Austria

• temperate;
• continental, cloudy;
• cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains;
• moderate 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:

15.9% (male 665,680; female 633,560)

15-64 years:

68.1% (male 2,799,411; female 2,764,426)

65 years and over:

16% (male 518,748; female 792,937) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.65 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Austrian(s)

adjective:

Austrian

definition:

age 15 and over can read and write

total population:

98%

male:

NA

female:

NA

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;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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

chief of state:

President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)

head of government:

Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 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 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA April 2010);
• chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council;
• vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

election results:

Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%

note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

• 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 [Ursula HAUBNER];
• Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER];
• The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]

• Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but 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 and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY

chancery:

3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone:

[1] (202) 895-6700

FAX:

[1] (202) 895-6750

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[43] (1) 31339-0, 31375, 31335

FAX:

[43] (1) 3100682

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

22.5% (1995)

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

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:

• country code - 43;
• 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:

6,021 km (3,552 km electrified)

standard gauge:

5,565 km 1.435-m gauge (3,430 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 422 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2003)

total:

200,000 km

paved:

200,000 km (including 1,633 km of expressways)

unpaved:

0 km (2000)

total:

6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,624 GRT/37,425 DWT

by type:

cargo 4, container 2

foreign-owned:

Netherlands 1

registered in other countries:

34 (2004 est.)

• 18 years of age for compulsory military service;
• 16 years of age for voluntary service;
• from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from 8 months to 6 (June 2004)