Introduction
Austria (German Österreich), republic in central Europe, bounded on the
north by the Czech Republic; on the northeast by Slovakia; on the east by
Hungary; on the south by Slovenia, Italy, and Switzerland; and on the west
by Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Germany. Austria is about 580 km (about
360 mi) long and has an area of 83,858 sq km (32,378 sq mi). Vienna (Wien)
is the country’s capital and largest city.
Climate
The Austrian climate varies with elevation; with location in relation to
Atlantic, continental, and Mediterranean influences; and with certain local
wind characteristics. Mountainous regions are partially subject to moderate
Atlantic conditions and experience more precipitation than the eastern
lowlands, which are under continental influences. Spring and fall are
usually mild throughout the country. Summers are short, with moderate
temperatures. Cold and often severe winters last about three months in the
valleys, where they are usually ended by the foehn, a warm, dry wind from
the south that is often accompanied by damp fog and sudden thaws that
precipitate avalanches. The foehn is important to Austria’s agricultural
production, allowing for early cultivation of the southern valleys. Average
annual temperatures range between about 7° and 9°C (about 44° and 48°F)
throughout the country. Average annual rainfall is 610 mm (24 in) in Vienna
and 870 mm (about 34 in) in Innsbruck. In some interior valleys, the
average annual rainfall is between about 1,520 and 2,030 mm (about 60 and
80 in).
Population
The Austrian people are German-speaking, but the country has a varied
ethnic mixture—a legacy from the time of the multinational Habsburg
Austria. About 99 percent of the population is ethnic Austrian. Minority
groups include Croats and Hungarians (in Burgenland), Slovenes (in Kärnten
[Carinthia]), Czechs (in Vienna), as well as small numbers of Italians,
Serbs, and Romanians. An influx of refugees in the years following World
War II (1939-1945) increased their numbers, and new groups, such as the
Turks, were added
Population Characteristics
According to the 1991 census, Austria had a population of 7,795,786. The
2004 estimated population was 8,174,762, giving the country an overall
population density of 99 persons per sq km (256 per sq mi). Some 68 percent
of the population is urban, with more than one-quarter of the people living
in the five largest cities: Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck
Religion
Roman Catholicism is the religion of 76 percent of the population of
Austria. Various Protestant denominations account for 5 percent of the
population, and 2 percent of Austrians are Muslim. Those without a religion
or whose faith is unknown constitute 17 percent of the population.
Language
German is the official language of Austria. About 2 percent of the
population speaks languages other than German, chiefly Bosnian, Croatian,
Serbian, Slovenian, and Turkish
Universities and Colleges
The largest of Austria’s 18 university-level institutions is Vienna
University (1365). Other major universities are Graz University (1586),
Innsbruck University (1669), and Salzburg University (1622). Austria also
has two technical universities; colleges of mining, agriculture, veterinary
medicine, and commerce; and five academies of fine arts and music, which
also offer summer programs that attract foreign students. University
enrollment in 2000–2001 was 264,700.
Culture
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Vienna was a world center of
culture, particularly in music and literature. Austrian fine art usually is
considered with the art of southern Germany. A distinctive Austrian style,
however, is manifested in the refined baroque architecture and sculpture of
the 17th and 18th centuries, notably in Vienna, Salzburg, and Melk.
Libraries and Museums
The largest of the 2,400 libraries in Austria is the National Library,
founded in 1526. Important research collections are housed in the various
universities, in several old monasteries, and in a number of scientific
libraries. The collection of the former royal house contains state papers
dating from 816, collections of the Holy Roman Empire dating from 1555, and
documents concerning the history of the Austrian Empire, the Austro-
Hungarian monarchy, and the period since 1918.
The art and natural science museums of Vienna are internationally known, as
are many individual collections. The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of
Art History) is famous for its paintings by members of the Brueghel family
and for the works of Dutch, Italian, and German painters. The Albertina
collection of prints and drawings, the collections of jewelry and relics of
the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Gallery, the technical museum, and the