Austria

Austria

Brief information about the country

Оfficial name:  Republic of Austria

Location:  A state in the centre of Europe.  It  borders on Czech republic in the north, in the north-east   — on Slovakia, in the east  — on Hungary, in the south  — on  Slovenia, Italy  and Swiss, in the west — on Lichtenstein, Swiss and Germany. 

Сapital city:   Vienna

Big cities:  Graz, Linz, Saltsburg, Innsbruck.

The area: 83 871 sq.km.

Population: 8,26 mln.  people.  The largest ethnic group  - German-speaking Austrians  - around  88,6 % of the population.

Climate:   Moderate, semi-continental.  The average temperature in January  -1 up to  -5 С, аnd in Summer  15-18 С, and in the South –up to  25-27 С.  In the highlands snow lies up to  7-8 months.

Official language: German

Political structure:  Federative republic.  There are 9 federal areas in Austria:  Burgenland  (administrative centre  - Eisenstadt), Vienna, Upper Austria - Oberosterreich (Linz), Saltsburg  (Saltsburg), Каrnten (Кlagenfurt), Niederosterreich (Sankt-Poeltic), Tirol  (Innsbruck), Forarlberg (Bregenz), Steiermark (Graz). 

The head of the country is the  president, elected for  6 years.  The government is led by the chancellor.  The members of the government are appointed by the president.Austria is a member of the EU from the  1st of  January 1995. And it is included into the Schengen zone as well.

Time:  2 hours behind the Moscow time.

How to get  there:  There are flights from Moscow to Vienna with the «Аeroflot» airlines  and  Аustrian Airlines.  There is a train from the Byelorussian train station to Vienna.

Currency:   Euros  (the exchange rate on the 2nd of August  2007: 1 Euro = 34,9774 Rubles

Religion: 73,6%  of Austrians  -  Catholics, 4,7% -  Protestants, 6,5% of the population refers to another religious confessions. 

Holidays:
1 anuary  -  New Year
6  January  -  Three Hallowers
1 May  -  Easter Monday 
15  August  - Ascension,  Whit Monday,  Assumption
26  October  -  National Day 
1  November  - Halloween
25  December  - Christmas
26 December -  St. Stephan’s day