Austria

AUSTRIA

Name and capital

Name and capital

• The Republic of Austria• Is a sovereign member of the European Union• With a population of 8.3 million people.

Name and capital

Name and capital

• Vienna is a Central European city on the banks of the Danube

Name and capital

• Capital of Austria and one of its nine states• The city has a long history as one of the oldest

capitals in Europe

Name and capital

• Vienna currently holds the top spot in the lists of quality of life in cities around the world

Year of entry in the EU

Year of entry in the EU

• 1/01/1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.

• The fifteen members covered almost the whole of Western Europe.

http://europa.eu/abc/history/animated_map/index_es.htm

Political system

Government and Politic• Austria is a federal and

democratic republic governed under a constitution dating from1920, although modified later.

• Executive power is exercised by the president, who is elected by universal suffrage every six years, and the Council of Ministers led by a chancellor, appointed by the president for a period not exceeding four years.

Political situation in Austria• The Head of Government is

the FederalChancellor, who heads the Council of Ministers, all responsible to the Parliament of Austria.Legislative power is exercised by the parliament and is divided into two chambers:

• The upper house (Bundesrat or Federal Council) composed of 62 members

• The lower house (National Council or Nationalrat) with 183 members elected every four years

Political parties

• Freiheitliche Österreichs Partei (Freedom Party, Freedom Party of Austria) is a nationalist political party and considered the extreme right.

• The Social Democratic Party of Austria is a social democratic political party in Austria. It is the first party

Total area

• The most part of Austria, is within the eastern section of the Alps. For this reason, it reach heights over 3000 m.

•Austria extends over 83,870 square kilometers and has a land border of approximately 2,502 kilometers but has no direct access to the sea.

Population

Population

• The estimated population of Austria in October 2006 was 8,292,322 people

• German speakers represent by far the largest language group in the country, accountingfor approximately 90% of the population of Austria. Austrian federal states of Carinthia and Styria are home to a significant minority Slovene-speaking native, with over 14,000 members

Religion• 73.6% of the country's population are

catholic.• There is a much smaller group of Lutherans,

totaling about 4.7% of the population.• In contrast, the number of Muslims in Austri

a in recent years have INCREASED, and with4.2% of the Population Themselves calling Muslim.

• There are also minor communities of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jews in Austria.

Currency

Currency

• In 1999, Austria introduced the single European currency, the euro.

• The euro coins and banknotes entered circulation on 1 January 2002.

• In 2007, to adopt the new common map like the rest of the Eurozone countries, Austria changed the common side of its coins.

Official languages

Official languages

Typical food and drink

Typical food and drink

Wiener Schnitzel

Schweinsbraten

Sachertorte

Spätzle

Kaiserschmarrn

Typical food and drink

Typical drinks in Austria:

Coffee

Wine

Café Braeunerhof in Viena.

Traditions

Frau Perchta

• Cold nights middle of winter there are many ghosts and demons loose.

• Frau Perchta kept men and women and protected from the evil demons.

• This take place between 5 and 6 December in all towns in this part of Austria

Frau Perchta

Christmas Markets

• The five weeks before Christmas time in Austria are the romanticChristmas markets and the magic of Advent

Convents and monasteries

• The convents and monasteries of Austria are only oasis of calm in the turmoil of the time.

CARNIVAL

• Carnival is a practice deeply rooted in folk traditions Austrian

• Austrian in Vienna begins in mid-January with the season of the dances

Music and anthem

MusicWolfgang Amadeus Mozart 

• music festivals• baroque room• Opera• the concert hall• jazz

Festivals in Austria

Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)

New Year's concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna

Geographical features

Geographical features

• As a federal republic, Austria is divided into nine states (German: Bundesländer).

• These states are then divided into districts (Bezirke) and statutory cities (Statutarstädte)

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

Geographical features

• Austria is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps

• Of the total area of Austria (84,000 km2), only about a quarter can be considered low lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft).

Geographical features

• It can be divided into five areas• The biggest being the Eastern Alps, which

constitute 62% of nation's total area.• The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps

and the Carpathians around 12%

Geographical features

• According to the WWF, the territory of Austria can be subdivided into four ecoregions:

1. The Central European mixed forests 2. Pannonian mixed forests 3. Alps conifer and mixed forests 4. Western European broadleaf forests.

Weather

Weather• The weather in Austria is a continental climate with cold winters and

often, the snow and rain appear, winter minimum temperatures are between +2 º C and -15 ° C and summers are short with temperatures between 20 ° C and 30 ° C.

•Rains are more frequent in the summer months, although in winter the snow is common.