AUSTRIA

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Austria is bounded on the north by Germany and the Czech Republic; on the northeast by Slovakia; on the east by Hungary; on the south by Slovenia, Italy, and Switzerland; and on the west by Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Austria is predominantly a mountainous country, with an average elevation of about 910. Most of the land falls within the eastern division of the Alps. In general the major mountain ranges of Austria run in an east-west direction and are separated from one another by rather broad valleys. The northernmost line of ranges includes the North Tirol Alps and the Salzburg Alps. Among the central ranges is the Hohe Tauern, which culminates in the Grossglockner, the highest elevation in the country; the Pasterze Glacier, one of Europe’s largest, descends from the Grossglockner peak. The southernmost ranges include the Ötztal Alps, the Zillertaler Alps, the Carnic Alps, and the Karawanken Mountains. Besides these east-west ranges, several series of mountain spurs extend in a north-south direction. The mountain barriers of Austria are broken in many places by passes, including the Brenner Pass in the west and the Semmering Pass in the east. The Brenner Pass, which has been used since Roman times, is famous as the historic gateway to Italy from northern Europe. The areas of Austria not within the Alps are primarily in the north and east. In northern and eastern Austria the Alps descend to an area of low hills, gentle slopes, and many lakes. In the east the area of the Danube basin includes Vienna and a plain that extends into Slovakia. The northern section consists of rolling upland. The principal river of Austria is the Danube, one of Europe’s great rivers. It enters Austria at Passau on the German border and continues its southeastern course, past Linz and Vienna, to Bratislava on the Slovakian border. Austrian tributaries of the Danube include the Inn, Traun, Enns, and Ybbs rivers. In the south, important rivers are the Mur and the Mürz. In addition to the rivers, Austria has numerous lakes, notably Bodensee in Vorarlberg, which forms part of the border with Germany and Switzerland, and Neusiedler Lake in Burgenland, on the border with Hungary. The lake is the country’s lowest elevation point. Austria’s lakes, especially those near Salzburg, contribute to the country’s beauty and the diversity of its landscape. Austria has sizable deposits of iron ore, lignite, magnesite, graphite, petroleum, and natural gas. Some small deposits of bituminous coal have been mined, as well as lead, zinc, copper, kaolin, gypsum, mica, quartz, salt, bauxite, antimony, and talc.
AGRICULTURE: Of the total land area, 17 percent is cultivated. Many Austrian farms are under 10 hectares in size. Austria’s farms satisfy most of the country’s food needs, and some surpluses, such as dairy products, are exported. The principal agricultural regions are north of the Alps and in the Danube River basin. Farmers grow crops, raise cattle, and plant orchards and vineyards in these areas. Membership in the European Union required Austria to lower its agricultural prices, and farm income dropped as a result. Major products in 2005 were sugar beets, maize, wheat, barley, potatoes, grapes, and other fruit. Annual milk production was about 3.3 billion liters. Livestock included 3.1 million pigs, 2 million cattle, 327,000 sheep, and 85,000 horses.
ENERGY: Austria has numerous hydroelectric installations, which together produced 59 percent of the country’s electrical output in 2003. Austria generated a total of 55.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Substantial amounts of hydroelectricity were exported to other European countries, but Austria was forced to import natural gas from eastern Europe, as well as crude petroleum, to meet its energy needs.
TOURISM: With the famous Alps and a wealth of cultural and recreational facilities, Austria is one of the world’s top tourist destinations. A premier winter sports area, the country also has summer music festivals, lake resorts, medicinal spas, and many museums and other attractions. In 2004 some 19 million people from other countries visited Austria. More than half of these tourists were from Germany, with the rest coming primarily from Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States. An important part of the Austrian national economy, tourists spent $15.4 billion in the country in 2004.