EVENTS
WORLD FASHION AWARDS
Location: Europe
Status: UN Country
Capital: Vienna
Main Cities: Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck
Population: 8,185,000
Area: (sq.Km) 83,858
Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents
Language: German
Geography ::AUSTRIA
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
47 20 N, 13 20 E
Area:
total: 83,871 sq km
country comparison to the world: 113
land: 82,445 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km
slightly smaller than Maine
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
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
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
arable land: 16.59%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 82.56% (2005)
40 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
84 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%)
per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
People ::AUSTRIA
8,214,160 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 599,735/female 571,690)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 2,789,503/female 2,762,789)
65 years and over: 18.1% (male 620,782/female 869,661) (2010 est.)
total: 42.6 years
male: 41.5 years
female: 43.6 years (2010 est.)
0.042% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
8.65 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
10.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
urban population: 67% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
at birth: 1.051 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
total: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 200
male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
total population: 79.65 years
country comparison to the world: 28
male: 76.74 years
female: 82.71 years (2010 est.)
1.39 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
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)
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
5.4% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 51
Government ::AUSTRIA
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
federal republic
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, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
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
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 Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008)
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 (eligible for a second term); 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 79.3%, Barbara ROSENKRANZ 15.2%, Rudolf GEHRING 5.4%
note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held on 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Josef BUCHER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Josef PROELL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]; The Greens [Eva GLAWISCHNIG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action
other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Christian PROSL
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William C. EACHO III
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
Economy ::AUSTRIA
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Following several years of solid foreign demand for Austrian exports and record employment growth, the international financial crisis and global economic downturn in 2008 led to a recession that persisted until the third quarter of 2009. Austrian GDP contracted 3.5% in 2009 but it will probably see positive growth of nearly 2% in 2010. Unemployment has not risen as steeply in Austria as elsewhere in Europe, partly because its government has subsidized reduced working hour schemes to allow companies to retain employees. Such stabilization measures, stimulus initiatives, and the government's income tax reforms pushed the budget deficit to about 4% of GDP in 2009, from only about 1.3% in 2008. The Austrian economy has benefited greatly in the past from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, but these sectors have been vulnerable to recent international financial instabilities. Some of Austria's largest banks have required government support - including in some instances, nationalization - to prevent insolvency and possible regional contagion. In the medium-term all large Austrian banks will need additional capital. Even after the global economic outlook improves, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation to offset growing unemployment and Austria's aging population and exceedingly low fertility rate.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$323.1 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
$335.1 billion (2008 est.)
$328.5 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
$378.8 billion (2009 est.)
-3.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
2% (2008 est.)
3.5% (2007 est.)
$39,400 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
$40,800 (2008 est.)
$40,100 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 32.3%
services: 65.8% (2009 est.)
3.68 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 27.5%
services: 67% (2005 est.)
4.7% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
3.9% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:
6% (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 22% (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
26 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 127
31 (1995)
21.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
revenues: $181.2 billion
expenditures: $194.4 billion (2009 est.)
66.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
62.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
3.2% (2008 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.82% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 134
6.3% (31 December 2007)
$606.2 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 19
$504.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$104.8 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 50
$76.19 billion (31 December 2008)
$228.7 billion (31 December 2007)
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
Industrial production growth rate:
-16.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
66.78 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
68.37 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
14.93 billion kWh (2008 est.)
19.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)
19,360 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 76
244,900 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 49
50,160 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 78
263,200 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
96 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
1.532 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 60
8.39 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 50
2.788 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
9.78 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
Natural gas - proved reserves:
27.9 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
$7 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
$13.2 billion (2008)
$129 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
$172.2 billion (2008)
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs
Germany 28.9%, Italy 8.4%, US 4.2%, Switzerland 4.1% (2008)
$136 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
$175.1 billion (2008)
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Germany 43.6%, Italy 6.9%, Switzerland 5.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$17.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
$17.6 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$808.9 billion (30 September 2009)
country comparison to the world: 13
$864.2 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$167.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
$172.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$171.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
$179.6 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005)
Communications ::AUSTRIA
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.285 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47
10.816 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 58
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)
FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2009)
Television broadcast stations:
9 (2010)
.at
2.992 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 26
5.937 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 39
Transportation ::AUSTRIA
55 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 84
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 14 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 26 (2009)
1 (2009)
gas 2,721 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2009)
total: 6,399 km
country comparison to the world: 29
standard gauge: 5,927 km 1.435-m gauge (3,688 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 384 km 1.000-m gauge (15 km electrified); 88 km 0.760-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)
total: 107,262 km
country comparison to the world: 39
paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)
358 km (2007)
country comparison to the world: 90
total: 4
country comparison to the world: 134
by type: cargo 2, container 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2) (2008)
Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
Military ::AUSTRIA
Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
Military service age and obligation:
18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 6 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation; conscripts cannot be deployed in military operations outside Austria (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,960,781
females age 16-49: 1,926,134 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,595,379
females age 16-49: 1,566,884 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 49,455
female: 47,046 (2010 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 148
Transnational Issues ::AUSTRIA
while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closed its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs
Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html
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Austria
WFW NYC 2012
Official Representative
Introduction: AUSTRIA
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 and Monetary Union in 1999. In January 2009, Austria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
AUSTRIA
FIJI
