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General Information
Austria with its Provinces
 Austria with its Provinces
General Data
Total area of Austria: 83,859 km2 (32,378 sq.mi.)
Location: Central Europe
Population (Statistic Austria 2004): 8.1 million
Employment rate (Statistic Austria 2004): 48,8%
Capital: Vienna
Neighboring Countries
Austria shares borders with Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Language
Austria’s official language is German. English is taught as the second language in schools and is understood and spoken by most Austrians. The majority of film and television industry professionals are fluent in English, many speak additional languages.
Religion
About 78% of Austrians are Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant (predominantly Lutheran), 4.5% practice other religions, 9% are atheist and 3.5% do not give any information.
Political System
After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (1918/19) Austria became a republic. According to her constitution, Austria is a federal state based on a parliamentary democracy. The head of government is the President elected by the people. Every four years the people elect the National Assembly, the legislative body of the republic. The political parties are represented proportionally in the National Assembly and form the Federal Government.
Compared internationally, Austria is known for its high political, economic, and social stability. A low crime rate makes Austria one of the safest countries in the world.
Austria joined the European Union (EU) in 1995 and is also a member of the United Nations (UNO) as well as several UN subsidiaries. The Vienna International Center is home of the UNO, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), among others.
With the admission of 10 more countries to the EU in May 2004, Austria moved back into the center of Europe.
The Austrian Government
Austrias Economy
Austria features one of the most attractive, competition-friendly economic frameworks in all of Europe built on know-how, quality, advanced technology, sophisticated infrastructure, EU membership, vicinity to Eastern Europe and other important elements. According to the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2009 (IMD), Austria is the country with the second highest standard of living, one of the best health care systems, and it belongs to the safest countries in the world.
Austria’s memberships in the European Union and the European Economic Area and the European Monetary Union guarantee continuous economic and socio-economic growth.
Cost of living in Austria is European average. According to a study for Eurostat about the living expenses in European cities, the cost of living in Paris is about 10% higher than in Vienna, in London even 40% more.
Details on the advantages of business development in Austria can be found at the Austrian Business Agency.
Currency/Payment
The Euro is Austria’s only valid currency since 2002.
1 Euro (€) = US$ 1.41 (as of September 2007)
1 Euro (€) = 100 Cent
Currently, the following coins and bills are in circulation: Coins: 1,2,5,10,20,50 Cent; 1 and 2 Euro Bills: 5,10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro
Currency Chart
Most hotels, restaurants and businesses accept credit cards (American Express, Visa, Eurocard/MasterCard and Diners Club). All common currencies can be exchanged at banks, post offices, at airports, in bigger hotels, tourist offices and other currency exchange locales.
A network of ATM machines, most of which allow cash advances on credit cards, can be found across the entire country. Currency exchange machines are available in some cities. There is no restriction on cash amounts being imported to or exported from Austria.
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