Austria is rich in heritage and culture. It has been home to many great artists, musicians, philosophers and authors. Much of this impressive heritage is still alive and thriving in Austria today. The natural and cultural beauty and variety make Austria a small jewel in the heart of Europe. The country of Austria is situated in southern Central Europe, covering a part of the eastern Alps and the Danube region and, although land-locked, it borders on the Mediterranean area. The country has a wide variety of landscape, vegetation and climate, and situated as it is at the heart of a continent, it has always been a junction for communication links between the trade and cultural centers of Europe. Austria is a federal state with a total area of 32,368 sq. miles (83,858 sq. km) and consists of nine provinces - Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vienna and Vorarlberg. 98% of Austria's population is German-speaking. According to the latest population statistics (1999) Austria has a population of 8.09 million, which represented an increase of some 300,000 since 1991. 78% of the Austrian population are Roman Catholics, while a further 5% are Protestants, most of them belonging to the Augsburg confession. About 4.5% belong to other groups while the remaining 9% are non-denominational and 3.5% provided no information (figures according to the 1991 national census)

Country Officer
John Spilane
jspilane@comcast.net