- note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river
is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
People Austria
Population:
8,184,691 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 15.6% (male 656,058/female 624,574)
15–64 years: 67.8% (male 2,790,673/female 2,756,612)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 543,626/female 813,148) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.44 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41.61 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.11% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
8.81 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.66 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.92 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 81.96 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
Ethnic groups:
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes,
Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified
2.4% (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%,
unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
Languages:
German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia),
Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Austria
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
Vienna
Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,
Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark,
Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
Independence:
1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 12 November 1918 (republic
proclaimed)
National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State
Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and
the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4
February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term; presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held
April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from
the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen
by the president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the
states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least three representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected
by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be
held in the fall of 2006)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP
42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP
79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17; seating as of May 2005 after split
within the Freedom Party: OeVP 79, SPOe 69, Greens