Austria

Once the center of Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality.

Capital City: Vienna (+1 GMT)

Chief of State: President Heinz FISCHER

Head of Govt.: Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe)

Currency: Euro

Main Cities: Graz, Linz, Salzburg,

Major Languages: German

Calling Code: 43

Voltage: 220V

Stock Exchanges: Wiener Borse AG

Primary Religions: Roman Catholic

Main Airports

Innsbruck (INN) (Kranebitten), Salzburg (SZG) (Maxglan), Vienna (VIE) (Wien-Schwechat)

U.S. Embassy

Boltzmanngasse 16, Vienna 1091
tel. (43) (1) 313-39

Statistics

GDP: purchasing power parity:

$267.6 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.9% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity:

32,700 (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

3.49 million (2005 est.)

Exports:

$122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - partners:

Germany 31.3%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.9%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2%, UK 4% (2005)

Imports:

$118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - partners:

Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005)

Population:

8,192,880 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.09% (2006 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line:

5.9% (2004)

Major Industries:

construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism

Employing Workers: 103*

Registering Property: 28*

Enforcing Contracts: 14*

Closing a Business: 19*

*2006 World Bank rank out of 175 countries