 females age 16-49: 48,246 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.9% (2005 est.)

| Transnational Issues | Austria | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | in 2006, Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in a parliamentary motion threatening international legal action
Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 19 June 2008