country comparison to the world: 15
$290.4 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137
(2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Australia
Telephones - main lines in use:
9.37 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 24
Telephones - mobile cellular:
22.12 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 36
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; significant use of
radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of
mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 61; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the
Middle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine
cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satellite
earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific
Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar,
5 other) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
104 (1997)
Internet country code:
.au
Internet hosts:
11.756 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 10
Internet users:
15.17 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 24
Transportation ::Australia
Airports:
464 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 17
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 325
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 145
914 to 1,523 m: 142
under 914 m: 14 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 139
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 110
under 914 m: 12 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 27,105 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 3,258 km;
oil/gas/water 1 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 37,855 km
country comparison to the world: 7
broad gauge: 142 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 24,409 km 1.435-m gauge (1,094 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 13,304 km 1.067-m gauge (1,193 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 812,972 km
country comparison to the world: 9
paved: 341,448 km
unpaved: 471,524 km (2004)
Waterways:
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling
river systems) (2006)
country comparison to the world: 45
Merchant marine:
total: 50
country comparison to the world: 71
by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 5, chemical tanker 1, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 8,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 24 (Canada 9, France 1, Germany 2, Japan 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Singapore 1, UK 5, US 2)
registered in other countries: 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Belize 1,
Bermuda 1, Dominica 2, Fiji 1, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1, Panama 4,
Singapore 12, Tonga 1, US 1, Vanuatu 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,
Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney
Military ::Australia
Military branches:
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian
Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental
consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in Army combat
units in non-combat support roles (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,999,988
females age 16-49: 4,870,043 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,341,591
females age 16-49: 4,179,659 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 144,959
female: 137,333 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.4% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 69
Transnational Issues ::Australia
Disputes - international:
Timor-Leste and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed
portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon
revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered
by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Timor-Leste hampers
creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia in the Timor
Sea; regional states continue to express concern over Australia's
2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime
identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to
Antarctica; in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to Commission on
the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental
margins covering over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its
seabed roughly 30 percent more than its claimed exclusive economic
zone; since 2003, Australia has led the Regional Assistance Mission
to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order
and reinforce regional security
Illicit drugs:
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate
products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium
poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; major
consumer of cocaine and amphetamines
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Austria (Europe)
Introduction ::Austria
Background:
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent
occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status
remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended
the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade
unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year
declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for
Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and
Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the
meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country,
Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. In
January 2009, Austria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security
Council for the 2009-10 term.
Geography ::Austria
Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 83,871 sq km
country comparison to the world: 113
land: 82,445 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366
km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330
km, Switzerland 164 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and
some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with
occasional showers
Terrain:
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and
northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural resources:
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony,
magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 16.59%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 82.56% (2005)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
84 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%)
per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
Natural hazards:
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil
pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air
pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power
stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria
between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river
is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
People ::Austria
Population:
8,210,281 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.5% (male 609,748/female 581,144)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,785,091/female 2,756,402)
65 years and over: 18% (male 612,613/female 865,283) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 42.2 years
male: 41.1 years
female: 43.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.052% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Birth rate:
8.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
Death rate:
9.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Net migration rate:
1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
Urbanization:
urban population: 67% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 202
male: 5.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.5 years
country comparison to the world: 27
male: 76.6 years
female: 82.56 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Nationality:
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
Ethnic groups:
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes,
Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified
2.4% (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%,
unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
Languages:
German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%,
Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene,
official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3%
(2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.4% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 52
Government ::Austria
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Vienna
geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,
Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),
Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria),
Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
Independence:
976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of
Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12
November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of
the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution:
1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period
1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution
in place
Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in
2007
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2
December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2
December 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held
25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally
chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties
forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the
president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%
note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments
with each state receiving 3 to 12 members in proportion to its
population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National
Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to
be held by September 2013)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe
29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%;
seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court
or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or
Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Josef BUCHER]; Austrian
People's Party or OeVP [Josef PROELL]; Freedom Party of Austria or
FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria
or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]; The Greens [Eva GLAWISCHNIG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but
primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action
other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment
organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional
member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris
Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD,
UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Christian PROSL
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott F.
KILNER
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0
FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag
design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national
banners in the world; according to tradition, following a fierce
battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic
became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or
sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination
was subsequently adopted as his banner
Economy ::Austria
Economy - overview:
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of
living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's.
Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial
sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector.
Following several years of solid foreign demand for Austrian exports
and record employment growth, the global economic downturn in 2008
led to a recession that is likely to persist through 2009. The
government's stabilization measures could increase the budget
deficit to about 2.8% of GDP in 2009 and above 3% in 2010, from
about 0.6% in 2008. The Austrian economy has benefited greatly in
the past from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking
and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern
Europe, but these sectors have been vulnerable to recent
international financial instabilities, and some of Austria's largest
banks have required government support. Even after the global
economic outlook improves, Austria will need to continue
restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy,
and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor
participation to offset its aging population and exceedingly low
fertility rate.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$331.2 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
$324.7 billion (2007 est.)
$313.7 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$414.8 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
3.5% (2007 est.)
3.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$40,400 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
$39,600 (2007 est.)
$38,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 30.7%
services: 67.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
3.633 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 27.5%
services: 67% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
4.4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
5.9% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
26 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 125
31 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Budget:
revenues: $196.4 billion
expenditures: $200.7 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
62.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
64.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
2.2% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.82% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 128
6.3% (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$606.2 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 18
$504.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 34
$228.7 billion (31 December 2007)
$191.3 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle,
pigs, poultry; lumber
Industries:
construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals,
chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,
communications equipment, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Electricity - production:
58.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
Electricity - consumption:
61.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
Electricity - exports:
14.93 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
19.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
24,850 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Oil - consumption:
285,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
Oil - exports:
45,580 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
Oil - imports:
305,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
Oil - proved reserves:
50 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Natural gas - production:
1.532 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Natural gas - consumption:
8.65 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Natural gas - exports:
2.788 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 32
Natural gas - imports:
10.05 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Natural gas - proved reserves:
16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
Current account balance:
$14.27 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
$12.03 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$179.1 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
$162.1 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and
paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Germany 29.5%, Italy 8.6%, US 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$179.2 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
$160.3 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil
and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Germany 44.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$16.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
$18.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$832.8 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 13
$801.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$261.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
$247.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$270 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
$240.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007),
0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications ::Austria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.285 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.816 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 58
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the
mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the
late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone
applications and Internet services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in
addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals)
(2007)
Radio broadcast stations: