Austria Today

First, let’s get one thing straight: Austria is not Australia! Many English-speakers – at least those who did not pay attention during geography class – confuse the two nations. Which, considering how different they are, and how distant from each other they are, is rather amazing. But Austria doesn’t have all those “No Kangaroos” T-shirts and signs for tourists for nothing. (Amazon.com: “No Kangaroos” T-shirts)

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the European and Alpine democratic federal republic called Republik Österreich in German. With almost 9 million inhabitants, Austria has about one tenth of the population of its much bigger neighbor to the north. But there are many other important differences between Austria and Germany, including the fact that the German you hear in Austria does not sound like the German spoken in Germany (except maybe for the German heard in Bavaria). There are also many local dialects in Austria, which can be difficult to understand, even for Austrians from other regions.

The Festung Hohensalzburg (fortress) towers above Salzburg (pop. 155,416), Austria’s third largest city. PHOTO: Andrew Bossi (Wikimedia Commons)

Modern-day Austria dates back to the Habsburg dynasty when most of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. But its history goes back much further, to at least 996, the date of the “Ostarrîchi document” that first mentions the “eastern realm.” Twenty year before that, Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria. The country’s name in English comes from a Latin translation of the German name, dating from the 12th century when the Danube basin of Austria (Upper and Lower Austria) was the easternmost extent of Bavaria. From 1278 until 1918, Austrian history was connected to its Habsburg rulers.

The “red-white-red” Austrian national flag.

Austria today has approximately the same area as the US state of South Carolina, but it was once a much larger nation, covering a greater area of Europe. It was then a monarchy (actually a dual monarchy) known as Austria-Hungary. That Habsburg (Austro-Hungarian) Empire ended in 1918 when World War I ended. That was the start of the First Republic (in 1919), which ended in 1934, and again in 1938 with Hitler’s takeover of Austria (Anschluss, “annexation”). Today’s Second Republic began at the end of World War II in 1945, but Austria was still technically an Allied occupied nation until 27 July 1955, when an official state treaty granted Austria full sovereignty. (For more see our History of Austria page.)

Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, and is home to the United Nations Office in Vienna, one of four major UN office sites worldwide. Austria joined the European Union in 1995. The Austrian policy of neutrality (since 1955) is somewhat more flexible than that of Switzerland, but it still does not allow foreign military bases in the country. Austria is not a member of NATO, but it did join NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1995, and subsequently participated in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. Austria participates in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other international economic organizations, and it has played an active role in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Key Facts about Austria

• Official Name: Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich)
• International Abbreviation: A (Internet country ID: .at)
• Government: Federal republic; parliamentary democracy with two legislative bodies: the Nationalrat (National Council, 183 directly-elected members) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council, members appointed by each province). There are nine Austrian federal provinces or states (Bundesländer). See more below.
• President: Alexander Van der Bellen, six-year term (Green Alternative; since Jan. 2017; re-elected on 9 Oct. 2022)
• Chancellor: Karl Nehammer (ÖVP, Austrian People’s Party), since 6 Dec. 2021. Nehammer succeeded Alexander Schallenberg, who resigned to return as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
• Size: 32,382 sq mi (83,871 sq km), about the same area as the US state of South Carolina.
• Population: Just under 9 million (2022 est.)
• Capital City: Vienna (Wien, pron. VEEN)
• National Holiday: October 26, the date of the signing of Austria’s neutrality law in 1955 – More: Other holidays in German-speaking Europe
• Largest Cities (Jan. 2022): Vienna (Wien) 1,931,593 (2.8 million in metro area), Graz 292,630, Linz 207,247, Salzburg 155,416, Innsbruck 130,585; no other Austrian cities have a population of over 100,000.
• Ethnicity: Austrians 81.1%, Germans 2.7%, Turks 2.2%, other 14%
• Religions: Roman Catholic 61.4%, Protestant (Lutheran) 3.6%, Muslim 4%, unaffiliated 20%, other 11%

Continued below.

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna was the summer residence of Austria’s Habsburg royals. The palace in its present form was built and remodeled in the mid-1700s during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa who received the estate as a wedding gift. Today Schönbrunn (“beautiful fountain/spring”) is one of Vienna’s top tourist attractions. PHOTO: © Bwag (Wikimedia Commons)

• Monetary Unit: Euro (€, EUR), since 2002. Formerly der Schilling.
• Economy/Industries: Austria is one of the 10 wealthiest countries in the world, measured by GDP per capita. Key industries include: agricultural products, banking, metals, chemicals, paper products, machinery, communications equipment, and tourism.
• Climate: Temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters (snow in Alpine areas); mild summers with occasional heat waves. Cooler in Alpine areas.
• Highest Point: The Großglockner (12,457 ft, 3,797 m) in the Hohe Tauern range of the Alps. There are five more Austrian peaks higher than 3,500 meters (11,483 ft).
• Largest Lakes: Neusiedler Lake (Neusiedler See, partly in Hungary), the Attersee, the Traunsee, and a small portion of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the western province of Vorarlberg, where the city of Bregenz lies on the lake’s shore. Also see: Lake Constance: The Cities
• Waterways: The Danube (die Donau), the Mur, the Salzach
• Neighboring Countries (8): Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
• Famous Austrians: Marie Antoinette, Fred Astaire (dancer, film actor; Austrian father), Christian Doppler (physicist), Falco (Hans Hölzel), Sigmund Freud, Peter Handke (author), Josef Haydn (composer), Paul Henreid (film actor, director), Friedensreich Hundertwasser (artist), Franz Kafka (author), Gustav Klimt (painter), Hedy Lamarr (film actress), Niki Lauda (auto racing), Peter Lorre (film actor), Ernst Mach (scientist), Gustav Mahler (composer), Lise Meitner (nuclear physicist), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Josef Neutra (architect), Otto Preminger (film director), Egon Schiele (painter), Romy Schneider (film actress), Franz Schubert (composer), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johann Strauss (composer, “Waltz King”), Kurt Waldheim (politician), Oskar Werner, Billy Wilder (film director), and more…

Austria’s Provinces (Bundesländer)

Austria has nine provinces/states, called Bundesländer in German, including the Austrian capital, Vienna. They are listed below in (German) alphabetical order with the province’s population (2020) and the capital city. Also see the map below.

• Burgenland pop. 294,466 – Capital: Eisenstadt
• Kärnten (Carinthia) pop. 561,390 – Capital: Klagenfurt
• Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) pop. 1.7 million – Capital: Sankt Pölten
• Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) pop. 1.49 million – Capital: Linz
• Salzburg pop. 558,479 – Capital: Salzburg
• Steiermark (Styria) pop. 1.25 million – Capital: Graz
• Tirol (Tyrol) pop. 757,852 – Capital: Innsbruck
• Vorarlberg pop. 397,094 – Capital: Bregenz
• Wien (Vienna) pop. 1.9 million – Capital: Wien (Vienna)

Map: Austria’s Nine Provinces (English)

Map: Goblez (Wikimedia Commons)

Next | History of Austria

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Austria – Information and links related to Austria
• History of Austria – from the Ostmark to Austria
• Kitzbühel, Austria – All about this top Tyrolian ski resort – History, sights, photos
• The Austrian Autobahn toll sticker
• Mini Bios A-Z – More brief biographies of people from the German-speaking world
• Featured Biographies – More detailed bios of notable people from the German-speaking world
• Notable Women from Austria, Germany, Switzerland
• Austrians in Hollywood – Austrian, German and Swiss people in Hollywood