Austria

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

total:

3.66 cu km/yr (18%/79%/3%)

per capita:

452.4 cu m/yr (2008)

• 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

noun:

Austrian(s)

adjective:

Austrian

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.73 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

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

name:

Vienna

geographic coordinates:

48 12 N, 16 22 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland);
• Burgenland, Karnten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

• 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed);
• notable earlier dates: 976 (Margravate of Austria established);
• 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded);
• 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed)

• several previous;
• latest adopted 1 October 1920, revised 1929, replaced May 1934 (authoritarian-corporate constitution), replaced by German Weimar constitution in 1938 following German annexation;
• latest reinstated 1 May 1945 (1920 constitution with 1929 revisions);
• amended many times, last in 2008 (2013)

• 16 years of age;
• universal;
• note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007

chief of state:

President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004)

head of government:

Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Michael SPINDELEGGER (OeVP) (since 21 April 2011)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected for a six-year term (eligible for a second term) by direct popular vote and formally sworn into office before the Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung;
• presidential election last held on 25 April 2010 (next to be held on 25 April 2016);
• chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority;
• vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

election results:

Heinz FISCHER reelected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 79.33%, Barbara ROSENKRANZ 15.24%, Rudolf GEHRING 5.43%

note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Justice or Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 85 judges organized into 17 senates or panels of five judges each);
• Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof (consists of 20 judges including 6 substitutes; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 2 judges plus other members depending on the importance of the case)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by executive branch departments and appointed by the president;
• judges serve for life;
• Constitutional Court judges nominated by several executive branch departments and approved by the president;
• judges serve for life;
• Administrative Court judges recommended by executive branch departments and appointed by the president;
• terms of judges and members determined by the president

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal (4);
• Regional Courts (20);
• district courts (120);
• county courts

• Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Josef BUCHER]
• Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Michael SPINDELEGGER]
• Communist Party of Austria or KPOe [Mirko MESSNER]
• Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]
• The Greens [Eva GLAWISCHNIG]
• NEOS - The New Austria [Matthias STROLZ]
• Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]
• "Team Stronach for Austria" [Frank STRONACH]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Hans Peter MANZ (since 2 December 2011)

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, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Alexa L. WESNER (since 6 September 2013)

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[43] (1) 31339-0

FAX:

[43] (1) 3100682

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red;
• the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world;
• according to tradition, in 1191, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered;
• upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed;
• the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner

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

agriculture:

5.5%

industry:

26%

services:

68.5% (2010)

lowest 10%:

4%

highest 10%:

22% (2011)

general assessment:

highly developed and efficient

domestic:

• fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s;
• the fiber-optic net is very extensive;
• all telephone applications and Internet services are available

international:

• country code - 43;
• satellite earth stations - 15;
• in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)

• Austria's public broadcaster, Osterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), was the main broadcast source until commercial radio and TV service was introduced in the 1990s;
• cable and satellite TV are available, including German TV stations (2008)

total:

6,399 km

country comparison to the world: 29

standard gauge:

5,927 km 1.435-m gauge (3,853 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

384 km 1.000-m gauge (15 km electrified); 88 km 0.760-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)

total:

124,508 km

country comparison to the world: 39

paved:

124,508 km (includes 1,719 km of expressways) (2012)

• registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service;
• 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory service;
• males under the age of 35 must complete basic military training (6 month duration);
• males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service (2012)

males age 16-49:

1,941,110

females age 16-49:

1,910,434 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,579,862

females age 16-49:

1,554,130 (2010 est.)

male:

48,108

female:

45,752 (2010 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

19,517 (Russia); 10,158 (Afghanistan) (2012)

stateless persons:

542 (2012)

• transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe;
• increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs