1993 Edition

Area

total area: 83,850 km2 land area: 82,730 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine

Climate

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

40 km2 (1989)

Land boundaries

total 2,496 km, Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 262 km, Switzerland 164 km

Land use

arable land: 17% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 24% forest and woodland: 39% other: 19%

Location

Central Europe, between Germany and Hungary

Map references

Africa, Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

iron ore, petroleum, timber, magnesite, aluminum, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower

Note

landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube

Terrain

in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Birth rate

11.54 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

10.42 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

German 99.4%, Croatian 0.3%, Slovene 0.2%, other 0.1%

Infant mortality rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

3.47 million (1989) by occupation: services 56.4%, industry and crafts 35.4%, agriculture and forestry 8.1% note: an estimated 200,000 Austrians are employed in other European countries; foreign laborers in Austria number 177,840, about 6% of labor force (1988)

Languages

German

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.4 years male: 73.18 years female: 79.8 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1974) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian

Net migration rate

4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

7,915,145 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

0.55% (1993 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 6%, other 9%

Total fertility rate

1.47 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Administrative divisions

9 states (bundeslander, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Karnten, Niederosterreich, Oberosterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien

Capital

Vienna

Chief of State

President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)

Constitution

1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1945)

Digraph

AU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Friedrich HOESS chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: (202) 895-6700

Executive branch

president, chancellor, vice chancellor, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

FAX

(202) 895-6750 consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

[43] (1) 310-0682 consulate general: Salzburg

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

Head of Government

Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986); Vice Chancellor Erhard BUSEK (since 2 July 1991)

Independence

12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) for constitutional cases

Legal system

civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) consists of an upper council or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower council or National Council (Nationalrat)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM (cooperating country), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNDOF, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich

National Council

last held 7 October 1990 (next to be held October 1994); results - SPO 43%, OVP 32.1%, FPO 16.6%, GAL 4.5%, KPO 0.7%, other 0.32%; seats - (183 total) SPO 80, OVP 60, FPO 33, GAL 10

National holiday

National Day, 26 October (1955)

Other political or pressure groups

Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist); three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party (OVP) representing business, labor, and farmers; OVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

Political parties and leaders

Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO), Franz VRANITZKY, chairman; Austrian People's Party (OVP), Erhard BUSEK, chairman; Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Jorg HAIDER, chairman; Communist Party (KPO), Walter SILBERMAYER, chairman; Green Alternative List (GAL), Johannes VOGGENHUBER, chairman

President

last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held 1996); results of second ballot - Thomas KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%

Suffrage

19 years of age, universal; compulsory for presidential elections

Type

federal republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy Michael HUFFINGTON chancery: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Unit 27937, Vienna mailing address: APO AE 09222 telephone: [43] (1) 31-339

Agriculture

accounts for 3.2% of GDP (including forestry); principal crops and animals - grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets, sawn wood, cattle, pigs, poultry; 80-90% self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues $47.8 billion; expenditures $53.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Currency

1 Austrian schilling (S) = 100 groschen

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.4 billion

Electricity

17,600,000 kW capacity; 49,500 million kWh produced, 6,300 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

Austrian schillings (S) per US$1 - 11.363 (January 1993), 10.989 (1992), 11.676 (1991), 11.370 (1990), 13.231 (1989), 12.348 (1988)

Exports

$43.5 billion (1992 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles, paper products, chemicals partners: EC 65.8% (Germany 39%), EFTA 9.1%, Eastern Europe/former USSR 9.0%, Japan 1.7%, US 2.8% (1991)

External debt

$11.8 billion (1990 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route

Imports

$50.7 billion (1992 est.) commodities: petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals partners: EC 67.8% (Germany 43.0%), EFTA 6.9%, Eastern Europe/former USSR 6.0%, Japan 4.8%, US 3.9% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate 2.0% (1991)

Industries

foods, iron and steel, machines, textiles, chemicals, electrical, paper and pulp, tourism, mining, motor vehicles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $141.3 billion (1992)

National product per capita

$18,000 (1992)

National product real growth rate

1.8% (1992)

Overview

Austria boasts a prosperous and stable socialist market economy with a sizable proportion of nationalized industry and extensive welfare benefits. Thanks to an excellent raw material endowment, a technically skilled labor force, and strong links to German industrial firms, Austria occupies specialized niches in European industry and services (tourism, banking) and produces almost enough food to feed itself with only 8% of the labor force in agriculture. Increased export sales resulting from German unification, continued to boost Austria's economy through 1991. However, Germany's economic difficulties in 1992 slowed Austria's GDP growth to 2% from the 3% of 1991. Austria's economy, moreover, is not expected to grow by more than 1% in 1993, and inflation is forecast to remain about 4%. Unemployment will likely remain at current levels at least until 1994. Living standards in Austria are comparable with the large industrial countries of Western Europe. Problems for the l990s include an aging population, the high level of subsidies, and the struggle to keep welfare benefits within budgetary capabilities. The continued opening of Eastern European markets, however, will increase demand for Austrian exports. Austria, a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), in 1992 ratified the European Economic Area Treaty, which will extend European Community rules on the free movement of people, goods, capital and services to the EFTA countries, and Austrians plan to hold a national referendum within the next two years to vote on EC membership.

Unemployment rate

6.4% (1992 est.)

Airports

total: 55 usable: 55 with permanent-surface runways: 20 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 4

Highways

95,412 km total; 34,612 km are the primary network (including 1,012 km of autobahn, 10,400 km of federal, and 23,200 km of provincial roads); of this number, 21,812 km are paved and 12,800 km are unpaved; in addition, there are 60,800 km of communal roads (mostly gravel, crushed stone, earth)

Inland waterways

446 km

Merchant marine

29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 154,159 GRT/256,765 DWT; includes 23 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 oil tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 3 bulk

Pipelines

crude oil 554 km; natural gas 2,611 km; petroleum products 171 km

Ports

Vienna, Linz (Danube river ports)

Railroads

5,749 km total; 5,652 km government owned and 97 km privately owned (0.760-, 1.435- and 1.000-meter gauge); 5,394 km 1.435-meter standard gauge of which 3,154 km is electrified and 1,520 km is double tracked; 339 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge of which 84 km is electrified

Telecommunications

highly developed and efficient; 4,014,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 21 (545 repeaters) FM, 47 (870 repeaters) TV; satellite ground stations for Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and EUTELSAT systems

Branches

Army (including Flying Division)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.7 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 2,016,464; fit for military service 1,694,140; reach military age (19) annually 50,259 (1993 est.)