Austria
Location: Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Area: 83,857 sq. km. (32,377 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Maine.
Terrain: in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
Cities: Capital--Vienna (1998 pop. 1.6 million). Other cities--Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt.
Climate: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers
Population: 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.)
Ethnic groups: Germans 98%, Croats, Slovenes; other recognized minorities include Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Roma.
Language: German 92%.
Work force (1999, 3.7 million): Services--67.2%; agriculture and forestry--0.8%.
As a member of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), Austria's economy is closely integrated with other EU member countries, especially with Germany.
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001)
Economy:
Austria has a well-developed social market economy with a high standard of living in which the government has played an important role. In the early 1990s, the group was broken apart, state-owned firms started to operate largely as private businesses, and a great number of these firms were wholly or partially privatized. The new government has presented an ambitious privatization program, which will considerably reduce government participation in the economy. Austria enjoys well-developed industry, banking, transportation, services, and commercial facilities.
Austria traditionally has been active in "bridge-building to the east," increasing contacts at all levels with eastern Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union. Austrians maintain a constant exchange of business representatives, political leaders, students, cultural groups, and tourists with the countries of central and eastern Europe. Austrian companies are active in investing and trading with the countries of central and eastern Europe.
Embassy Location:
The U.S. Embassy in Austria is located at Boltzmanngasse 16, Vienna 1091
tel. (43) (1) 313-39 (After office hours: (43) (1) 319-5523).
The U.S. Consular Agency in Salzburg is located at Alte Markt 1, 5020 Salzburg
tel. (43) (662) 848-776.
Maps courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps
used with permission.
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