Austria

Austria A country in central Europe, bounded by Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia to the south, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, and Liechtenstein and Switzerland to the west.

Physical

Much of Austria is mountainous, with the River Danube flowing through the north-east of the country. Austria is the most densely forested nation in central Europe, with 40% of its land covered by trees. In the Alpine regions, south-facing mountain slopes have been cleared for pasture land and crops. In the Danube valley, arable land is characterized by very fertile soils.

Economy

Timber and paper products account for 10% of Austria's exports. Apart from this important silviculture, the economy is primarily industrial, with agriculture contributing only 3% of GDP. Austria is the world's largest source of high-grade graphite, and has other mineral deposits, including crude oil, natural gas, and uranium. Tourism is also important. Austria applied to join the EC in 1989, and trade is largely with Western Europe, especially Germany. A large portion of the Austrian economy has been in public hands since World War II, but a privatization programme now aims to enhance productivity and reduce the large public debt.

History

The Celtic tribes which had settled in the area from about 500 to 200 BC were conquered by the Romans in 14 BC, and the region remained part of the ROMAN EMPIRE, with the Danube as its frontier. A succession of Germanic invaders (Vandals, Goths, Huns, Lombards, and Avars) in the 5th century AD ended with a short period of stability under CHARLEMAGNE. MAGYAR invaders then followed, but these were decisively defeated by OTTO the Great at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955. Otto invested Leopold of Babenberg with the title of Margrave of Austria, and the Babenberg dynasty lasted until 1246. In 1282 Rudolf I, Count of HABSBURG invested his two sons jointly as Dukes of Austria, the older son Albert (Duke of Austria 1282–1308) founding a dynasty which survived into the 20th century. The first Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor was Frederick III (1452–93) and perhaps the greatest CHARLES V (1530–56). From Vienna, the Habsburgs ruled the vast empire which, before its dissolution in 1918, included Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Burgundy, Tuscany, Piedmont, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bukovina, Slovenia, parts of Serbia, of Romania, and of Spanish America, Silesia, Spain, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Venetia, and Naples. In 1575 the court moved from Vienna to Prague, where it remained until 1621. Vienna withstood a Muslim siege in 1529 and again in 1683, when the Polish army forced the OTTOMAN retreat. The War of the AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION brought the conflict over supremacy in the German orbit to a head, and the SEVEN YEARS' WAR confirmed Prussia as a power of equal weight. The end of the 18th century saw almost continuous conflict, with Austrians fighting against the French revolutionary armies in The Netherlands, the Rhineland, and northern Italy. The unification of Germany by Prussia in 1866–71 excluded the AUSTRIAN EMPIRE from German affairs and destroyed hopes for the creation of a union of all the German-speaking peoples. Austria was forced to make concessions to the Hungarians by forming AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Austrian diplomats, however, retained links with the new GERMAN SECOND EMPIRE, and tried to gain German support for their ambitions against Russia in the Balkans through an alliance system. During World War I the Austrian Imperial Army was virtually under German military control. Defeat and revolution destroyed the monarchy in 1918, and the first Austrian republic which followed it was only a rump of the former state. This was destabilized by the Nazis, who in 1934 murdered DOLLFUSS and staged an abortive coup. They were more successful in achieving ANSCHLUSS in 1938, when Hitler's army invaded the country without opposition. Defeated in World War II, Austria was invaded by Soviet troops, and divided into separate occupation zones, each controlled by an Allied Power. In 1955 a treaty between the Allies and Austria restored full sovereignty to the country. The treaty prohibited the possession of major offensive weapons and required Austria to pay heavy reparations to the USSR, as well as to give assurances that it would ally itself with neither East nor West Germany, nor restore the Habsburgs. It remained neutral, democratic, and increasingly prosperous under a series of socialist regimes. Extreme right-wing candidates won a number of seats in elections in 1994, but the socialists were re-elected in general elections in 1995, the year in which Austria also joined the EUROPEAN UNION.

Capital:	Vienna
Area:	83,857 sq km (32,377 sq miles)
Population:	8,070,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	euro; also until 2002 1 Schilling = 100 Groschen
Religions:	Roman Catholic 84.3%; non-religious and atheist 6.0%; Evangelical 5.6%; Muslim, Jewish, and other minorities
Ethnic Groups:	Austrian 96.1%; Yugoslav 1.7%; Turkish 0.8%; German 0.5%
Languages:	German (official) and other minority languages
International Organizations:	UN; OECD; EU; Council of Europe; CSCE