Rotary Youth Exchange

Learn About the Countries: Austria

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.

Country Officer

John Spilane
jspilane@comcast.net

Places of Interest in Austria

The Alps- Skiing, Snowboarding, Hiking
Vienna (heart of Europe)- St. Stephen's Cathedral, Schönbrunn Palace, Lippizaner Stallions.
Salzburg- Mozart’s birthplace, Mirabell Palace, Marionette Theater

Interesting Facts about Austria

Land area is slightly smaller than Maine
Most people in Austria are not like the characters in ‘The Sound of Music’
The German word for Austria: Österreich
Great foods including: ‘Wiener Schnitzel, breads, and marzipan’
Vienna (Wien) is the capital of Austria

Austria Links of Interest

The official Austrian Website in the U.S. Here you will find useful and exciting information about Austria and much more…
Embassy information, including visa and passport requirements.
Fun Facts, Maps, Flag information about Australia
Miscellaneous information and helpful links to other useful Austrian information- need to dig a little, though.

Other Austria Information

This is a very popular country choice and we can only send one student per year. Also, there are some additional charges required for this country including the mandatory three-week intensive German language training session and any visa/passport fees.