Austria - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe.

It has an area of 32,377 square miles (83,855 square kilometers.)

The capital of Austria is Vienna.

Austria is a very popular tourist destination because of its beautiful scenery and its renown as an international cultural center.

Two thirds of Austria lies within the Alps Mountains.

The Alps began to form when the African and Eurasian tectonic plates began colliding with each other, about 65 million years ago.

As the two plates converged, large masses of rock strata were compressed and then folded together. As the plates continued to converge, the folded strata were overturned. This resulted in the formation of complex, sheetlike rock bodies known as nappes. Over time, a large amount of the rocks of the Alps have been eroded.

The Vienna Basin, much of which is located in Austria, became filled with sediment when the Alps were uplifted.

There are three distinct mountain ranges in the Austrian Alps. The northern and southern ranges are made of limestone. The Tauern range is made up of crystalline rocks. Deep trenches divide the three ranges.

Austria's highest mountain, Grossglockner, lies in the Tauern Mountains. It is 12,461 feet (3,798 meters) high.

The Brenner Pass, which runs through the Alps along the border between Austria and Italy, has been used since Roman times. In 1722, the first road through the Brenner Pass was built.

The Austrian Alps have large tracts of forest.

Most of the agricultural land in Austria lies in the Danube River valley, in the northeast.

The area around Lake Neusiedl, on the border between Austria and Hungary, contains some of Austria's best wine growing land.

The Rhine River flows through Austria.

Summers in Austria tend to be warm, while winters tend to be cold, with a lot of snow. The climate changes with altitude.

Austria has a population of 8,364,000.

93% of the people are ethnic Austrians. There are also Hungarians, Slovenes and Croats.

The official language is German. Hungarian (or Magyar), Slovenian and Croatian are also spoken.

78% of the people are Roman Catholic and 5% are Protestant. There are also Muslims and Jews.

Most of the people of Austria live in the Danube valley.

The most important industries are manufacturing and tourism.

Iron and steel production is important.

There is a large construction industry.

Wheat, barley and grapes are important crops.

Austria has a parliamentary system of government.

It is a member of the European Union. The official currency of Austria is the euro.

Austria became an independent nation in 1955. It was once the heart of the Habsburg Empire.

Schönbrunn Palace, once the Habsburg monarchy's summer residence, is now a popular tourist attraction.