Everything you need to know about Austria: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Austria: Historical European Country with Architectural Marvels
Austria lies in the heart of Europe, right between Western Europe and the Central-Eastern Europe region. It has a population of just over 8 million people, and the capital city is Vienna. Austria became a democratic, federal republic state immediately after World War II, on May 1945. The Austrian Alps dominate the landscape and provide scenic mountain vistas of ice, snow and lush green forests. The snow and ice of Austria makes it a perfect place for ice sports like skiing and tobogganing. Austria is a small European country full of natural, cultural and historical vistas.
Austria Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures:Geographical Information on Austria:
Austria is a small, predominantly mountainous, landlocked country located in south-central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The Austrian capital Vienna is situated on the Danube River.
Austria enjoys temperate climate having continental, cloudy cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and mountains while summers are moderate with occasional showers.
Austria Government and Economy:
Austrian governance is based on parliamentary democracy comprising nine federal states and is one of six European countries that have declared permanent neutrality from any war bloc. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and joined the European Union in 1995.
The Austrian capital Vienna is home to many international organisations like the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Austria is one of the 10 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita and well-established network of social market economy that provide high standard of living. Until the 1980’s Austria nationalized its prominent industries. Next to a highly developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the Austrian economy.
Culture and Cuisine Of Austria:
Austria has a rich cultural heritage. World-renowned composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart belongs to Austria while the greatest ever musician Franz Schubert also comes from the small country of Austria. Sigmund Freud, the renowned Austrian Psychologist continues to provoke controversy and influence the world intellectuals. In art, the paintings of Gustav Klimt from the late 1800s are widely admired.
Austrian food has a lot in common with German food, but is also influenced by Hungarian and Slav cooking, remnants of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Traditional Austrian cooking is based around meat and potatoes, goulash, pastries, sausages, and dumpling.
Paris, May 18 (IANS) Top seed and defending champion Ding Ning led five Chinese to the quarterfinals of the women's singles event at the World Table Tennis Championships here.
Rome, May 15 (IANS) Women's doubles sixth seeds of Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek-Sands reached the second round of the Rome Masters here.
United Nations, May 13 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release of four Filipino peacekeepers captured by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights last week.
Paris, May 12 (IANS) China's all-conquering table tennis team has been expected to make another clean sweep of titles at the upcoming World Championships, but their head coach said that his top priority is to bring "joy" to French fans.
The 70-year-old singer was performing to a crowd of 47,000 when the creatures crawled on him, reports mirror.co.uk.
Washington, May 8 (IANS/EFE) Thousands of documents and photographs that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and have been stored until now in the house where he lived in Cuba will now become available to the public thanks to a US foundation that has just put them into digital format.
United Nations, May 7 (IANS) Four UN peacekeepers, all from the Philippines, were abducted on the Golan Heights Tuesday by an armed group believed to be the same one to have abducted 21 Filipino peacekeepers two months ago, the United Nations said.
United Nations, May 7 (IANS) Four UN peacekeepers, all from the Philippines, were abducted Tuesday by an unidentified armed group on the Golan Heights, the United Nations said.
Kuala Lumpur, May 7 (IANS) Thai star Thongchai Jaidee's fourth place finish at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters golf over the weekend has propelled him to 59th position on the latest Official World Golf Ranking which puts him in line for a third appearance at the next month's US Open.
London, May 6 (ANI): Sir Paul McCartney has for the first time ever given his live performance of a selection of classic Beatles tracks at the opening night of his world tour in Brazil.
Singapore, May 6 (IANS) Unheralded Daisuke Kataoka of Japan believes his first victory on the Asian Tour will come very soon after an outstanding showing at the Indonesian Masters over the weekend.
New York, May 3 (ANI): Lingerie brand True and Co. has sparked criticism in their attempt to co-opt the acronym "MILF" for it's own promotional purposes.
Budapest, April 26 (IANS) Georgia claimed two gold medals on the opening day of the 2013 European Judo Championships here.
Los Angeles, April 23 (IANS) British singer Rita Ora paid a visit to Viva Mayr clinic in Austria, one of the most gruelling detox camps in the world, to get into "perfect shape" for the summer.
Karachi, April 22 (ANI): An aeronautical engineer has turned his back on his profession and set out across Europe to learn 33 more trades instead.
Yangon, April 21 (IANS) Foreign ministers of the European Union are to meet in Luxembourg Monday to decide on withdrawing all sanctions against Myanmar, exactly a year after the grouping announced suspension of most sanctions for a year except the arms embargo.
Monte Carlo, April 18 (IANS) Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, seeded 13th, easily made his way past second seed and Olympic champion Andy Murray of Britain here at the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament Thursday.
Monte Carlo, April 17 (IANS) Belgian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov caused an upset at the Monte Carlo Masters here by beating eighth seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets.
Vienna, April 13 (IANS) A total of 1.05 million Austrians were at poverty risk in 2011, the latest available figures released in a report revealed.
Vienna, April 11 (IANS) The European Commission wants Austria to pay back 64.2 million euros in funding due to errors made in measuring its agricultural area for the years 2006-08, a media report said.
London, April 10 (IANS) A 5,300-year-old iceman -- dubbed Otzi -- whose remains were found frozen in the Italian Alps, probably never cleaned his teeth, and suffered from bad breath as a result, researchers have said.
Abu Dhabi, April 9 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Austria have held discussions over issues of common interest and explored ways to enhance and develop relations between them.
Washington, April 8 (ANI): The gene at the root of a human blood group that has remained a mystery for the past 60 years has been finally uncovered.
Sydney, Apr. 5 (ANI): Iceland has been named the most welcoming holiday destination in the world, a new study has found
London, April 1 (ANI): Justin Bieber has apparently been forbidden from one of Europe's trendiest nightclubs, in yet another PR controversy for the teenage heartthrob.
London, Apr. 1 (ANI): Austria's Turkish community has claimed a victory in its fight against Danish toy giant Lego.
Vienna, March 29 (IANS) Austria's budget deficit for 2012 has proven significantly lower than the government expected, Statistics Austria said.
Moscow, March 28 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has ratified an inter-governmental agreement with Austria to return a collection of rare books that was brought to the Soviet Union by the Red Army in 1945.
Vienna, March 27 (IANS) Thirty trucks and 70 cars were involved in a traffic accident in Austria. One person was killed and several people were injured in the collision.
London, March 24 (ANI): Arnold Schwarzenegger's mentor Joe Weider has passed away due to heart failure in Los Angeles. He was 93, his publicist said.
Colombo, March 21 (IANS) A demonstration was held outside the US Embassy in Sri Lanka Thursday against the US sponsored resolution scheduled to be discussed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Colombo, March 21 (Xinhua-ANI): A demonstration was held outside the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka on Thursday against the U.S. sponsored resolution scheduled to be discussed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
New York, Mar. 20 (ANI): Tiger Woods' skiing champ girlfriend Lindsey Vonn was spotted avoiding the golfing legend's former wife Elin Nordegren by reportedly staying in his black Mercedes for an hour.
Colombo, March 20 (IANS) The Sri Lankan government decided to reject the final draft of a US resolution submitted at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and seek a vote among members, the external affairs ministry said Wednesday.
Qingdao (China), March 18 (IANS) Reigning Olympic champion Zhang Jike beat German Dimitrij Ovtcharov, bronze winner at the London Games, in straight games at the Asia-Europe Table Tennis All Stars Challenge.
Washington, March 17 (ANI): Ten of the late Princess Diana's evening dresses are set to be auctioned next week at London's fashion auction house, Kerry Taylor.
Qingdao (China), March 16 (IANS) Olympic champion Zhang Jike will compete against the World No. 11 Samsonov Vladimir of Belarus and German ace Ovtcharov Dimitrij in east China's coastal city Qingdao at the 2013 Asia-Europe Table Tennis All Stars Challenge this weekend.
Vienna, March 14 (IANS) Austria's national bank has trimmed the country's economic outlook for the first three months of 2013.
Washington, March 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) World opinion of American leadership has sunk to its lowest level in four years, says a new poll by the Gallup research firm.
London, Mar. 12 (ANI): More than half of Austria's population think it highly likely that the Nazis would be elected if they were readmitted as a party, an opinion poll has revealed.
Johannesburg, Mar 5 (ANI): The SA Institute for Drug-free Sport (SAIDS) has revealed that retroactive EPO (Erythropoietin) testing of 50 cyclists from events in 2012 indicate continued doping in cycling in the country.
Sochi, Feb 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Turin 2006 Olympic champion Ted Ligety said that the Alpine ski run that will host next year's Winter Games is remarkably long.
Vienna, Feb 27 (IANS/EFE) The new film "3096 Tage" (3,096 Days) tells the story of the kidnapping and eight years in captivity of Natascha Kampusch in Austria.
Berlin, Feb 25 (IANS/EFE) German conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch died at his home in the Bavarian city of Grassau, in southern Germany, the Bayerische Staatsoper, or Bavarian State Opera, said Sunday. He was 89.
Chennai, Feb.25 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee is expected to witness the launching of the Indo-French satellite 'SARAL', aimed at oceanographic studies, and six other foreign mini and micro satellites from ISRO's workhorse rocket PSLV from the Sriharikota spaceport today.
Chennai, Feb 23 (IANS) The countdown for the Monday evening launch of an Indian rocket that would sling into orbit the world's first smart phone-operated nano satellite and a space telescope satellite - and five others including an Indo-French satellite - is progressing smoothly, an official of the Indian space agency said.
New York, Feb 22 (ANI): Late Princess Diana's Luxe velvet and bejewelled evening gowns are set to be auctioned in London on March 19.
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The government is committed to the promotion of the interests of overseas Indians and has signed agreements with a number of countries to ensure this, President Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday.
London, Feb 19 (ANI): Natascha Kampusch, who was kidnapped when she was 10 years old, has revealed that she was raped by her kidnapper Wolfgang Priklopil during the eight-and-a-half years she was held captive at his house.
Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) Indian space agency officials are gearing up to make the rocket that would carry seven satellites launch-ready for Feb 25 with a full system check, an official said.
Chennai, Feb 15 (IANS) The Indian space agency will Feb 25 put into orbit seven foreign satellites including an Indo-French collaborative satellite SARAL and thus earn much wanted revenue.
London, Feb 12 (ANI): Lindsay Vonn, a two-time world champion and an Olympic gold medallist in Alpine Ski, has had a successful knee surgery after suffering a horrific crash at the Alpine Ski World Championship in Austria last Sunday.
London, Feb 12 (ANI): Vodafone has warned iPhone 4S owners to avoid the iOS 6.1 upgrade because of reported 3G problems.
Washington, Feb 10 (ANI): Tiger Woods' rumoured girlfriend Lindsey Vonn, who suffered a devastating injury during the Alpine World Championships in Austria, got a bit help from the golfer.
Washington, Feb. 9 (ANI): Tiger Woods provided his private jet to injured skiing champion Lindsey Vonn, so she could fly out of Austria after her devastating crash earlier this week
Berlin, Feb 8 (IANS/DAPD) German chocolate is in high demand abroad. In 2012, the country sold cocoa products worth around $3.6 billion.
New York, Feb. 6 (ANI): Lindsey Vonn, who is rumoured to be dating legendary golfer Tiger Woods, wrecked her knee in a gruesome crash while racing in world championships in Austria on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) India has signed a social security agreement with Austria to encourage movement of people and enhance business and trade engagements.
London, Feb. 5 (ANI): Tiger Woods' "girlfriend" Lindsey Vonn will be surrounded by bodyguards at the Alpine World Ski Championships, as attention on her personal life has intensified due to rumours of her dating the legendary golfer.
Rome, Feb 3 (IANS) Following are the Davis Cup World Group first round results till Saturday:
Luxembourg, Feb 2 (IANS/DAPD) The economic slowdown in Europe has kept unemployment in the eurozone at a record high.
London, Feb 1 (ANI): A house in Austria where Adolf Hitler was born could be used to help integrate immigrants, a charity group has suggested.
London, Jan 31 (IANS) Following are tennis' Davis Cup World Group first round ties from Friday till Sunday:
Milan, Jan 31 (IANS) Inter Milan has officially signed teenaged Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Mateo Kovacic with a fee of around 11 million euros plus a further four million euros in performance-related bonuses.
The Hague, Jan 29 (IANS/EFE) Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she will step down in April after nearly 33 years on the Dutch throne, which means her son Willem-Alexander is set to become the country's first king since the 19th century.
Los Angeles, Jan 28 (IANS) Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger considers himself lucky to have spent his childhood in Austria where he was able to grow up in a playground "that in America people have to create".
Washington, Jan 26 (ANI): As rumours swirl that the Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is in a serious relationship with the divorced golf pro Tiger Woods, both sports stars are staying tight-lipped on the subject and refusing to discuss any personal matters whatsoever.
London, Jan. 24 (ANI): The Turkish community has accused popular toy manufacturer Lego of promoting racism through a Star Wars toy that allegedly depicts a mosque.
London, Jan 24 (ANI): Tiger Woods, who is champion skier Lindsey Vonn, may have been tamed by his new love.
Moscow, Jan 23 (IANS/RIA Novosti) On a trip to Russia, Arnold Schwarzenegger echoed his most famous film role Wednesday, vowing "I'll be back" for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Brussels, Jan.16 (ANI): A GPS error made a Belgian woman drive through six countries for almost 1500 kilometres, before she noticed the malfunctioning car navigation system.
London, Jan. 11 (ANI): Indians have emerged at the top of the list of people working in their dream job.
Los Angeles, Jan 10 (IANS) Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln" is the front-runner for the 85th Academy Awards with 12 citations, while Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" follows close behind with 11 nomination, it was announced here early Thursday morning.
London, Jan. 7 (ANI): Elvis impersonators from across the world are competing in Birmingham to be crowned Europe's king of rock n' roll.
Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) Even with his latest movie "Barfi!" out of the Oscar race, Anurag Basu is not disappointed. He feels better films have made it to the top nine.
Barfi, the official entry of India to this year's Oscar has failed to qualify for the best foreign language film category for the 85th Academy Awards.
Los Angeles, Dec 22 (IANS) Director Anurag Basu's "Barfi!" has failed to qualify for the best foreign language film category for the 85th Academy Awards, according to the latest Oscar shortlist.
London, Dec 21 (IANS) Oman has decided to buy 12 Eurofighter Typhoons, becoming the second Gulf country to opt for the four-nation warjet.
Washington, December 19 (ANI): The more women and men keep to different trades and professions, the more equal is the overall pay average for the two sexes in a country, a large-scale survey of 20 industrialised countries has found.
London, Dec. 13 (ANI): F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that the Turkish Grand Prix, originally slated for 2013, is unlikely to take place next season.
Beijing, Dec 6 (IANS) Beijing will start a 72-hour visa-free stay policy for citizens of 45 countries from Jan 1, 2013. India and Pakistan were excluded from the list.
Sydney, Dec. 4 (ANI): Austria's capital Vienna gives its residents the best quality of life of any city in the world and Baghdad is the worst, according to the latest global survey.
Washington, December 2 (ANI): Yoga appears to be an effective treatment for neck pain and provides added benefits of improved psychological well being and quality of life, researchers say.
Brussels, Dec 1 (IANS/EFE) The unemployment rate for the countries that use the euro inched up in October to a record-high 11.7 percent, compared to 11.6 percent the previous month, Eurostat, the European Union's statistics office, said Friday.
London, Nov 27 (ANI): Russia has been helping out embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad by sending him planeloads of cash, newly released flight logs have shown.
Moscow, Nov 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A Leica M3D camera, owned by Life magazine photographer David Douglas Duncan, was auctioned in Austria for record 1.68 million euros (over $2.182 million), British Journal of Photography reported.
Vienna, Nov 25 (IANS) Scientists have now decoded why some dahlias are black, a rarity, after analyzing as to why the plant displays varying hues, from white to yellow to red to purple.
Innsbruck (Austria), Nov 21 (IANS) Asian Luge champion Shiva Keshavan, who is participating in the Luge World Cup series here this weekend, says that he aims to finish in top 30.
London, Nov 20 (IANS) No matter how much risk it may involve, a lot of people watch pornography in offices, suggests a German expert who has claimed millions of people are surreptitiously viewing porn at the workplace.
London, Nov 20 (ANI): Millions of people are secretly viewing porn on their computers while they are at work, an expert has claimed.
London, Nov 13 (IANS) Pop star Sarah Harding has been photographed kissing and holding hands with DJ Mark One during a stop at a gas station.
Bangalore, Nov 9 (IANS) Dipika Pallikal will lead the Indian challenge in the Women's World Team squash championship to be held in Nimes, France, Nov 12-17.
London, Nov. 9 (ANI): A Russian politician is making a bid to buy the Austrian house where Adolf Hitler was born, to destroy it - thwarting the town mayor's plans to revamp it into luxury apartments.
Geneva, Nov 9 (IANS) Archduke Joseph, one of the rarest and most famous diamonds in the world, with its origin traced to ancient Golconda mines of Andhra Pradesh, is all set to be auctioned on Tuesday.
Geneva, Nov 8 (IANS) Archduke Joseph Diamond, one of the rarest and most famous diamonds in the world, was presented here Thursday by Christie's and was expected to fetch more than $15 million at an auction Nov 13. The diamond's origin is traced to Golconda mines in India.
London, Nov. 7 (ANI): Europe's biggest brothel is set to open on the outskirts of Vienna - with scores of vice girls ready to cater to more than 1,000 people a day.
London, Nov. 4 (ANI): Europe's biggest brothel is set to open on the outskirts of Vienna - with scores of vice girls ready to cater to more than 1,000 people a day.
Pune, Nov 2 (IANS) Davis Cupper Saketh Myneni will clash with Prakash Amritraj for the singles title at the $15,000 Solaris ITF Men's Future Tennis Championships.
London, Oct 27 (ANI): A rare toy figure of Adolf Hitler made for German children to play with, has been revealed by the son of a World War Two soldier for the first time.
London, Oct 25 (ANI): Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who fathered seven children with his own daughter in a homemade dungeon, has divorced his wife for not visiting him in prison.
