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.

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

slightly smaller than Maine

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

8,219,743 (July 2012 est.)

8.69 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

10.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

1.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

VIENNA (capital) 1.693 million (2009)

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.41 children born/woman (2012 est.)

4.749 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

7.71 beds/1,000 population (2008)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

fewer than 100 (2009 est.)

9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Karnten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed)

National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

1 October 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; revised many times; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; delegates appointed by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 seats in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by popular vote for a five-year term under a system of proportional representation with partially-open party lists)

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

Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Josef BUCHER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Michael SPINDELEGGER]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]; The Greens [Eva GLAWISCHNIG]; Communist Party of Austria of KPOe [Mirko MESSNER]; "Team Stronach for Austria" [Frank STRONACHI]

Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; Labor Chamber or AK (Social Democratic-leaning think tank); OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

Austria, with its well-developed market economy, skilled labor force, 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 of 2008 and subsequent global economic downturn led to a sharp but brief recession. Austrian GDP contracted 3.8% in 2009 but saw positive growth of about 2% in 2010 and 2.7% in 2011. Growth fell below 1% in 2012. Unemployment did not rise as steeply in Austria as elsewhere in Europe, partly because the government subsidized reduced working hour schemes to allow companies to retain employees. Stabilization measures, stimulus spending, and an income tax reform pushed the budget deficit to 4.5% in 2010 and 2.6% in 2011, from only about 0.9% in 2008. The international financial crisis of 2008 caused difficulties for Austria's largest banks whose extensive operations in central, eastern, and southeastern Europe faced large losses. The government provided bank support - including in some instances, nationalization - to support aggregate demand and stabilize the banking system. Austria's fiscal position compares favorably with other euro-zone countries, but it faces considerable external risks, such as Austrian banks' continued high exposure to central and eastern Europe as well as political and economic uncertainties caused by the European sovereign debt crisis. In 2011 the government attempted to pass a constitutional amendment limiting public debt to 60% of GDP by 2020, but it was unable to obtain sufficient support in parliament and instead passed the measure as a simple law. In March 2012, the Austrian parliament approved an austerity budget that will bring public finances into balance by 2016. In 2012, the budget deficit rose to 2.9% of GDP.

$357.8 billion (2012 est.)

$355.6 billion (2011 est.)

$346.3 billion (2010 est.)

$391.5 billion (2012 est.)

3.655 million (2012 est.)

22% of GDP (2012 est.)

47.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

-2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

74.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

72.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

2.4% (31 December 2012 est.)

3.3% (31 December 2011 est.)

$194.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$176.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$426.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$400.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$549 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$526.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$82.37 billion (31 December 2011)

$118 billion (31 December 2010)

$107.2 billion (31 December 2009)

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

$8.17 billion (2012 est.)

$7.75 billion (2011 est.)

$164.1 billion (2012 est.)

$173.6 billion (2011 est.)

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

Germany 32.3%, Italy 7.8%, Switzerland 4.4%, France 4.2% (2011)

$173.9 billion (2012 est.)

$183.3 billion (2011 est.)

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

Germany 42.8%, Italy 6.8%, Switzerland 5.5%, Netherlands 4% (2011)

$25.16 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$22.28 billion (2010 est.)

$883.5 billion (30 June 2011)

$755 billion (30 June 2010)

$290.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$271.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$313.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$300.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

59.47 billion kWh (2011 est.)

63.8 billion kWh (2011 est.)

16.75 billion kWh (2011 est.)

24.98 billion kWh (2011 est.)

21.11 million kW (2010 est.)

19.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

38.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

20.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

25,750 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

137,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)

50 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

188,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)

262,900 bbl/day (2011 est.)

46,680 bbl/day (2010 est.)

158,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)

1.776 billion cu m (2011 est.)

9.015 billion cu m (2011 est.)

4.96 billion cu m (2011 est.)

14.28 billion cu m (2011 est.)

16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

69.46 million Mt (2010 est.)

3.388 million (2011)

13.023 million (2011)

Austria's public broadcaster, Osterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), was the main broadcast source until commercial radio and TV service was introduced in the 1990s; cable and satellite TV are available, including German TV stations (2008)

3.512 million (2012)

6.143 million (2009)

gas 3,028 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2010)

Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

registration requirement at age 17; males under the age of 35 must complete basic military training (6 month duration); males 17 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory military service (2011)

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs