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Geography of
General introduction
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| Austria is located in Central Europe. It is a predominantly mountainous country with an area of 83,855 km2. Eight countries namely Italy, Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia form the Austrian border. Vienna is the capital of Austria that lies on the Danube River and is partly surrounded by the hills of the Vienna Woods. |
Location of Austria within Europe
| The present boundaries of Austria, once the center of the Habsburg Empire that constituted the second-largest state in Europe, were established in accordance with the Treaty of St. Germain in 1919. The Austro-Hungarian Empire played a decisive role in central European history. It occupied strategic territory containing the southeastern routes to western Europe and the north-south routes between Germany and Italy. Although present-day Austria is only a tiny remnant of the old empire, it retains this unique position. |
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| Location | Austria is geographically located in Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia, and south of the Czech Republic and Germany. |
| Climate | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; warm summers with occasional showers. |
| Terrain | in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping. |
| Natural resources | iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower. |
| Environment - current issues | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe. |
| Geography - 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. |