83,871 sq km (32,382 sq miles).

8,741,072 (UN estimated statistic 2017)

106 per sq km.

Vienna (Wien).

Federal Republic.

Mountainous Austria is a landlocked country at the heart of Europe, bordered by Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. The diverse landscape can be divided into five sections: the Eastern Alps (62.8%), the Alpine and Carpathian Foothills (11.3%), the Pannonian Lowlands (11.3%), the Vienna Basin (4.4%) and the Granite and Gneiss Highlands or Bohemian Massif (10.1%).

Austria's highest mountain is Grossglockner (3,798m/12,465ft) found in the Alps' Hohe Tauern range, and, on its way from the Black Forest in southern Germany to the Black Sea, the winding River Danube flows for approximately 360km (220 miles) through the country.

Nearly half of Austria is covered with forests, with the lower regions particularly densely wooded. Fir predominates above 488m (1,600ft), and gives way to larch and stone-pine beyond 1,219m (4,000ft); the Alpine foothills consist predominantly of arable land and grassland (above 610m/2,000ft); the Pannonian region is characterised by scrub and heathland.

Approximately 64% of the population is Roman Catholic. As of January 2011, 64.1% of the population identified as Catholic. The most recent Church diocese figures indicated that almost 59% of Austrians attend the Catholic Church.

Austrians tend to be quite formal in both their social and business dealings. They do not use first names when being introduced, but after the initial meeting first names are often used. Handshaking is customary when saying hello and goodbye.

It is considered impolite to enter a restaurant or shop without saying Guten Tag (good day) or, more usually, Grüss Gott (common greeting which literally means 'greet God'); similarly, to leave without saying Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye) can cause offence. If invited out to dinner, flowers should be brought for the hostess. The Church enjoys a high and respected position in Austrian society, which should be kept in mind.
 

230 volts AC, 50Hz. European plugs with two round pins are standard.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz since 2019.

President Alexander van der Bellen since January 2017. 

From the first human settlements in the Danube Valley, to the ensuing Celts, Illyrians, Romans and Bavarians, and then the noble Babenberg and the Habsburg dynasties, Austria is a land that has been ruled by many.

Perhaps the most influential of its rulers, however, was the noble Habsburg family, which used Austria as the cornerstone of their empire for an astounding six centuries. The first of many emperors from the house came to power in 1273, and by the 16th century, the Habsburgs’ holdings had expanded dramatically across continental Europe both through military conquests and marriages.

In the wake of the French Revolution in the late-18th century, a creeping nationalism spread among the people of Europe and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. Despite this new drive for independence among some of the empire’s ethnic groups, the Habsburgs managed to hold onto power.

In 1867, the dual monarchy of Austro-Hungary was created in an effort to avoid the secession of an increasingly dissatisfied Hungary. This meant that the Habsburgs agreed to share power with the Hungarian government, divvying up the territory of the old Austrian Empire between them. Though Austria and Hungary was still officially one unit bound by the same ruling emperor, in reality, they had begun to go down increasingly divergent paths.

The Habsburgs’ 640-year reign was finally ended by WWI. Even before the conflict was officially over, various groups began to declare independence and in 1918, the emperor abdicated. WWII saw Hitler invade and occupy Austria, persecuting the country's Jewish community. Post Holocaust, Austria's Jewish community rebuilt itself, but to this day the Jewish population remains much smaller than before WWII.

After Austria's liberation by the Allies in 1944, foundations were laid for the Second Republic, which was formally established in 1955. Upon becoming an independent nation, the Austrian parliament declared permanent neutrality and, soon after, joined the UN. In 1995, Austria entered into the European Union, and also signed the Schengen Agreement, before adopting the Euro in 1999.

Did you know?
• Vienna is home to the oldest zoo in the western world, the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which began as a royal menagerie for Holy Roman Emperor Francis I in 1752.
• Because of its permanent neutrality, Austria is not a member of NATO.
• Vienna is home to more dead people than living; there are an estimated three million plus buried in the city’s Central Cemetery, though the living population only numbers around 1.7 million.
• Austria boasts some strange place names including a town called Egg and a village called Fucking, which has been plagued by spates of signage theft.