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Geography
Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: total: 83,858 sq km
water: 1,120 sq km
land: 82,738 sq km
Area: comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land
boundaries: total: 2,562 km
border countries: 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
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain
in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional
showers
Terrain: in the west and south mostly mountains
(Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently
sloping
Elevation
extremes:
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural
resources:
iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 82% (1998 est.)
Irrigated
land:
457 sq km (2000 est.)
Natural
hazards:
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
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
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - 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.
Government
Country
name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local short form: Oesterreich
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
Government
type: federal republic
Capital: Vienna
Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten,
Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol,
Vorarlberg, Wien
Independence:
1156 (from Bavaria)
National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty
restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and the
passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system:
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections
Executive
branch
chief
of state: President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4
February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since
4 February 2000)
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 19 April 1998 (next to be
held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by
the president from the plurality party in the National Council;
in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen
from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government;
vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of
vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%,
Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%
Legislative
branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent each of the
states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected
by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party -
SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party
- SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14
elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to
be held in the fall of 2003)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court
or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders:
Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party
of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party
of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or
GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation (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
International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP,
UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter MOSER
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0
FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red
Economy
Economy - overview:
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard
of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's.
Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted
by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity
to EU aspirant economies. Slowing growth in Germany and elsewhere
in the world slowed the economy to only 1.2% growth in 2001; the
economy is expected to do little better in 2002. To meet increased
competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria
will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy, continue
to deregulate the service sector, and lower its tax burden.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $220 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 29%
services: 69% (2001)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.4%
highest 10%: 19.3% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
23.1 (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.6% (2001)
Labor force:
4.3 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
services 67%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry
4% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.8% (2001)
Budget:
revenues: $53 billion
expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)
Industries:
construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber
and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment,
tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
3.8% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
60.285 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 28.46%
hydro: 68.64%
other: 2.9% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
54.764 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports:
15.11 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports:
13.809 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle,
pigs, poultry; lumber
Exports:
$70 billion (f.o.b., 2001) (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard,
metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
EU 63% (Germany 35%, Italy 9%, France 5%), Switzerland 5%, US 5%,
Hungary 4% (2000)
Imports:
$73 billion (c.i.f., 2001)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods,
oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
EU 68% (Germany 42%, Italy 7%, France 5%), US 6%, Switzerland 3%,
Hungary 2% (2000)
Debt - external:
$12.1 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $410 million (2000)
Currency:
euro (EUR); Austrian schilling (ATS)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced
the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions
of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code:
EUR; ATS
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86
(January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
(figures
reproduced from The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
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