Austria

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

• landslides;
• avalanches;
• earthquakes

• 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:

16.4% (male 686,205; female 652,840)

15-64 years:

68.2% (male 2,814,866; female 2,756,777)

65 years and over:

15.4% (male 484,313; female 774,928) (2002 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:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

total population:

78 years

female:

81.31 years (2002 est.)

male:

74.85 years

noun:

Austrian(s)

adjective:

Austrian

conventional long form:

Republic of Austria

conventional short form:

Austria

local short form:

Oesterreich

local long form:

Republik Oesterreich

• civil law system with Roman law origin;
• judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court;
• separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts;
• accepts 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 Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Herbert HAUPT (since 28 February 2003)

cabinet:

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

elections:

• president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term;
• presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004);
• chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council;
• in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government;
• vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

election results:

Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%

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

• Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL];
• Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER];
• Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER];
• The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]

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

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

chief of mission:

Ambassador Peter MOSER

chancery:

3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

FAX:

[1] (202) 895-6750

telephone:

[1] (202) 895-6700

chief of mission:

Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[43] (1) 31339-0

FAX:

[43] (1) 3100682

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

23% (1995)

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

• euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999);
• Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997)

general assessment:

highly developed and efficient

domestic:

• there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons;
• the fiber optic net is very extensive;
• all telephone applications and Internet services are available

international:

• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat;
• in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)

total:

6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified)

standard gauge:

5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

33.9 km 1.000-m gauge (28.1 km electrified); 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2001 est.)

total:

133,361 km

paved:

133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)

unpaved:

0 km (1998)

total:

10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 46,563 GRT/59,278 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 1, cargo 6, combination bulk 1, container 2 (2002 est.)