Austria

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Austria

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republik Österreich/Republic of Austria Area 83,859 sq km/32,367 sq mi Capital Vienna Language German (official) Religion Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 1 May, 15 August, 26 October, 1 November, 8, 24–26 December; variable: Ascension Thursday, Corpus Christi, Easter Monday, Whit Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt Physical features landlocked mountainous state, with Alps in west and south (Austrian Alps, including Grossglockner and Brenner and Semmering passes, Lechtaler and Allgauer Alps north of River Inn, Carnic Alps on Italian border) and low relief in east where most of the population is concentrated; River Danube Airports six international airports between which operate domestic services; total passengers carried: 6.9 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 5,624 km/3,495 mi; total passenger journeys: 183.7 million (2003) Roads total road network: 133,718 km/83,088 mi, of which 100% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 545 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Heinz Fischer from 2004 Head of government Alfred Gusenbauer from 2006 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions nine provinces Political parties Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), democratic socialist; Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), progressive centrist; Freedom (formerly Freedom Party of Austria: FPÖ), right wing; United Green Party of Austria (VGÖ), conservative ecological; Green Alternative Party (ALV), radical ecological; Liberal Forum, moderately left wing; Communist Party of Austria Death penalty abolished in 1968 Armed forces 39,900 (2006 est) Conscription seven months Defence spend (% GDP) 0.8 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 5.7 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 5.1 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency euro (schilling until 2002) GDP (US$) 304.5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 2.8 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 289.2 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 33,140 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 1.4% (2006 est) Unemployment 4.8% (2006 est) Labour force 5.5% agriculture, 27.5% industry, 67% services (2005) Major trading partners Germany, Italy, Switzerland, EU25, Japan, eastern Europe Resources lignite, iron, kaolin, gypsum, talcum, magnesite, lead, zinc, forests Industries raw and rolled steel, machinery, cellulose, paper, cardboard, cement, fertilizers, viscose staple yarn, sawn timber, flat glass, salt, sugar, milk, margarine Exports dairy products, food products, wood and paper products, machinery and transport equipment, metal and metal products, chemical products. Principal market for exports: Germany 32.8% (2005) Imports petroleum and petroleum products, food and beverages, chemicals and related products, textiles, clothing. Principal source: Germany 48.4% (2005) Arable land 16.6% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, barley, rye, oats, potatoes, maize, sugar beet; dairy products


POPULATION

Population 8,204,600 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 99 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 67 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 15%, 15–59 62%, 60+ 23% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 99% German, 0.3% Croatian, 0.2% Slovene Life expectancy 77 (men); 82 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 32.4 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 8.3 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.3 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <500 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 45.3 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 99.8 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 753 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 657 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 61.1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 48.9 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

14 BC Country south of River Danube conquered by Romans. 5th century AD Region occupied by Vandals, Huns, Goths, Lombards, and Avars. 791 Charlemagne conquered Avars and established East Mark, the nucleus of the future Austrian Empire. 976 Holy Roman Emperor Otto II granted East Mark to House of Babenburg, which ruled until 1246. 1282 Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg seized Austria and invested his son as its duke; for over 500 years most rulers of Austria were elected Holy Roman Emperor. 1453 Austria became an archduchy. 1519–56 Emperor Charles V was both archduke of Austria and king of Spain; Habsburgs dominant in Europe. 1526 Bohemia came under Habsburg rule. 1529 Vienna besieged by Ottoman Turks. 1618–48 Thirty Years' War: Habsburgs weakened by failure to secure control over Germany. 1683 Polish-Austrian force led by Jan Sobieski defeated the Turks at Vienna. 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz: Austrians expelled Turks from Hungary, which came under Habsburg rule. 1713 By Treaty of Utrecht, Austria obtained Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) and political control over most of Italy. 1740–48 War of Austrian Succession: Prussia (supported by France and Spain) attacked Austria (supported by Holland and England) on pretext of disputing rights of Maria Theresa; Austria lost Silesia to Prussia. 1772 Austria joined in partition of Poland, annexing Galicia. 1780–90 ‘Enlightened despotism’: Joseph II tried to impose radical reforms. 1792 Austria went to war with revolutionary France. 1804 Francis II took title Emperor of Austria. 1806 The Holy Roman Empire was abolished. 1809–48 Austria took leading role in resisting liberalism and nationalism throughout Europe. 1815 After Napoleonic Wars, Austria lost Netherlands but received Lombardy and Venetia. 1848 Outbreak of liberal-nationalist revolts throughout Austrian Empire; Ferdinand I abdicated in favour of Franz Joseph; revolutions suppressed with difficulty. 1859 France and Sardinia expelled Austrians from Lombardy by force. 1866 Seven Weeks' War: Prussia defeated Austria, which ceded Venetia to Italy. 1867 Austria conceded equality to Hungary within dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. 1878 Treaty of Berlin: Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina; annexed in 1908. 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to throne, was assassinated by Serbian nationalist; Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia, precipitating World War I. 1916 Death of Franz Joseph; succeeded by Karl I. 1918 Austria-Hungary collapsed in military defeat; empire dissolved; republic proclaimed. 1919 Treaty of St Germain reduced Austria to its present boundaries and prohibited union with Germany. 1934 Political instability culminated in brief civil war; right-wingers defeated socialists. 1938 The Anschluss: Nazi Germany incorporated Austria into the Third Reich. 1945 Following victory in World War II, Allies divided Austria into four zones of occupation (US, British, French, and Soviet); Second Republic established under Karl Renner. 1955 Austrian State Treaty ended occupation; Austria regained independence on condition of neutrality. 1960–70s Rapid industrialization and prosperity. 1986 Kurt Waldheim was elected president, despite allegations of war crimes during World War II; Austrian diplomatic isolation until Waldheim's replacement by Thomas Klestil in 1992. 1995 Austria joined European Union (EU). 1998 NATO membership ruled out. 2000 Austrian People's Party, under Wolfgang Schüssel, formed conservative coalition government with far-right Freedom Party of Austria; EU imposed diplomatic sanctions in response. 2002 Austria adopted single European currency (euro). 2002–06 Danube river burst its banks causing serious flooding. 2006 Social Democrats won parliamentary elections. 2007 Social Democrats formed new coalition with Austrian People's Party under Alfred Gusenbauer in January.


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