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Overview of Austria for Travelers
by: Richard Monk
Although Austria is rarely in the headlines these days, it was
once part of a dominant European power. Following is an overview
of this postcard country.
An Overview of Austria for Travelers
With its prime location in mainland Europe, Austria was a major
player in economic, military and political terms when it was known
as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Alas, this role was significantly
diminished after World War I when victorious allies divided the
empire. A much smaller Austria came onto the scene and has developed
into an ideal travel and relocation destination.
Famous Austrians dot the historical record. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
and Ludwig van Beethoven were mavericks in music. In psychology,
a certain Sigmund Freud made just a slight impact. Currently, the
Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was born in Austria.
The official name of the country is Republic of Austria. It covers
a relatively small area of land, 32,000 square miles. The capital
is beautiful Vienna, which has a population of just over 1.6 million
people. Other cities of note include Salzburg and Innsbruck which
has hosted a winter Olympics. The country is predominantly a mountainous
one and has a climate categorized as continental with plenty of
rain and snowfall. Summers in the mountains of Austria are simply
dazzling. You can pull up pictures on the Internet or simply watch
the movie, The Sound of Music.
The people of Austria are known as Austrians. The total
population for the country is just over 8 million people, and barely
growing each year at a rate of .4 percent. The ethnicity of Austrians
breaks down as 98 percent German with a mix of neighboring country
natives mixed in. The dominant language is German. Roman Catholic
is the faith of 73 percent of Austrians although 12 percent claim
no religion at all. The literacy rate in this well-developed country
is 98 percent. Life expectancy for women is 81.7 years while men
average 75.9.
As this overview of Austria demonstrates, the country has seen
all sides of the power ledger. Regardless, Austria is a beautiful
country with a rich cultural heritage and is definitely worth a
visit.
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