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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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,
Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently
neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality,
once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been
called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's
increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country,
Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system
in 1999. |
| Location: |
Central Europe, north of
Italy and Slovenia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
47 20 N, 13 20 E |
| Area: |
total: 83,858 sq
km
land: 82,738 sq km
water: 1,120 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 in lowlands and snow in
mountains; cool 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: |
iron ore, oil, timber,
magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 23%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 20% (1996 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
457 sq km (1995 est.) |
| 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-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
| 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 |
| Population: |
8,150,835 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375)
15-64 years: 68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536)
65 years and over: 15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.24% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
9.74 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.8 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.45 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.44 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
77.84 years
male: 74.68 years
female: 81.15 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.39 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.23% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
9,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 100 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
German 98%, Croatian,
Slovene, other (includes Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma) |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 78%,
Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17% |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| 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 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
9 states (bundeslaender,
singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich,
Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien |
| Independence: |
1156 (from Bavaria) |
| 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) |
| 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; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
19 years of age; universal;
compulsory for presidential elections |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since
4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4
February 2000)
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; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be
held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the
president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the case
of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party
after the plurality party failed to form a government; vice chancellor
chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president;
percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT
11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Federal Assembly or
Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members;
members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but
with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a
four- 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 3 October 1999
(next to be held in the fall of 2003)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by
party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party
- SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Judicial Court or
Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof;
Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Austrian People's Party or
OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne
RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred
GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Austrian Trade Union
Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented
League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church,
including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite
leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business,
labor, and farmers |
| International
organization participation: |
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA,
EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU
(observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter MOSER
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, and New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Kathryn Walt HALL
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 313-39-2060
FAX: [43] (1) 313-39-2057 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands
of red (top), white, and red |
| Economy
- overview: |
Austria with its
well-developed market economy and high standard of living is closely
tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU
has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access
to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In
2000, Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes
to meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in
reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both EU
and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize
knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the
service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$203 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.1% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$25,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
2.2%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.4% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
3.7 million (1999) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 68%, industry and
crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 3% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
5.4% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $56.3
billion
expenditures: $60.5 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
construction, machinery,
vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper
and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.2% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
59.283 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
29.53%
hydro: 67.65%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.82% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
53.231 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
13.507 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
11.605 billion kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
grains, potatoes, sugar
beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber |
| Exports: |
$63.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment,
paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles,
foodstuffs |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7%,
Italy 8.7%, France 4.5%), Switzerland 5.9%, US 4.5%, Hungary 3.9% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$65.6 billion (2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment,
chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5%,
Italy 7.9%, France 5.3%), US 5.4%, Switzerland 3.0%, Hungary 2.8% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$16 billion (1999) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $472 million (1999) |
| Currency: |
Austrian schilling (ATS);
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a
common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in
Austria at a fixed rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro and will
replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US dollar - 1.0659
(January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US
dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204
(1997), 10.587 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
4 million (3,600,000 analog
main lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network
connections) (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
4.5 million (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and
the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very
extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are
available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1
Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 61 (plus several
hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: |
6.08 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
45 (plus 960 repeaters)
(1995) |
| Televisions: |
4.25 million (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.at |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
37 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2.6 million (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 6,095.2
km (3,643.3 km electrified)
standard gauge: 5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km
electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001) |
| Highways: |
total: 133,361
km
paved: 133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1998) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 777 km; natural gas
840 km (1999) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 23 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2,
container 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 24
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: 14 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army (includes Flying
Division) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
19 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
2,091,263 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
1,731,383 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 50,580
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.7 billion (FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.2% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
minor disputes with Czech
Republic and Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II
treatment of German-speaking minorities |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment point for
Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western
Europe |
|
