Austria

Republic of Austria
Republik Österreich (German)
Anthem: "Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich"
"National Anthem of the Republic of Austria"
Location of Austria (dark green)

– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Vienna
48°12′N 16°21′E / 48.200°N 16.350°E / 48.200; 16.350
Official languagesGerman[a][b]
National languageAustrian German (Austrian)[c]
Official regional languages
Ethnic groups
(2023)[3]
Religion
(2021)[4]
  • 22.4% no religion
  • 8.3% Islam
  • 1.1% other
Demonym(s)Austrian
GovernmentFederal parliamentary republic[5]
• President
Alexander Van der Bellen
Karl Nehammer
LegislatureParliament
Federal Council
National Council
Formation
• Name
1 November 996
• Duchy
17 September 1156
• Empire
11 August 1804
30 March 1867
10 September 1919
1 May 1934
• Anschluss
13 March 1938
27 April 1945
27 July 1955
Area
• Total
83,879[6] km2 (32,386 sq mi) (113th)
• Water (%)
0.84 (2015)[7]
Population
• April 2022 estimate
Neutral increase 9,027,999[8] (97th)
• Density
107.6/km2 (278.7/sq mi) (106th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $667.153 billion[9] (43rd)
• Per capita
Increase $73,050[9] (14th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $535.804 billion[9] (33rd)
• Per capita
Increase $58,668[9] (17th)
Gini (2023)Negative increase 28.1[10]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.926[11]
very high (22nd)
CurrencyEuro () (EUR)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code+43
ISO 3166 codeAT
Internet TLD.at

Austria,[d] formally the Republic of Austria,[e] is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps.[13] It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state. Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The landlocked country occupies an area of 83,879 km2 (32,386 sq mi) and has a population of around 9 million.[14]

The area of today's Austria has been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic period. Around 400 BC, it was inhabited by the Celts and then annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC. Christianization in the region began in the 4th and 5th centuries, during the late Roman period, followed by the arrival of numerous Germanic tribes during the Migration Period.[15] Austria, as a unified state, emerged from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March at the end of the first millennium, first as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, it then developed into a duchy in 1156, and was made an Archduchy in 1453. Being the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy since the late 13th century, Austria was a major imperial power in Central Europe for centuries and from the 16th century, Vienna was also serving as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital.[16] Before the dissolution of the empire two years later, in 1804, Austria established its own empire, which became a great power and one of the largest states in Europe. The empire's defeat in wars and the loss of territories in the 1860s paved the way for the establishment of Austria-Hungary in 1867.[17]

After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia, which ultimately escalated into World War I. The empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. During the interwar period, anti-parliamentarian sentiments culminated in the formation of an Austrofascist dictatorship under Engelbert Dollfuss in 1934. A year before the outbreak of World War II, Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany by Adolf Hitler, and it became a sub-national division. After its liberation in 1945 and a decade of Allied occupation, the country regained its sovereignty and declared its perpetual neutrality in 1955.

Austria is a federal parliamentary republic[18][19] and representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. Austria has the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita with high standards of living. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955[20] and of the European Union since 1995.[21] It hosts the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Interpol.[22] It also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995,[23] and adopted the euro currency in 1999.[24]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference demokratiewebstatt.at was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Regional Languages of Austria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Population in private households by foreign background". www.statistik.at.
  4. ^ "Religionsbekenntnis – STATISTIK AUSTRIA – die Informationsmanager". Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Austria – EU country profile | European Union". european-union.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 October 2024. Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state.
  6. ^ "Austria EN" (PDF). Migrants Refugees. The Vatican. April 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Population by Year-/Quarter-beginning". 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Austria)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. p. 288. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ Roach, Peter (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-15253-2
  13. ^ "Austria". UNGEGN World Geographical Names. New York, NY: United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  14. ^ Hanes, D.M. (1 September 1994). Studies of granular flow down an inclined chute. Quarterly technical progress report: Year four, Quarter two, 13 March—12 June 1994 (Report). US Department of Energy. doi:10.2172/10182964.
  15. ^ "Austria's History". austria.info. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Austria country profile". BBC News. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Österreich-Ungarn". www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  18. ^ "The Government | Parliament Austria". www.parlament.gv.at. Retrieved 24 October 2024. The parliamentary system of government has resulted in a new form of division of power between Parliament and the Government.
  19. ^ "Austria – EU country profile | European Union". european-union.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 October 2024. Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state.
  20. ^ Jelavich 267
  21. ^ "Austria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  22. ^ "Austria About". OECD. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  23. ^ "Austria joins Schengen". Migration News. May 1995. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  24. ^ "Austria and the euro". European Commission – European Commission. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.