COUNTRY INFORMATION
Official name
Republic of Austria
Capital
Vienna
Coordinates
47°20’ N, 13°20’ E
Location
Austria is situated in Central Europe and shares borders with Germany and Czech Republic on the north, Slovakia and Hungary on the east, Slovenia and Italy on the south, and Switzerland on the west.
Area
Total area: 83 870 sq km
Land area: 82 444 sq km
Water area: 1 426 sq km
Land boundaries
2 562 km
Coastline
0 km
Administrative division
Austria is divided into 9 states (Bundesländer).
Political system
Austria is a federal republic. President is the chief of state and is elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term. Chancellor, the head of government, is appointed by the president. The parliament – Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) – is bicameral and consists of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) with 62 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat) with 183 seats.
Population
8 205 533
Ethnic groups
Austrians 91%, Yugoslavs 4%, Turks 2%, German 1%, other 2%
Religions
Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 5%, Muslim 4%, other 17%