]! ^! Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic Monetary Union in 1999. 
]" ^" Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia ^# 47 20 N, 13 20 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 83,870 sq km `" 82,444 sq km `# 1,426 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Maine ^' `! 2,562 km `Y Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers ^+ in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping ^, `% Neusiedler See 115 m `& Grossglockner 3,798 m ^- oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower ^. `' 16.59% `( 0.85% `) 82.56% (2005) ^/ 40 sq km (2003) ^0 landslides; avalanches; earthquakes ^1 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 _P `P Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 8,199,783 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 15.1% (male 633,375/female 603,459) `, 67.5% (male 2,781,291/female 2,749,539) `- 17.5% (male 585,747/female 846,372) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 41.3 years `. 40.2 years `/ 42.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 0.077% (2007 est.) ^7 8.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.05 male(s)/female `, 1.012 male(s)/female `- 0.692 male(s)/female `2 0.953 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births `. 5.56 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 3.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 79.21 years `. 76.32 years `/ 82.26 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.37 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.3% (2003 est.) ^? 10,000 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 100 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Austrian(s) `4 Austrian ^B Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census) ^C Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census) ^D German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 98% `. NA `/ NA 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Austria `7 Austria `Z Republik Oesterreich `[ Oesterreich ^H federal republic ^I `8 Vienna `9 48 12 N, 16 22 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna) ^K 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) ^L National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality ^M 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945 ^N 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 ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) `< Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe) (since 11 January 2007); Vice Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERER (OeVP) (since 11 January 2007) `= Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor `> president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); 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 `? Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% `* government coalition - SPOe and OeVP ^Q bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next scheduled for the fall of 2010) `? National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%, other 4.2%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7 ^R Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof ^S Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Peter WESENTHALER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] ^T Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; 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 ^U ACCT (observer), 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, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY `S 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 `T [1] (202) 895-6700 `U [1] (202) 895-6750 `V Chicago, Los Angeles, New York ^W `R Ambassador Susan R. McCAW `_ Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna `` use embassy street address `T [43] (1) 31339-0 `U [43] (1) 3100682 ^X three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red 
]% ^Y Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms; however, lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in 2006. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe held the economy to growth rates below 3% in 2002-05. Due to higher growth across Europe, Austria grew 3.3 percent in 2006. To meet increased competition - especially from new EU members and Central European countries - Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population. ^Z $279.5 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $309.3 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 3.3% (2006 est.) ^] $35,500 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 1.8% `A 30.4% `B 67.8% (2005) ^_ 3.88 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 3% `A 27% `B 70% (2005 est.) ^a 4.9% (2006 est.) _! 5.9% (2004) _" `C 3.3% `D 22.5% (2004) _d 31 (2002) _# 1.6% (2006 est.) _V 21% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $155.9 billion `F $161.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 63% of GDP (2006 est.) _& grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber _' construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism _( 5.7% (2006 est.) _) 64.9 billion kWh (2005 est.) _* 65.2 billion kWh (2005 est.) _+ 17.73 billion kWh (2005 est.) _, 20.4 billion kWh (2005 est.) _- 25,360 bbl/day (2004) _. 282,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ 30,140 bbl/day (2004) _0 157,500 bbl/day (2005) _W 80.66 million bbl (2005) _1 1.637 billion cu m (2005) _2 9 billion cu m (2005) _X 1.324 billion cu m (2004) _Y 9.18 billion cu m (2005) _Z 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $5.913 billion (2006 est.) _3 $133.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs _5 Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2% (2005) _6 $134.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs _8 Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005) _[ $12.72 billion (November 2006 est.) _9 $594.3 billion (October 2006 est.) _\ ODA, $681 million (2004) _; euro (EUR) `* on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries _< euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 3.705 million (2005) _? 8.16 million (2005) _@ `G highly developed and efficient `H there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available `I country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2005) _A AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) _B 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) _C .at _D 2.062 million (2006) _E 4.65 million (2005) 
]' _F 55 (2006) _G `! 25 `a 1 `J 5 `b 1 `c 3 `W 15 (2006) _R `! 30 `b 1 `c 3 `W 26 (2006) _] 1 (2006) _^ gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006) _e `! 6,011 km `m 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified) `n 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km electrified) (2005) _H `! 133,718 km `K 133,718 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2003) _b 358 km (2003) _S `! 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT by type: cargo 6, container 2 `X 2 (Netherlands 2) `d 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006) _I Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna 
]( _J Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) _T 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 (2005) _K males age 18-49: 1,914,800 females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,550,441 females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 48,967 females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.) _U 0.9% (2005 est.) 
]) _N in 2006, Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in a parliamentary motion threatening international legal action _O transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs 