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Austria

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Austria is a landlocked country located in Central Europe. This means it is surrounded by land and has no ocean nearby. The country sits inside the Eastern Alps mountain range.

Oesterreich topo
Oesterreich topo

It shares borders with many different neighbors. Germany is to the northwest and the Czech Republic is to the north. Slovakia sits to the northeast, while Hungary is to the east. To the south, you will find Slovenia and Italy. Switzerland and Liechtenstein are located to the west.

EU-Austria
EU-Austria

The country is made up of nine different states. Vienna is the capital city and is also the most populous state.

Many different groups of people have lived here for a very long time. People have inhabited this area since at least the Paleolithic period. Around 400 BC, Celtic tribes lived in the region. Later, the Roman Empire took control of the land in the late 1st century BC.

Roman Empire 125
Roman Empire 125

The Romans created provinces like Noricum, Raetia, and Pannonia. One important place was Carnuntum, which was a capital city. It was home to about 50,000 people for nearly 400 years. After the Roman period, many Germanic tribes arrived in the area.

Austria became a very strong power through its ruling families. The Habsburg monarchy was the heartland of the country starting in the late 13th century.

HRR 14Jh
HRR 14Jh

This family helped Austria become a major imperial power in Central Europe. In 1804, the Empire of Austria was founded. Later, the country and Hungary joined together to form Austria-Hungary in 1867. This was a time of great change for the region. The country also became famous as a birthplace for classical music. Famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven lived or worked in this area.

History brought many difficult times and big changes to the country. After the defeat in World War I, the empire collapsed. This led to the start of the First Austrian Republic in 1919. In 1934, the country had a dictatorship under Engelbert Dollfuss. A year before World War II, Nazi Germany annexed Austria.

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500, Wien, Heldenplatz, Rede Adolf Hitler
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500, Wien, Heldenplatz, Rede Adolf Hitler

After the country was liberated in 1945, it was occupied by Allied forces for ten years. Finally, in 1955, Austria regained its sovereignty. The nation decided to stay neutral, which means it does not join military alliances.

Today, Austria is a modern and wealthy democracy. It is a semi-presidential republic with a president and a chancellor.

Wien - Parlamentsgebäude
Wien - Parlamentsgebäude

The people have a high standard of living. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955. It also joined the European Union in 1995.

Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081)
Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081)

The country uses the euro as its money.

Eurozone Internal
Eurozone Internal

Many international groups have offices here. For example, the United Nations has an office in Vienna.

Uno City Kaiserwasser
Uno City Kaiserwasser
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🖼️ Images & Media (43)
Land der Berge Land am Strome instrumental.ogg
File:EU-Austria (orthographic projection).svg
EU-Austria (orthographic projection).svg
File:EU-Austria.svg
EU-Austria.svg
File:2011-07-09 gasometer 28.JPG
2011-07-09 gasometer 28.JPG
File:Roman Empire 125.png
Roman Empire 125.png
File:HRR 14Jh.jpg
HRR 14Jh.jpg
File:Anonym Entsatz Wien 1683.jpg
Anonym Entsatz Wien 1683.jpg
File:Congress of Vienna.PNG
Congress of Vienna.PNG
File:Deutscher Bund.svg
Deutscher Bund.svg
File:Austria Hungary ethnic.svg
Austria Hungary ethnic.svg
File:German Austria (1918) en.svg
German Austria (1918) en.svg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500, Wien, Heldenplatz, Rede Adolf Hitler.jpg
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500,...

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