Austria

Talk about Austria and everyone thinks of those magical three Ss -- 'Sound of Music', Sacher Torte and Swarovski. However beyond these there is so much more to this tiny, picturesque country. It has the Alps as well; a twin of Switzerland, Austria is a landlocked country in the heart of Europe bordering Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Italy. Amazing plentiful forests, eighty eight picturesque lakes and a substantial network of rivers all sum up to Austria's natural exquisiteness and vibrant lush countryside. Here, the castles are as attractive as anything that Mad King Ludwig dreamt up in Bavaria, its vineyard rival Tuscany in county beauty are all merely an hour's flight trip from major cities thanks to its geographical location that puts it in the heartland of Europe. As a popular holiday spot in Central Europe, Austria plays a perfect host to visitors from all over the world.

In its beginning days, Austria was occupied by Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, Avars and Slavs. Charlemagne established a country in the Danube Valley famously known as Ostmark in 803. The area became Christianized and mostly Germanic.
By 1278 the Habsburgs gained control over the region and ruled Austria right up till WWI.

In 1556, Charles resigned as emperor and Ferdinand I became the king. In 1571, the emperor declared religious freedom and the majority of Austrians inclined towards Protestantism. In 1576, Rudolf II, then emperor, embraced the Counter-Reformation and most part of the country was back, with a little coercion, to Catholicism. In 1740, Maria Theresa rose to the monarchy and ruled the nation for long 40 years.

This period was basically acknowledged as the period when the country developed as a modern state. During that reign, centralized control existed, a civil service system was established, and reform took place in the army as well as to the economy. In July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. The Russians came to the Serbians' assistance and the massacre of WWI took place.

After the World War Austria worked hard to win over economic difficulties and later, in 1972, established a free trade treaty with the European Union.
In the election of 2000, the Social Democrats won by small margin over the right-wing Freedom Party. A coalition government was formed with the moderate People's Party. In 2004 Elfriede Jelinek received Nobel Laureate in Literature.

Geography of Austria

Area:

Total: 83,858 km
Land: 82,738 km
Water: 1,120 km

Climate

Austria enjoys a cool/temperate throughout the year. The climatic zone in the country is humid where westerly winds are predominant. In the east the country is inclined towards continental kind but most of the parts as dominated by Alps have a typical alpine climate.

Religion

73.6% of the native population is Roman Catholic, while 4.7% are Protestant. About 12% of the population does not belong to any church or religious community

Culture

Austria has an enriched history and has been an abode for great musicians, writers, poets, novelists. The country boasts of its unique cultural environment. However, Austria in international cultural globe is better known for its musicians and composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Anton Buckner, Joseph Haydn, Johann Strauss, Sr., Johann Strauss, Jr. and Gustav Mahler

Currency*

The currency of Austria is the Euro (EUR)
Dollar bills are issued in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €500
1 US Dollar is equal to 11.251 Austrian Schilling (ATS)
1 Euro is equal to 13.76 Austrian Schilling (ATS)

*Rates as par the time of publication