Austria: An Overview for Travelers

Rarely seen in the headlines these days, Austria was once a dominant power in Europe, and is some times consider a postcard country. Once known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria whose prime location is mainland Europe was a major player in economic, military and political terms. However after World War I the empire was divided by the allies and a much smaller Austria came on the scene. It has developed into a perfect travel and a relocation destination.

Austria is known for many famous people throughout history. Musicians such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven and from the world of psychology Sigmund Freud are a few that have made significant marks on the world. Of course more people know the most famous today as the Governator of California, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger as being born in Austria.

Known officially as the Republic of Austria, it is a small country that has a land mass of 32,000 square miles and has a population of 1.6 million people in the capital city of Vienna. Vienna is known for its beauty and other notable cities are Salzburg and Innsbruck which hosted the winter Olympics at some time. The country is mostly mountainous and its climate is considered continental and offers plenty of rain and snowfall. Summers are breathtaking! The mountains of Austria are exceptionally wonderful. If you need proof, check out the internet or you can simply watch the movie, The Sound of Music.

The total population of “Austrians” is just over 8 million people and only increase at approximately.4 percent a year. The ethnicity of Austrians is about 98 percent German, and there is a small mix from neighboring country natives. So go figure, what is the primary language? You guessed it! It’s German. While 73 percent of Austrians claim Roman Catholic as their faith, 12 percent claim no religious orientation at all. Austria is a very well developed country and the literacy rate is 98 percent, and people seem to live long healthy lives with the average life expectancy of women to be 81.7 years and men on average 75.9 years.

Austria has seen all sides of the power ledge. It has a rich cultural heritage and is a beautiful country definitely worth a visit. Hopefully this overview with entice you to check it out in person and soon.