Feb. 24, 2007
Austria is a complex country: conservative on the one hand, modern and wealthy on another. Just add to that such a familiar region as the Tyrol or Vienna - the capital famous for its excellent atmosphere and you will find out what makes Austria such an attractive country!
The country stretches from the shores of the Bodensee in the west to the edge of the flat Hungarian plain in the east - those who looks for sunbathing and water sports won't be disappointed.
And if you want to go to Austria don't forget to visit its capital - Vienna. This cosmopolitan city offers to the visitors many tourist attractions and historical sights. One should visit Belvedere, Stefansdom, Rathause or Habsburg palaces. And if you want to do some shopping you should visit the Innere Stadt - the biggest commercial district of the city where you can choose from a range of boutiques, stores and souvenir shops.
Austria has few peers as a year-round holiday destination, with plenty of winter sports in the Alps, some of the most impressive and overblown architecture in Europe and an unrivalled musical tradition that even The Sound of Music couldn't sully.
Austria's cities have plenty to engage visitors: Vienna is the capital, hub of the country's musical life and littered with beautiful buildings; music, art and architecture reach baroque perfection in Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace; Innsbruck's snow-capped peaks frame fascinating historic buildings.
History Austria
Settled in prehistoric times, the central European land that is now Austria was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts. After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which Austria was part, the area was invaded by Bavarians and Slavic Avars. Charlemagne conquered the area in 788 and encouraged colonization and Christianity. In 1252, Ottokar, king of Bohemia, gained possession, only to lose the territories to Rudolf of Hapsburg in 1278. Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling house, the Hapsburgs. Austria emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as the continent's dominant power. The Ausgleich of 1867 provided for a dual sovereignty, the empire of Austria and the kingdom of Hungary, under Franz Joseph I, who ruled until his death on Nov. 21, 1916. The Austrian-Hungarian minority rule of this immensely diverse empire, which included German, Czech, Romanian, Serbian, and many other lands, became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements. When Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo in 1914, World War I, as well as the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, began.
After World War II, the U.S. and Britain declared the Austrians a “liberated” people, but the Russians prolonged the occupation. Finally Austria concluded a state treaty with the USSR and the other occupying powers and regained its independence on May 15, 1955. The second Austrian republic, established Dec. 19, 1945, on the basis of the 1920 constitution (amended in 1929), was declared by the federal parliament to be permanently neutral.
In Feb. 2000 the conservative People's Party formed a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party, headed by Jörg Haider. A nationalist against immigration, Haider had made several controversial remarks praising some Nazi policies, which he has since recanted. His gradual rise to power was credited to voters weary of decades of stasis under the rule of the Social Democrats. The European Union condemned Austria's new coalition, froze diplomatic contacts, and imposed sanctions, accusing Haider of being a racist, xenophobe, and Nazi sympathizer. Given the controversy, Haider chose not to join the government, but he continued to wield influence from the sidelines.
about Austria
Capital Vienna
48°12′N, 16°21′E
Demonym Austrian
Languages: German (official nationwide); Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian (each official in one region)
Government Federal republic
- President Heinz Fischer
- Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer
Independence
- Austrian State Treaty in force
July 27, 1955
- Declaration of Neutrality October 26, 1955 (before: Austrian Empire: 1804, First Austrian Republic: 1918)
Accession to
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total $279.5 billion (34th)
- Per capita $36,000 (8th)
GDP (nominal) 2005 estimate
- Total $307.07 billion (23rd)
- Per capita $37,117 (12th)
Gini? (2000) 29.1 (low)
FSI (2007) 26 (Sustainable) (166th)
HDI (2004) 0.944 (high) (14th)
Currency euro (€) ² (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD .at ³
Calling code +43
the European Union January 1, 1995
Area
- Total 83,872 km² (115th)
32,383 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.7
Population
- 2007 estimate 8,316,487 (92nd)
- 2001 census 8,032,926
- Density 99 /km² (99th)
257 /sq mi
Transportation: Railways: total: 6,021 km (3,552 km electrified) (2004). Highways: 133,718 km; paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003). Waterways: 358 km (2003). Ports and harbors: Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna. Airports: 55 (2005).
