Austria

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



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GEOGRAPHY

Location

Central Europe, north of Italy

Area

Total area: 83,850 sq km
Land area: 82,730 sq km
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine

Land Boundaries

Total 2,496 km, Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 262 km, Switzerland 164 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

None

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
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,797 m

Natural Resources

Iron ore
Petroleum
Timber
Magnesite
Aluminum
Lead
Coal
Lignite
Copper
Hydropower

Land Use

Arable land: 17%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 24%
Forest and woodland: 39%
Other: 19%

Irrigated Land

40 sq km (1989)

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
Natural hazards: NA

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

Population

8,023,244 (July 1996 est.)
7,986,664 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

18% (male 720,696; female 685,179) (July 1996 est.)
17% (male 711,127; female 681,087) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

67% (male 2,726,122; female 2,659,162) (July 1996 est.)
67% (male 2,677,100; female 2,672,554) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

15% (male 451,231; female 780,854) (July 1996 est.)
16% (male 453,034; female 791,762) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.41% (1996 est.)
0.35% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

11.19 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
11.21 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

10.43 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
10.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 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: 0.58 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

6.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population:76.53 years (1996), 76.9 years (1995)
Male:73.38 years (1996), 73.7 years (1995)
Female: 80.27 years (1995 est.), 79.84 years (1996 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.49 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.48 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Austrian(s)
Adjective: Austrian

Ethnic Divisions

German 99.4%
Croatian 0.3%
Slovene 0.2%
Other 0.1%

Religions

Roman Catholic 85%
Protestant 6%
Other 9%

Languages

German

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1974 est.)

Total population: 99%

Labor Force

3.47 million (1989)

By occupation:

Services 56.4%
Industry and crafts 35.4%
Agriculture and forestry 8.1%

Note: An estimated 200,000 Austrians are employed in other European countries; foreign laborers in Austria number 177,840, about 5% of labor force (1988)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Republic of Austria
Conventional short form: Austria
Local long form: Republik Österreich
Local short form: Österreich

Digraph

Type

Federal republic

Capital

Vienna

Administrative Divisions

9 states (bundeslaender, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien

Independence

12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

National Holiday

National Day, 26 October (1955)

Constitution

1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal System

Civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992); election last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held 1998); results of second ballot - Thomas KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%
Head of government: Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986) was chosen by the president from the majority party in the National Council; Vice Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (since 22 April 1995) was chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung)

Federal Council (Bundesrat)

Consists of 63 members representing each of the provinces on the basis of population, but with each province having at least 3 representatives

National Council (Nationalrat)

elections last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held Fall 1999); results - SPOE 38.3%, OEVP 28.3%, FPOE 22.1%, Greens 4.6%, LF 5.3%, other 1.4%; seats - (183 total) SPOE 71, OEVP 53, FPOE 40, Greens 9, LF 10

Judicial Branch

Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) for constitutional cases

Political Parties and Leaders

Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPOE), Franz VRANITZKY, chairman; Austrian People's Party (OEVP), Wolfgang SCHUESSEL, chairman; Freedom Movement (F, formerly the Freedom Party of Austria or FPOE), Joerg HAIDER, chairman; Communist Party (KPOE), Walter SILBERMAYER, chairman; The Greens, Madeleine PETROVIC; Liberal Forum (LF), Heide SCHMIDT

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist); three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party (OEVP) representing business, labor, and farmers; OEVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, 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, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

ECONOMY

Overview

Austria has a well-developed market economy with a sizable - but falling - proportion of nationalized industry, an extensive social system, and a high standard of living. Austria's economy is closely integrated with Germany and other EU members - Austria joined the EU on 1 January 1995. Since the early 1980s, the Austrian economy has experienced stable growth. Following a mild recession in 1993, Austria's economy - driven by strong exports, investment, and private consumption - expanded 2.7% in 1994 and about 2.4% in 1995. The slowdown in 1995 was largely due to an appreciation of the Austrian schilling and its negative effect on exports and tourism. EU membership has had a positive impact on foreign investment and has helped to lower inflation. Despite Austria's generally favorable economic prospects, the government faces a number of economic challenges, especially budget consolidation. Smaller than expected revenues and rising welfare payments caused the budget deficit to climb to 7.1% of GDP in 1995. Austria also faces a growing unemployment problem. Although low by European standards, Austria's unemployment rate has risen gradually during the 1990s as companies restructured to meet competition from the EU single market and Eastern Europe.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $152 billion (1995 est.), $139.3 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.4% (1995 est.)
2.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$19,000 (1995 est.)
$17,500 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

2.3% (1995 est.)
3% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

4.6% (1995 est.)
4.3% (1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $65 billion (1996), $52.2 billion (1995)
Expenditures: $75.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)
$60.3 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1993 est.)

Exports

$45.2 billion (1994)

Commodities:

Machinery and equipment
Iron and steel
Lumber
Textiles
Paper products
Chemicals

Partners:

EU 64.8% (Germany 38.1%, Italy 8.1%)
Eastern Europe/FSU 11.8%
Japan 1.6%
U.S. 3.5% (1994)

Imports

$55.3 billion (1994)

Commodities:

Petroleum
Foodstuffs
Machinery and equipment
Vehicles
Chemicals
Textiles and clothing
Pharmaceuticals

Partners:

EU 68.4% (Germany 40%, Italy 8.8%)
Eastern Europe 6.55%
Japan 4.3%
U.S. 4.4% (1994)

External Debt

$28.7 billion (1995 est.)
$21.5 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 7.7% (first half 1995), 2.5% (1994 est.)

Electricity

Capacity: 17,230,000 kW
Production: 50.2 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 5,824 kWh (1993)

Industries

Foods
Iron and steel
Machines
Textiles
Chemicals
Electrical
Paper and pulp
Tourism
Mining
Motor vehicles

Agriculture

Accounts for 3.2% of GDP (including forestry); principal crops and animals - grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets, sawn wood, cattle, pigs, poultry; 80%-90% self-sufficient in food

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and Eastern Europe

Economic Aid

Donor: ODA, $544 million (1993)
ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.4 billion

Currency

1 Austrian schilling (S) = 100 groschen

Exchange Rates

Austrian schillings (S) per US$1 - 10.314 (January 1996), 10.081 (1995), 11.422 (1994), 11.632 (1993), 10.989 (1992), 11.676 (1991), 11.370 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 5,624 km
Standard gauge: 5,269 km 1.435-m gauge (3,263 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 355 km 1.000-m and 0.760-m gauge (86 km electrified) (1995)

Highways

Total: 108,000 km
Paved: 22,000 km (including 1,800 km of autobahn)
Unpaved: mostly gravel and earth 86,000 km (1992)

Inland Waterways

446 km

Pipelines

Crude oil 554 km; petroleum products 171 km; natural gas 2,611 km

Ports

Linz, Vienna

Merchant Marine

Total: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 88,617 GRT/122,475 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 23, combination bulk 2, container 1, refrigerated cargo 2 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 55
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 41
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (1995 est.)

Heliports:

1 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

3.47 million telephones (1986 est.); highly developed and efficient

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), and EUTELSAT earth stations

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 21 (repeaters 545), shortwave 0
Radios: NA

Television

Broadcast stations: 47 (repeaters 870)
Televisions: 2,418,584 (1984 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army (includes Flying Division)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 2,084,827; males fit for military service 1,741,068; males reach military age (19) annually 45,628 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - about $2.1 billion, 1.0% of GDP (1996 est.)

History
World Atlas

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