Austria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of Austria Republik Österreich  (German)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich" "National Anthem of the Republic of Austria"
Show globe Show map of Europe Location of  Austria  (dark green) – on the European continent  (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 languages	German
National language	Austrian German (Austrian)
Official regional languages	Hungarian Slovene Burgenland Croatian
Ethnic groups (2023)	72.8% Austrians 27.2% other
Religion (2021)	68.2% Christianity 55.2% Catholicism 4.9% Orthodoxy 3.8% Protestantism 4.3% other Christian 22.4% no religion 8.3% Islam 1.1% other
Demonym(s)	Austrian
Government	Federal semi-presidential republic
• President	Alexander Van der Bellen
• Chancellor	Karl Nehammer
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Federal Council
• Lower house	National Council
Formation
• Name	1 November 996
• Duchy	17 September 1156
• Empire	11 August 1804
• Austria-Hungary	30 March 1867
• First Republic	10 September 1919
• Federal State	1 May 1934
• Anschluss	13 March 1938
• Second Republic	27 April 1945
• State Treaty	27 July 1955
Area
• Total	83,879 km2 (32,386 sq mi) (113th)
• Water (%)	0.84 (2015)
Population
• April 2022 estimate	9,027,999 (97th)
• Density	107.6/km2 (278.7/sq mi) (106th)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$634.362 billion (43rd)
• Per capita	$69,460 (14th)
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$540.887 billion (33rd)
• Per capita	$59,225 (17th)
Gini (2023)	▲ 28.1 low
HDI (2022)	0.926 very high · 22nd
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	+43
ISO 3166 code	AT
Internet TLD	.at

Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. 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.

The people in Austria speak German, a few also Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian. The capital of Austria is Vienna (Wien).

Austria is more than a thousand years old. Its history can be followed to the ninth century. At that time the first people moved to the land now known as Austria. The name "Ostarrichi" is first written in an official document from 996. Since then this word has developed into the Modern German word Österreich, which literally means "East Kingdom."

Austria is a neutral state, that means it does not take part in wars with other countries. Austria has been in the United Nations since 1955 and in the European Union since 1995.

History

Ancient times

There has been human settlement in the area that is now Austria for a long time. The first settlers go back to the Paleolithic age. That was the time of the Neanderthals. They left works of art such as the Venus of Willendorf. In the Neolithic age people were living there to dig for mineral resources, especially copper. Ötzi, a mummy found in a glacier between Austria and Italy, is from that time. In the Bronze Age people built bigger settlements and fortresses, especially where there were mineral resources. Salt mining began near Hallstatt. At that time, Celts began to form the first states.

The Romans

Map

The Roman cities and their modern names

The Romans came 15 B.C. to Austria and made the Celtic Regnum Noricum to a province. Modern Austria was part of three provinces, Raetia, Noricum and Pannonia. The border in the north was the Danube.

Shown on the map

• Vindobona-Vienna
• Carnuntum- Petronell and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg
• Savaria- Szombathely (Hungary)
• Favianis- Mautern an der Donau
• Lauriacum- Lorch near Enns
• Boiotro- Passau (Germany)
• Iuvavum- Salzburg
• Sabiona- Säben bei Klausen (Italy)
• Aguntum- close to Lienz
• Teurnia- close to Spital an der Drau
• Virunum - Zollfeld in Carinthia
• Brigantium- Bregenz

Others

• Lentia- Linz
• Ovilava- Wels
• Veldidena- Wilten (now part of Innsbruck)
• Flavia Solva- near Leibniz

Modern times

Austria was the Austrian Empire from about 800 to 1918 and was ruled by The House of Habsburg for most of that period. Then it became a republic. The First Republic was from 1918 to 1938. From 1938 to 1945 Austria was part of Germany. The Second Republic was started in 1945.

Geography

Austria is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps. The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria (84,000 km² or 32,433 sq mi), only about a quarter can be considered low lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft). The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into low lands and plains in the eastern part of the country.

Austria lies between latitudes 46° and 49° N, and longitudes 9° and 18° E.

It can be divided into five areas, the biggest being the Eastern Alps, which constitute 62% of the nation's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the Carpathians account for around 12% and the foothills in the east and areas surrounding the periphery of the Pannoni low country amount to about 12% of the total landmass. The second greater mountain area (much lower than the Alps) is situated in the north. Known as the Austrian granite plateau, it is located in the central area of the Bohemian Mass and accounts for 10% of Austria. The Austrian portion of the Vienna basin comprises the remaining 4%.

A topographic map of Austria showing cities with over 100,000 inhabitants.

The six highest mountains in Austria are:

Phytogeographically, Austria belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Austria can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the Central European mixed forests, Pannonian mixed forests, Alps conifer and mixed forests and Western European broadleaf forests.

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  View of Hallstatt

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  View of Krems at the end of Wachau valley

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  Austrian rural area of Schoppernau in summer

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  View of the Großglockner from Heiligenblut

Climate

The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate climate zone, where humid westerly winds predominate. With nearly three-quarters of the country dominated by the Alps, the alpine climate is predominant. In the east—in the Pannonian Plain and along the Danube valley—the climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas. Although Austria is cold in the winter (−10 to 0 °C), summer temperatures can be relatively high, with average temperatures in the mid-20s and a highest temperature of 40.5 °C (105 °F) in August 2013.

Demographics

Children in Austria, near Au, Vorarlberg

Austria's population was estimated to be 8.72 million in April 2016 by the Statistik Austria. The population of the capital, Vienna, exceeds 1.8 million (2.6 million, including the suburbs), representing about a quarter of the country's population. It is known for its cultural offerings and high standard of living.

Vienna is by far the country's largest city. Graz is second in size, with 265,778 inhabitants, followed by Linz (191,501), Salzburg (145,871), and Innsbruck (122,458). All other cities have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.

According to Eurostat, in 2010 there were 1.27 million foreign-born residents in Austria, corresponding to 15.2% of the total population. Of these, 764,000 (9.1%) were born outside the EU and 512,000 (6.1%) were born in another EU Member State.

185,592 Turks (including a minority of Turkish Kurds) make up the second biggest single ethnic minority in Austria after Germans (2.5%), representing 2.2% of the total population. 13,000 Turks were naturalised in 2003 and an unknown number have arrived in Austria at the same time. While 2,000 Turks left Austria in the same year, 10,000 immigrated to the country, confirming a strong trend of growth. Together, Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks and Slovenes make up about 5.1% of Austria's total population.

Culture

Music and Arts

Many famous composers were Austrians or born in Austria. There are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Anton Bruckner, Johann Strauss, Sr., Johann Strauss, Jr. and Gustav Mahler. In modern times there were Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg, who belonged to the Second Viennese School.

Austria has many artists, there are Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele or Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Inge Morath or Otto Wagner and scienc.

Food

Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian cuisine is mainly the tradition of Royal-Cuisine ("Hofküche") delivered over centuries. It is famous for its well-balanced variations of beef and pork and countless variations of vegetables. There is also the "Mehlspeisen" Bakery, which created particular delicacies such as Sachertorte, "Krapfen" which are doughnuts usually filled with apricot jam or custard, and "Strudel" such as "Apfelstrudel" filled with apple, "Topfenstrudel" filled with a type of cheese curd called "topfen", and "Millirahmstrudel" (milk-cream strudel).

In addition to native regional traditions, the cuisine has been influenced by Hungarian, Bohemia Czech, Jewish, Italian, Balkan and French cuisine, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed. The Austrian cuisine is therefore one of the most multicultural and transcultural in Europe.

Wiener Schnitzel

Typical Austrian dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Kaiserschmarren, Knödel, Sachertorte and Tafelspitz. There are also Kärntner Kasnudeln, which are pockets of dough filled with Topfen, potatoes, herbs and peppermint which are boiled and served with a butter sauce. Kasnudeln are traditionally served with a salad. Eierschwammerl dishes are also popular. The sugar block dispenser Pez was invented in Austria, as well as Mannerschnitten. Austria is also famous for its Mozartkugeln and its coffee tradition.

Beer is sold in 0.2 litre (a Pfiff), 0.3 litre (a Seidel, kleines Bier or Glas Bier) and 0.5 litre (a Krügerl or großes Bier or Halbe) measures. At festivals one litre Maß and two litre Doppelmaß in the Bavarian style are also dispensed. The most popular types of beer are lager (known as Märzen in Austria), naturally cloudy Zwicklbier and wheat beer. At holidays like Christmas and Easter bock beer is also available.

The most important wine-producing areas are in Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Vienna. The Grüner Veltliner grape provides some of Austria's most notable white wines and Zweigelt is the most widely planted red wine grape.

In Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Styria and Carinthia, Most, a type of cider or perry is widely produced.

Schnapps of typically up to 60% alcohol or fruit brandy is drunk, which in Austria is made from a variety of fruits, for example apricots and rowanberries. The produce of small private schnapps distilleries, of which there are around 20,000 in Austria, is known as Selbstgebrannter or Hausbrand.

Local soft drinks such as Almdudler are very popular around the country as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. Another popular drink is the so-called "Spetzi", a mix between Coca-Cola and the original formula of Orange Fanta or the more locally renowned Frucade. Red Bull, the highest-selling energy drink in the world, was invented in Austria.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Austria

1. Historic Centre of Salzburg — 1996
2. Schönbrunn Palace — 1996
3. Hallstatt–Dachstein Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape — 1997
4. Semmering Railway — 1998
5. Historic Centre of Graz and Schloss Eggenberg — 1999 (extended in 2010)
6. Wachau Cultural Landscape — 2000
7. Historic Centre of Vienna — 2001
8. Lake Neusiedl — 2001

Gallery

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  Hallstatt

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  Salzburg

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  Schönbrunn palace

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  Semmering railway

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  Graz

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  Schloss Eggenberg

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  Wachau

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  Vienna

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  Neusiedler See

Related pages

• List of rivers of Austria

Images for kids

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  The Battle of Vienna in 1683 broke the advance of the Ottoman Empire into Europe.

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  The Congress of Vienna met in 1814–15. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.

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  German-speaking provinces claimed by German-Austria in 1918: The border of the subsequent Second Republic of Austria is outlined in red.

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  Adolf Hitler speaking at Heldenplatz, Vienna, 1938

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  Austria in 1941 when it was known as the "Ostmark"

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  The liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp, 1945

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  The United Nations Office in Vienna is one of the four major UN office sites worldwide.

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  Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

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  The Kölnbrein Dam in Carinthia

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  Bilingual sign of Oberwart (in Hungarian Felsőőr) in Burgenland

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  The birthplaces of foreign-born naturalised residents of Austria

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  The Basilica of Mariazell is Austria's most popular pilgrimage site.

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  Stiftsgymnasium Melk is the oldest Austrian school.

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  The University of Vienna

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  The campus of the Vienna University of Economics and Business

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  The campus of JKU University of Linz

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  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

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  The Vienna State Opera

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  Arnold Schwarzenegger is a well-known Austrian and American actor.

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  Karl Popper

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  Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics, as well as the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, the first in history.

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  Ski racer Franz Klammer won a gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

See also

In Spanish: Austria para niños