2. How well do you know about Austria?
What is the capital of Austria?
Vienna
Which is the official language of Austria?
German
What is the currency of Austria?
Euro
What is the traditional Austrian food?
Schnitzel
What are the famous mountains of
Austria?
Alps
How many states does Austria have?
9
3. INTERESTING FACTS
Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria in 1889.
He relocated to Germany in 1913
Ferdinand Porsche, who is the founder of the German sports
car company ‘Porsche’, was from Austria
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Hollywood actor, grew up in
Austria
Austrians are very proud of being the home of Mozart!
Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was
from Vienna. You can visit his former home and office there.
The waltz (a ballroom and folk dance) first appeared in
Austria, suburbs of Vienna, in the 17th century
The energy drink “Red Bull” was created in Austria. It is now
the single highest-selling energy drink on the planet.
4. GEOGRAPHY
Location: Central Europe
Austria is a small, mountainous
and land-locked country
62% of Austria is covered by the
Austrian Alps
Border countries: Czech
Republic, Germany, Hungary,
Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia,
Slovenia and Switzerland
9 provinces: Upper Austria,
Lower Austria, Styria, Carinthia,
Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg,
Burgenland and Vienna
5. BACKGROUND
Population: over 8,7 million
Area: 83,879 km2 (about twice size of
Switzerland)
GDP: $461.432 billion (2018)
Capital and the largest city: Vienna
(1/4 of the population)
Official and national language:
(Austrian) German
Currency: Euro (since 2002)
Austria is regularly named as one of
the countries with the highest
standard of living in the world.
6. HISTORY
1804 1867-1918 1938 1955 1995
The
foundation
of Austrian
Empire
Austro-
Hungarian
Empire or
the Dual
Monarchy
and its
collapse
Anschluss -
annexation of
Austria into
Nazi Germany
The Austrian
State Treaty
reestablished
Austria as an
Independent
Republic
Austria's entry
into the
European
Union
7. LANGUAGES
Official language: (Austrian) German
Second language: Lingua franca and de facto
(spoken by seniors mostly in rural areas)
Significant unofficial languages:
Alemannic
- Language spoken (main dialect) in Vorarlberg
Austro-Bavarian
- The main native language of outside Vorarlberg
Minority languages:
Turkish (2,3%)
Serbian (2,2%)
Croatian (2,5%)
Slovenian and Hungarian
8. ECONOMY
Austria is one of the 14 richest countries in
the world in terms of GDP per capita
($51,320 in 2018)
Tourism accounts for around 10 % of GDP
The Service sector forms about 2/3 of the
GDP ( 62,79% in 2017)
Trade and Industry make up 1/3 of the GDP
(25,27% in 2017)
Agriculture contributes about 2 %.
Trade with other EU countries accounts for
almost 66% of Austrian imports and exports.
Unemployment rate: 4.8% (Eurostat 2018)
9. RELIGION
Christianity is the predominant religion in Austria
As of 2018, the number of Catholics has dropped to
56.9% of the population
In contrast, due to the immigration, the number
of Muslims in Austria has increased especially by
immigrants from Turkey and the Balkans
Eastern Orthodoxy has also grown rapidly mainly due
to the immigration of Serbs from the former
Yugoslavia and Romanians
Religious freedom is highly respected in Austria. Every
child over the age of 14 is free to decide their religion.
The state pays for religious education for every child,
regardless of their faith.
10. POLITICS
State type: Federal parliamentary republic
Head of State: (President) Alexander Van
der Bellen since 26 January 2017
Head of Government: (Chancellor)
Sebastian Kurz
Political parties:
Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)
Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ)
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)
The New Austria and Liberal Forum
(NEOS)
Peter Pilz List (PILZ)
The Greens – The Green Alternative
(GRÜNE)
11. ETHNIC MINORITIES
Turks (about 3%)
- the largest ethnic minority
- including Turkish Kurds
- Federal Germans (2,7%)
Indigenous ethnic groups :
- Serbs ( 2,2%)
- (Carinthian) Slovenes (o,5%)
- Slovaks (0,4%)
- Czechs (0,4%)
- (Burgerland) Croats ( about 0,3%)
- Hungarians (0,2%)
- Romani people (0,1%)
12. CULTURE
For men, the most traditional piece of clothing
is lederhosen (leather trousers)
For women, a dirndl is the most popular clothing
Traditional Austrian dress is not commonly worn
except on special occasions
In Vienna and other large cities:
- wearing anything that is too revealing or makes
you stand out is frowned upon
- the dress is fairly formal and shorts are quite
uncommon
Before entering churches, government buildings
or business meetings, be sure to dress in a more
conservative and formal manner.
13. Customs and Traditions
The International Institute for Market and Social
Analysis (IMAS) results of a survey show that many
Austrians see traditions as very important and
9 out of 10 Austrians think that protecting Austrian
traditions and keeping them alive is vital.
Easter Egg battle
Autumn Cow train
Stealing the BrideScary mask processions
14. Music in Austria
Austria, especially Vienna is the current home
and historic birthplace of Classical music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn,
Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Anton
Bruckner found their origins and inspirations
there.
The Musikverein in Vienna is considered to be
one of the three finest concert halls in the world
The Vienna State Opera is one of the most
important opera companies in the world
The Vienna Boys' Choir is one of the best known
boys' choirs in the world.
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that was
developed in the Austrian Alps
15. Stereotypes that every Austrian hates
Lederhosen and dirndl
The Sound of Music
Great lovers of Classical music
Mistaken for being German
Austria's northern neighbors think:
Austrians are basically Bavarians but
“unfriendly”
Europeans would depict Austrians as:
fair-haired, serious, standoffish, hardworking
and lacking in any sense of humor
Many Germans think:
the country's craggy landscape reflects the
personalities of its inhabitants - cold, severe,
rigid people
Sign at Salzburg Airport.
