Austria is a beautiful land of lakes and mountains. Many know Austria as a great place for skiing, hiking and relaxing. Vienna, Salzburg (the birth place of Mozart) and Innsbruck are on many tourist itineraries. With such beauty, a strong economy, a good social system and modern infrastructure it seems like a very satisfying place to live.

Austria is at the eastern end of the Alps, 62% of the country is mountainous. Vienna and the east are flatter. There are 8.3 million inhabitants, of whom 2.1 million live in the capital Vienna. The next largest cities (with populations) are Graz (245,000), Linz (188.000), Salzburg (149.000), Innsbruck (117,000), Klagenfurt (92,000), Wels (59,000) and Villach (58,000). In the cities there are significant numbers of immigrants coming mainly from Turkey, the Balkans and Africa.

The official language is German, strong dialects are spoken in some areas. Parts of the south have a higher number of ethnic Slovenians and that language is also spoken in some villages.

Austria has a well-developed social market economy and a high standard of living. Tourism (the alpine regions to the south and west and in Vienna) and forestry and agriculture are predominant industries, with some manufacturing (especially in the north and east) and commercial centres in the cities.

Quick Info:

    * Area: 83,855 sq km
    * Population: 8.3 million
    * Capital: Vienna
    * Population: 2.1 million

Source: Operation World 2001