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 709,890; female 673,696)

15-64 years:

68% (male 2,783,569; female 2,707,113)

65 years and over:

15% (male 471,924; female 787,419) (July 1998 est.)

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:

0.59 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

total population:

77.31 years

male:

74.13 years

female:

80.67 years (1998 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 19 April 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 Party of Austria or FPOe [Joerg HAIDER, chairman];
• Communist Party or KPOe [Walter BEIER, chairman];
• The Greens or GA [Madeleine PETROVIC, parliamentary caucus floor leader and Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, party spokesman];
• 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, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, 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, MINUGUA, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, 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 Kathryn Walt HALL

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[43] (1) 313-39

total:

3.646 million (1996)

by occupation:

services 66.1%, industry and crafts 29.6%, agriculture and forestry 1.3% (salaried employees, 1996)

note: an estimated 150,000 Austrians are employed abroad; foreign laborers in Austria number 298,000 (1996)

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

total value:

$57.8 billion (1996)

commodities:

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

partners:

EU 64.7% (Germany 37.7%, Italy 8.5%), Eastern Europe 14.9%, Japan 1.5%, US 3.1% (1996)

total value:

$67.3 billion (1996)

commodities:

petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals

partners:

EU 70.7% (Germany 42.8%, Italy 8.7%), Eastern Europe 10%, Japan 2.4%, US 4.5% (1996)

domestic:

highly developed and efficient

international:

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

total:

5,636 km

standard gauge:

5,294 km 1.435-m gauge (3,263 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

342 km 1.000-m and 0.760-m gauge (84 km electrified) (1996)