Republic of Austria

COUNTRY NAME:

• Conventional long form: Republic of Austria
• Conventional short form: Austria
• Local long form: Republik Oesterreich
• Local short form: Oesterreich

ETYMOLOGY:

• The German name“Österreich is derived from Old German “Ostarrîchi”, meaning "Eastern Territory".
• “Austria” is the Latin name for the country.
• “Reich” may refer to “empire” as the region was once came under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.
• Marchia orientalis, the Medieval Latin name for the region, translates as "eastern marches" or "eastern borderland".
• According to Friedrich Heer, the Germanic form “ostarrîchi” resulted from a term originating in the Celtic languages of ancient Austria.
• Parts of the region were called “Norig” by the Celtic inhabitants.
• “Nor” translates to “eastern”.
• “Rig” is the related to the modern German “Reich”, meaning realm.
• Thus, “Norig” bears the same meaning as “Österreich”.
• The name was then changed to “Noricum” by the Roman rulers.
• It was later Latinized and came to be known as “Austria”.
• After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the country was known as the “Republic of German Austria”.
• In 1919, the Treaty of Saint-Germain changed its name to “Republic of Austria”.
• From 1934-1938, it was also called the “Federal State of Austria” during the Austro-Fascist regime..

CAPITAL CITY:

• Vienna is the capital city of Austria.

CURRENCY:

• Euro is the official currency of Austria.

HISTORY:

• The region of present day Austria was inhabited by the Celtic tribes in pre-historic times.
• Austria was part of the Roman Empire for a long period of time.
• After the fall of the Roman Empire, the region was invaded by Bavarians and Slavic Avars. The country was conquered by Charlemagne in 788 and underwent colonization.
• Until the World War I, Austria continued to be conquered by various rulers and empires.
• Austria emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as the continent's dominant power.
• The Ausgleich of 1867 provided for a dual sovereignty, and thus the Austro-Hungarian Empire came into existence under the rule of Franz Joseph I.
• Since the Empire included many other lands, a nationalist movement emerged which overthrew the Empire.
• Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in 1914.
• World War I, as well as the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, began.
• Austria experienced a political chaos and upheaval during the World War I.
• Hungary was separated from Austria and the system of monarchy ended in 1919.
• Austria was declared an independent republic in 1918.
• A parliamentary democracy was established by the constitution on Nov. 10, 1920.
• Chancellor Engelbert Dolfuss implemented dictatorship in 1933 in an attempt to control the Nazis.
• He was assassinated by the Nazis on July 25, 1934.
• German troops occupied the country on March 12, 1938.
• Hitler announced Austria as a part of Germany and it was annexed to the Third Reich.
• After World War II, the U.S. and Britain declared Austria a free country but Russia prolonged the occupation.
• On May 15, 1955, Austria signed a state treaty with USSR and regained its independence.
• The second Austrian republic was established on Dec. 19, 1945, on the basis of the 1920 constitution.
• It was declared by the federal parliament to be permanently neutral.
• On June 8, 1986, Kurt Waldheim was elected president and was subsequently accused of being associated with the Nazis.
• Austria became a member of the European Union in 1995.
• The country retained its strict constitutional neutrality and refused to act as a ally to any nation.
• and forbade the stationing of foreign troops on its soil.
• Parliament passed a law in June 2007 that lowered the voting age in Austria to 16.
• On July 7, 2008, the Austrian government collapsed after months of conflict between the Social Democratic Party and the People's Party.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

• About a quarter of the country’s population resides in Vienna.
• Austria’s population is diverse in culture and standards of living are high.
• Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck are other major cities where population is concentrated.
• 90% of Austrians are German-speaking.
• The indigenous Slovenian speaking minority is based in the federal states of Carinthia and Styria.
• Few people speak Hungarian and Croatian.
• Immigrants and Yugoslav war refugees also form a small percentage of the population.
• The Roma-Sinti (gypsies) are an officially recognized ethnic minority in Austria.
• There are a variety of German dialects spoken in different parts of the country.
• All the dialects belong to Austro-Bavarian groups of German dialects.
• Only the dialect spoken in Bundesland, Vorarlberg, belongs to the group of Alemannic dialects.
• Austrian German is grammatically different from the standard German.
• Since 2006, the government has introduced standardized tests for new citizens to assess their suitability for Austrian society.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

• Austria is run by a federal republic government.
• The administrative divisions consist of 9 states namely: Bundeslaender, Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg andWien (Vienna).
• National Day is observed on 26 October (1955) commemorating the passage of the law on permanent neutrality.
• The Constitution was brought into effect in 1920, revised in 1929 and reinstated in 1945.
• Between 1 May 1934 and 1 May 1945, there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place.
• The legal system is a civil law system with Roman law origin.
• The judicial review of the legislative acts is done by the Constitutional Court.
• There are separate administrative and civil supreme courts.
• Austria has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
• The President is the chief of state.
• The Chancellor is the head of the government.
• The cabinet constitutes of a Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor. The president is elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term.
• The chancellor is formally appointed by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority.
• The vice chancellor is chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor. The legislative branch is represented by a bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consisting of Federal Council or Bundesrat the National Council or Nationalrat .
• The federal council has 62 seats and members are chosen by state parliaments.
• The national council has 183 seats and members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms. The Judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof and the Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof.

CULTURE:

• Art and music form an important part of Austrian culture.
• Vienna was once the European capital of classical music.
• Slavic and Hungarian folk music were introduced during the Baroque period.
• The Belvedere Palace is an example of Baroque architecture.
• Austria has also produced many renowned painters, architects and photographers.
• Austrian scientists have made notable contributions to the field of nuclear research and quantum mechanics.
• Philosophers and scholars like, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Popper, Gregor Mendel, Konrad Lorenz  and Kurt Gödel were Austrians.
• The Austrians were involved in medical and psychological research as early as the medieval ages.
• The country has also bred numerous poets, novelists, playwrights and writers.
• Famous contemporary playwrights and novelists are Nobel prize winner Elfriede Jelinek and writer Peter Handke.
• Austrian cuisine is a remnant of the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• The modern Austrian cuisine is a multi-cultural mix of Hungarian, Czech, Jewish, Italian and Bavarian styles and elements.
• Typical Austrian dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Kaiserschmarren, Knödel, Sachertorte and Tafelspitz.
• The candy PEZ was invented in Austria.
• Austria is also famous for its Apfelstrudel.
• Alpine skiing is the most popular sport in Austria.
• The most popular team sport is football.
• Other sports include snowboarding, ski-jumping, ice hockey and basketball.

ECONOMY:

• Austria has a flourishing market economy and a high standard of living.
• The country also has strong commercial ties with neighboring European nations in the banking and insurance sectors.
• The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector.
• Austria’s membership in the EU has prompted many nations to invest in its growing economy.
• The government has been making efforts through an economic reform program in order to attract foreign investors.
• The economical growth has considerably slowed down in 2008 because of the strong euro, high oil prices, and problems in international financial markets.
• GDP (purchasing power parity) as estimated in 2007 was $317.8 billion.
• 4.4% of the population is unemployed (2007 est.)
• 5.9% of the population is below poverty line (2007 est.)
• Agricultural produce includes grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry and lumber.
• The main industries are construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment and tourism.
• Exported commodities include machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles and foodstuffs.
• Imported commodities include machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products and foodstuffs.

INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Telephone and cellular services are highly developed and well-established.
• Mobile cellular subscription is fast gaining popularity over fixed landline.
• Internet services are readily available.
• There are a total of 68 radio broadcast channels.
• There are 10 main television broadcast channels.
• Austria has 55 airports out of which 25 have paved runways.
• The railway network spreads over 6,383 km.
• Roadways span over a network of 1333,910 km.
• The merchant marine comprises of a total of 7 ships.
• Major ports and terminals are located at Enns, Krems, Linz and Vienna.

EDUCATION:

• The Austrian states (Bundesländer) and the federal government share the responsibility for educational oversight.
• Kindergarten education is optional for children upto six years.
• Education is compulsory for children upto the age of fifteen.
• The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD is ranked among the best in the world.
• Primary education lasts for four years.
• Secondary education involved two different kind of schools- the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule.
• Students are admitted to these schools based upon their aptitudes and capabilities.
• A “Matura” is necessary for admission into any university.
• Medical education requires students to qualify an entrance examination.
• Vienna School of Medicine. Austria was home to psychologists Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Paul Watzlawick and Hans Asperger and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl.
• The Austrian School of Economics, has produced Austrian economists Joseph Schumpeter, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich Hayek.

NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

Austria is surrounded by the following nations:

• Germany and the Czech Republic (north)
• Slovakia and Hungary (east)
• Slovenia and Italy (south)
• Switzerland and Liechtenstein (west)

GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

• Austria is located in Central Europe.
• Its geographic coordinates are 47 20 N, 13 20 E.
• The total area of the country is 83,870 sq km.
• It is a landlocked country.
• Austria enjoys a temperate climate.
• Winters are cold with frequent showers and snow.
• Summers are moderate with occasional showers.
• The terrain is mostly mountainous in the west and the south.
• North and east are relatively flatter with gentle slopes.
• The highest peak is Grossglockner at 3,798 m.
• Natural resources include oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnetite, tungsten, graphite, salt and hydropower.
• 16.59% of the land is arable.
• Landslides and avalanches are a common occurrence.
• Danube is the major river.
• Population is concentrated on the eastern lowlands.

FREEDOM:

• Austria gained its independence from the USSR on May 15, 1955.

NOTABLE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY:

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)- poet and lyricist
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) - psychologist and philosopher
• Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973) - philosophy
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947- ) – Hollywood actor
• Daniel Swarovski - entrepreneur

COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

• Austria is a popular tourist destination because of its cathedrals, wine centers ( Heurigen) and Waltz music events.
• The Alps and the Danube valley are picturesque locales.
• Austria is also a hub for ski, hiking and mountaineering enthusiasts.
• The Ars Electronica Center in Linz has been awarded the Prix Ars Electronica, the worldwide highest-ranked prize for media art.

TOTAL POPULATION:

• According to a 2008 census, the total population was estimated to be 8,205,533.
• The Population growth rate is 0.064% (2008 est.)
• Birth rate: 8.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Death rate: 9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS

• Austria has participated at all Olympic Games except for 1920.
• Austria has hosted the Games twice in 1964 and 1976.
• Austria is the leading country in alpine skiing events.

The country’s Summer Olympic records are as follows: