Austria

Internet country code

.at

Internet hosts

2,062,035 (2006)

Internet users

4.65 million (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; 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 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2005)

Telephones - main lines in use

3.705 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

8.16 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)

Agriculture - products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber

Budget

revenues: $148.6 billion expenditures: $154.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

euro (EUR) note: 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

Current account balance

$1.467 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$510.6 billion (30 June 2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31 (2002)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $681 million (2004)

Economy - overview

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 current government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government, creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing effective pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003, 2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, 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.

Electricity - consumption

64.78 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

13.53 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

16.63 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

63.69 billion kWh (2004)

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

Exports

$122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners

Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$293.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$265.8 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.8% industry: 30.4% services: 67.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$32,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.8% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)

Imports

$118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2005 est.)

Industries

construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

3.49 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

9.01 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004)

Natural gas - imports

7.05 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - production

1.96 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - proved reserves

23.2 billion cu m (2004)

Oil - consumption

249,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

30,140 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

152,600 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - production

17,810 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves

84.3 million bbl (2004)

Population below poverty line

5.9% (2004)

Public debt

65.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.83 billion (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.2% (2005 est.)

Area

total: 83,870 sq km land: 82,444 sq km water: 1,426 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maine

Climate

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

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-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

Geographic coordinates

47 20 N, 13 20 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

40 sq km (2003)

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

Land use

arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)

Location

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Natural resources

oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Terrain

in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Administrative divisions

9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Capital

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

Constitution

1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003) 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 25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6% note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

Government type

federal republic

Independence

17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

International organization participation

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, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, 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, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least 3 representatives; 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) elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7

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

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but 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 and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Manpower available for military service

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.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 48,967 females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.9% (2004)

Military service age and obligation

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 eight months to six (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

8.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

9.76 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

10,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 79.07 years male: 76.17 years female: 82.11 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA

Median age

total: 40.9 years male: 39.8 years female: 42 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian

Net migration rate

1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

8,192,880 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

0.09% (2006 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.36 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe

Airports

55 (2006)

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: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2006)

Heliports

1 (2006)

Merchant marine

total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT by type: cargo 6, container 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2) registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006)

Pipelines

gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Railways

total: 6,011 km standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified) narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways

total: 133,718 km paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways

358 km (2003)