Austria: By; Sam Pointon

History: Settled in prehistoric times. Occupied in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes. The first record showing the name Austria is from 996 AD.

Political System: The Parliament of Austria is located in Vienna, the nation's largest city and capital. Became a federal, parliamentarian, democratic republic through the Federal Constitution of 1920. Reintroduced in 1945 to the nine states of the Federal Republic. The head of state is the Federal President, who is directly elected by popular vote. The government can be removed from office by either a presidential decree or by vote of no confidence in the lower chamber of parliament, the National rat

States: 1: Burgenland 2: Carinthia 3: Lower Austria 4: Upper Austria 5: Salzburg 6: Styria 7: Tyrol 8: Vorarlberg 9: Vienna

Geography: Austria is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps. The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. About a quarter of the country can be considered low lying.

Climate: The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate climate zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. With over half of the country dominated by the Alps, the alpine climate is the predominant one. In the East, in the Pannonia Plain and along the Danube valley, the climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas. Although Austria is cold in the winter, in the summer temperatures can be relatively warm reaching 20-35 degrees Celsius.

Economy: Austria is one of the 10 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita. It has a well-developed social market economy. It has a very high standard of living. Labor movements are particularly strong in Austria and have large influence on labor politics. Next to a highly-developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the national economy.

Education: Responsibility for educational oversight in Austria is entrusted partly to the Austrian states (Bundesländer), and partly to the federal government. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between the ages of three and six years. School attendance is compulsory for nine years, (usually to the age of fifteen). The Program for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Austria's education as the 18th best in the world.

Religion: At the end of the twentieth century, about 74% of Austria's population were registered as Roman Catholic. About 5% considered themselves Protestants. Both these numbers have been in decline for decades, especially Roman Catholicism, which has suffered an increasing number of seceders from the church. Austrian Catholics are obliged to pay a mandatory tax (calculated by income —about 1%) to the Austrian Roman Catholic Church. About 12% of the population declare that they have no religion. Of the remaining people, around 340,000 are registered as members of various Muslim communities, mainly due to the influx from Turkey.

Music: Austria has been the birthplace of many famous composers such as; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Joseph Haydn Franz Schubert Anton Bruckner Johann Strauss Sr. Johann Strauss Jr. Gustav Mahler Arnold Schoenberg Anton Webern Alban Berg.

Cuisine (Food): Austria's cuisine is derived from the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It has been influenced above all by Hungarian, Czech, Jewish, Italian and Bavarian cuisines. The Austrian Cuisine is therefore one of the most multi and transcultural cuisines in Europe. Typical Austrian dishes include; Wiener Schnitzel, Kaisersch, marren, Knödel, Sachertorte and Tafelspitz. The candy PEZ was invented in Austria. Austria is also famous for its Apfelstrudel.

French Influence: Over 30% of the Austrian population speak French as a second language. Many French people live in Austria, because their ancestors immigrated there during the rule of Louis XV.

Work Sited: Brook-Shepherd, Gordon (1997). The Austrians: A thousand-year odyssey. Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc.; 19 West 21st Street; New York, NY 10010. ISBN 0-7867-0520-5. CIA World Fact book—Austria. Retrieved on December 7, 2007. Lonnie Johnson (1989). Introducing Austria: A short history. Ariadne Press, 270 Goins Court, Riverside, CA 92507. ISBN 0-929497-03-1. Jelavich, Barbara (1987). Modern Austria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-31625-1. Schulze, Hagen (1994). States, Nations and Nationalism. Blackwell Publishers Inc, 350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148, USA.

The End