The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

- international agreements:

      party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

       Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

       Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

       Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

       Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

       Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

       Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

       Wetlands, Whaling

       signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      Geography - note:

      landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

      People

       Austria

      Population:

      8,205,533 (July 2008 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 14.8% (male 621,326/female 592,131) 15–64 years: 67.5% (male 2,783,531/female 2,753,389) 65 years and over: 17.7% (male 599,415/female 855,741) (2008 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 41.7 years male: 40.7 years female: 42.8 years (2008 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      0.064% (2008 est.)

      Birth rate:

      8.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Death rate:

      9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Net migration rate:

      1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 79.36 years male: 76.46 years female: 82.41 years (2008 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      0.3% (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      10,000 (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

      Nationality:

      noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian

      Ethnic groups:

      Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)

      Religions:

      Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

      Languages:

      German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

      Education expenditures:

      5.4% of GDP (2005)

      Government

       Austria

      Country name:

      conventional long form: Republic of Austria

       conventional short form: Austria

       local long form: Republik Oesterreich

       local short form: Oesterreich

      Government type:

      federal republic

      Capital:

      name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

      Administrative divisions:

      9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,

       Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),

       Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria),

       Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

      Independence:

      976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

      National holiday:

      National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

      Constitution:

      1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934–1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place

      Legal system:

      civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      Suffrage:

      16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007

      Executive branch:

      chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

      Legislative branch:

      bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20

      Judicial branch: