| World Regions |
|
Africa Middle East Europe Asia North America Central America The Caribbean South America Oceania World Map Cities Maps Flags Embassies Consulates |
| |
| Introduction | Austria |
| 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. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrian's have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the European Monetary Union in 1999. |
| People | Austria |
| Population: | 8,174,762 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 15.9% (male 665,680; female 633,560) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,799,411; female 2,764,426) 65 years and over: 16% (male 518,748; female 792,937) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 40 years male: 38.8 years female: 41.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.14% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 8.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.56 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.87 years male: 76 years female: 81.89 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.35 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.3% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 10,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian |
| Ethnic groups: | German 88.5%, indigenous minorities 1.5% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma), recent immigrant groups 10% (includes Turks, Bosnians, Serbians, Croatians) (2001) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 0.1%, none 17.4% |
| Languages: | German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA |
| Government | Austria |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local short form: Oesterreich local long form: Republik Oesterreich |
| Government type: | federal republic |
| Capital: | Vienna |
| 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 State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003) 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 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6% |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; 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) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP 79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17 elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2006) |
| 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 [Herbert HAUPT]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but 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 and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights |
| International organization participation: | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr. embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0, 31375, 31335 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682 |
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red |
| Communications | Austria |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 3.881 million (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 7,094,500 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) |
| Radios: | 6.08 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) |
| Televisions: | 4.25 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .at |
| Internet hosts: | 387,006 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 37 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 3.73 million (2003) |
| Transportation | Austria |
| Railways: | total: 6,021 km (3,552 km electrified) standard gauge: 5,565 km 1.435-m gauge (3,430 km electrified) narrow gauge: 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 422 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 200,000 km paved: 200,000 km (including 1,633 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | 358 km (2003) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna |
| Merchant marine: | total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,624 GRT/37,425 DWT by type: cargo 4, container 2 registered in other countries: 34 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Netherlands 1 |
| Airports: | 55 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 24 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 14 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 27 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Austria |
| Military branches: | Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from 8 months to 6 (June 2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,066,467 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,699,384 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 48,981 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $1.497 billion (FY01/02) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.85% (June 2004) |
| Transnational Issues | Austria |
| Disputes - international: | minor disputes with the Czech Republic over the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant |
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
| Categories | |
|