Austria




COUNTRY INFORMATION


Official name

Republic of Austria


Capital

Vienna


Coordinates

47°20’ N, 13°20’ E


Location

Austria is situated in Central Europe and shares borders with Germany and Czech Republic on the north, Slovakia and Hungary on the east, Slovenia and Italy on the south, and Switzerland on the west.


Area

Total area: 83 870 sq km
Land area: 82 444 sq km
Water area: 1 426 sq km


Land boundaries

2 562 km


Coastline

0 km


Administrative division

Austria is divided into 9 states (Bundesländer).


Political system

Austria is a federal republic. President is the chief of state and is elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term. Chancellor, the head of government, is appointed by the president. The parliament – Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) – is bicameral and consists of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) with 62 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat) with 183 seats.


Population

8 205 533


Ethnic groups

Austrians 91%, Yugoslavs 4%, Turks 2%, German 1%, other 2%


Religions

Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 5%, Muslim 4%, other 17%