Austria

• temperate;
• continental, cloudy;
• cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains;
• cool summers with occasional showers

• 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

• 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

0-14 years:

17% (male 717,989; female 681,897)

15-64 years:

68% (male 2,777,525; female 2,703,296) 65 years and over : 15% (male 464,802; female 786,996) (July 1997 est.)

at birth :

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.59 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

total population:

77.15 years

male :

73.96 years

female:

80.51 years (1997 est.)

noun:

Austrian(s)

adjective:

Austrian

conventional long form :

Republic of Austria

conventional short form:

Austria

local long form:

Republik Oesterreich

local short form:

Oesterreich

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

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• compulsory for presidential elections

chief of state:

President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)

head of government:

Chancellor Viktor KLIMA (since 28 January 1997); Vice Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (since 22 April 1995)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

elections :

• president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
• presidential election last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held NA 1998);
• chancellor chosen by the president from the majority party in the National Council;
• vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

election results:

Thomas KLESTIL elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Thomas KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%

• Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof;
• Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof;
• Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof

• Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Viktor KLIMA, chairman];
• Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL, chairman];
• Freedom Movement or FPOe (formerly the Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Joerg HAIDER, chairman]; Communist Party or KPOe [Walter SILBERMAYER, chairman]; The Greens [Madeleine PETROVIC]; Liberal Forum or LF [Heide SCHMIDT]

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

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 (observer), NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

chief of mission:

Ambassador Helmut TUERK

chancery :

3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone:

[1] (202) 895-6700

chief of mission:

Ambassador Swanee G. HUNT

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone :

[43] (1) 313-39

• grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets;
• cattle, pigs, poultry;
• sawn wood

total value:

$55.5 billion (1996 est.)

commodities:

machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles, paper products, chemicals

partners:

EU 64.8% (Germany 38.1%, Italy 8.1%), Eastern Europe 11.8%, Japan 1.6%, US 3.5% (1994)

total value :

$65.8 billion (1996 est.)

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%, US 4.4% (1994)

domestic:

highly developed and efficient

international :

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat

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)

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