What adjectives can describe Austria. Political and economic situation in Austria. Flora and fauna

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Plan. 1. Business card 2. EGP of Austria 3. Historical reference. 4. Economy of the country. 5. Nature 1) Relief 2) Climate 3) Natural resources 4) Minerals 5) Fauna 6) Environment 6. Population. 1) Ethnic composition 2) Demographic situation 3) Population distribution structure 4) Religion 5) Education 6) Mass media 7) National holidays 8) Taxation. 7. Economy. 8. Geography of foreign economic relations Political and economic situation in Austria. Austria - a small country located in the center of Europe, consists of 9 federal states: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Burgerland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Vienna and Salzburg. The city of Vienna - the capital of Austria - is administratively equated with the lands. The division of the country into lands has developed historically: almost every land is a former independent feudal possession. In fact, modern Austria is a centralized state. Austria has no access to the sea. Here, on an area of 84 thousand square meters. km is home to about 11 million people, i.e. less than in Greater London. The geographical position of Austria contributes to its communication with other European countries, of which it directly borders on seven: in the east - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, in the west - Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein. This provides Austria with favorable transport and geographical conditions for mutually beneficial trade with neighboring countries. The territory of Austria is elongated in the form of a wedge, strongly narrowed in the west and expanded in the east. This configuration of the country resembles, according to some, a bunch of grapes. The largest cities are Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg. The position in the center of Europe makes Austria the crossroads of a number of trans-European meridional routes (from the Scandinavian countries and the states of central Europe through the Brenner and Semmering Alpine passes to Italy and other countries). Serving the transit traffic of goods and passengers gives Austria certain income in foreign currency. In addition, as it is easy to establish on a physical map, the state borders of Austria for the most part coincide with natural boundaries - mountain ranges or rivers. Only with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (for a short distance) do they pass on almost flat terrain. When our compatriot, on his way to Austria by train, crosses the Czech-Austrian border in the northeastern corner of the country, he is somewhat disappointed. Where is Alpine Austria? All around, as far as the eye can see, is a flat, treeless plowed plain, like a table. In some places, green islands of orchards and vineyards flash, brick houses and lonely trees on the borders and along the roads. Plains and rolling lowlands extend far south from here along the entire border with Hungary and occupy 20% of the territory. But having reached Vienna, we find ourselves in a natural environment more typical of Austria: mountains, the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald) - the northeastern outpost of the mighty Alps and the elevated, hilly, wide and open Danube valley, rising noticeably in a westerly direction. If you climb one of the peaks of the Vienna Woods, for example, Kahlenberg (“Bald Mountain”), then far to the north and northwest in a blue haze beyond the Danube you can see the low, ridged, forested, granite ridges of Sumava, only some of the peaks of which rise somewhat above 700 meters. This ancient hill occupies 1/10 of the country's territory. Undoubtedly, the Alps are the dominant landscape in Austria, they (together with the foothills) occupy 70% of the country's area. This is the Eastern Alps. So it is customary to call a part of the Alpine mountain system lying to the east of the Upper Rhine valley, along which the state border with Switzerland passes here. What is the difference between the Eastern Alps and the Western Alps? To the east of the Rhine fault, the Alpine ranges take on a latitudinal direction, begin to diverge as if like a fan and decline. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western Alps, they are more accessible. There are fewer glaciers here, and the largest ones are about half as long as in Switzerland. In the Eastern Alps there are more meadows and especially forests, and the Eastern Alps are much richer in minerals than the Western ones. If you cross the Alps from north to south, it is easy to see that the geological structure and composition of the rocks composing them are located symmetrically with respect to the axial zone. This zone is the highest and most powerful group of ridges covered with glaciers and snows, among which stand out the High Tauern with the highest point of the country - the two-headed peak Glosglockner (“Big Zvonar”), reaching 3997 m; Ötztal, Stubai, Zillerthai Alps. All of them, together with the ridges adjacent to the west and east, are composed of solid crystalline rocks - granites, gneisses, crystalline schists. The largest glacier - Pastertze - has a length of about 10 km and an area of 32 km 2. To the north and south of the axial zone lie ridges composed of solid sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone and dolomite: the Lichtal Alps, Karwendel, Dachstein, Hochshvat and other ridges of the Northern The limestone Alps up to the aforementioned Vienna Woods in the extreme northeast. In contrast to the peaked peaks of crystalline ridges, limestone mountains are giant blocks with more or less flat, slightly inclined surfaces and almost sheer or even overhanging slopes. The years are mostly bare, there are sinkholes, caves and other forms of karst relief formed by melted rainwater in soluble limestones and dolomites. The peripheral zone of the Alps is formed by low, soft-shaped peaks and slopes of the Prealps, composed of loose sedimentary rocks. And within Austria, this zone is well expressed in the north, and in the south it is absent. One of the features of the Alps is that they are dissected by deep and wide transverse valleys, due to which the deep parts of the Alps are relatively easily accessible, and low convenient passes make it possible to cross the country from north to south without much difficulty in a number of places. Thus, the famous Brenner Pass has a height of 1371 m, and the Semmering Pass - 985 m. It is no coincidence that railways have long been laid through the Alpine passes, and some of them without tunnels. Historical reference. In ancient times and in the early Middle Ages, many different tribes passed through the lands of modern Austria, located at the crossroads of important trade routes, the main of which was the Danube route. Some of them left their mark on the ethnogenesis of the Austrian people; a noticeable influence on the formation of the Austrian ethnic community was exerted by the Celts, who settled here in the 5th-6th centuries BC. The conquest of Austrian lands by the Romans, which began in the 2nd century BC, led to the gradual Romanization of the local Celtic population. Administratively, these lands were included in different Roman provinces: Pannonia - in the east, Noricum - in the center, Rezia - in the West. Of great importance for the history of Austria was the settlement of its lands in the centuries by Germanic (Bavars, Alemans) and Slavic (mainly Slovenes) tribes. On the basis of the predominantly Germanic tribes of the Bavarians and Alemans, who merged with some Slavic and with the remnants of the Celtic and other tribes of the early Middle Ages, an Austrian ethnic community was formed. In the 7th-8th centuries, the lands of present-day Austria did not yet constitute a single whole, but were part of various European states: the western and northern (with a German population) - in the Bavarian Duchy, the eastern (with a Slavic population) - in the Slavic state Carantania. At the end of the 8th century, both of these states were included in the Frankish Empire of Charlemagne, and after its partition in 843, they became part of the German East Frankish kingdom. In the 7th-10th centuries, the lands of modern Austria were subjected to devastating raids by nomads, first by the Bavarians (VIII century), and then by the Hungarians (IX-X centuries). In the second half of the 10th century, on the territory of modern Upper and Lower Austria, the Bavarian Eastern Mark was formed, which became known as Ostarrichi (Austria). It was she who subsequently became the core of the Austrian state. In the XII century, Austria, like many other European states, became part of the "Holy Roman Empire". In the 15th century, almost all of its modern lands were included in the Austrian state, with the exception of Salzburg and Burgenland. However, this political association was still unstable, its borders often changed, and the regions that were part of the state were interconnected only by dynastic ties. In the XII-XV centuries, Austria was one of the economically prosperous countries in Europe. The development of feudalism in Austria was distinguished by some peculiarities. Until the 15th century, the feudal dependence of the peasants was much weaker in it than in neighboring countries; the enslavement of the peasants took place here more slowly because of the long population movements and the raids of the nomads. In the mountain pastoral regions, especially in Tyrol, a free peasantry remained, united in rural communities. In the 15th century, Austria became not only the economic, but also the political center of the "Holy Roman Empire", and its dukes - the Habsburgs - became emperors. Against the backdrop of a general economic and political upsurge, the culture of medieval Austrian cities also flourished, primarily Vienna, then Graz and Linz. The foundation in 1365 of the University of Vienna was of great importance. In the 16th century, Austria led the struggle of the countries of southeastern Europe against the Turkish invasion. Taking advantage of the weakening of the Czech Republic and Hungary in the wars with the Turks, Austria included most of their territories in its possessions, starting from that time to turn into a multinational state. During this period, the country's economy is becoming stronger and developing. In the mining industry (extraction of iron and lead ores in Tyrol, Styria, Upper Austria), the emergence of capitalist relations began already in the 16th century. The first manufactories also appeared in the production of velvet, silk, and luxury goods. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the Austrian Habsburgs continued to expand their possessions: the entire territory of Hungary, almost all of Croatia and Slavia, the Southern Netherlands, some regions of Italy, a number of Polish and Ukrainian lands were annexed to Austria. In terms of area, Austria began to occupy the second place in Europe after Russia. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, feudal-absolutist Austria was a stronghold of Catholic reaction in Europe. She was the initiator of the intervention against revolutionary France, and later participated in all anti-French coalitions, led the struggle against the revolutionary movement in Europe. The defeat of Napoleonic France in the European wars of the early 19th century further strengthened Austria's external position. By decision of the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815. she was not only returned the lands conquered by Napoleon, but also given the region of Northern Italy in exchange for the southern Netherlands. In the second half of the 19th century, Austria lost its hegemony in European affairs. The struggle with Prussia for supremacy among the German states ended with the defeat of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The creation of the union of German states (1867) took place under the auspices of Prussia and without the participation of Austria. In 1867 Austria became the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Austrian and Hungarian ruling classes entered into an alliance for the exploitation and suppression of the resistance of other peoples. At the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century, changes took place in the foreign policy of Austria: not having achieved hegemony among the German states that were united by Prussia in 1871, Austria launched an offensive in the Balkans, which led to an aggravation of relations with Russia and rapprochement with Germany. In 1882, the so-called Tripartite Alliance was concluded between Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy, which acted in the First World War of 1914 against the Entente countries. In 1918, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy broke up into three states - Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary: in addition, part of its lands became part of Romania, Yugoslavia and Poland. In 1938, Nazi German troops occupied Austria. The entire economy of the country was subordinated to the military needs of Germany. Austria participated in World War II as part of Germany. In March 1945, Soviet troops crossed the Austrian border. On April 13 they entered Vienna and shortly thereafter the Soviet Army and allied forces liberated the entire country. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, under an agreement between the USSR, the USA, England and France, the entire territory of Austria was temporarily divided into 4 zones of occupation. On the initiative of the Soviet Union, in 1955 the State Treaty on the Restoration of an Independent and Democratic Austria was signed and the occupation ended. In the same year, the Austrian parliament passed a law on the permanent neutrality of Austria. A country's economy. Austria is one of the most developed countries in Europe. In recent years, the country's economy has been developing at an accelerated pace. The largest foreign investor is Germany (about 30% of investments). The volume of industrial production increased in 1995 by 4.6% and reached 334.5 billion shillings. The leading industries are mechanical engineering, metallurgy, as well as chemical, pulp and paper, mining, textile and food industries. One third of the volume of industrial production falls on the state sector of the economy. Austria has a productive agriculture. Almost all types of agricultural products necessary to provide for the population are produced. The most important branch of agriculture is animal husbandry. Foreign tourism is one of the most profitable sectors of the Austrian economy. Annual receipts from foreign tourism are over 170 billion shillings. Austria trades with more than 150 countries worldwide. About 65% of exports and 68% of imports come from the countries of the European Union. The main trading partners are Germany (40%), Italy, Switzerland. Russia accounts for only 1.5%. The country's gold and foreign exchange reserves in 1994 amounted to 218 billion shillings. In terms of per capita income, Austria ranks 9th in the world. The rise in prices for consumer goods in 1995 amounted to 2.3%. The unemployment rate was 6.5%. NATURE. 1. Relief. The main thing that determines the natural features of almost the entire territory of Austria is the Alps. Their white-headed peaks are visible in the country from everywhere. Almost ½ of the country is occupied by the Eastern Alps, which are lower and wider than the Western ones. The border between them coincides with the western border of Austria and runs along the valley of the upper Rhine. The Eastern Alps have fewer glaciers and more forests and meadows than the Western Alps. The highest point in Austria - Mount Grossglockner in the High Tauern - does not reach 4 thousand meters. (3797 m). From the highest peaks flows the largest glacier of the Eastern Alps - Pasierze - over 10 km long. Other peaks of the crested granite-gneiss zone of the mountains - the Ötztal, Stubai, Zillertal Alps - are also covered with snow and ice. In this crystalline zone, the so-called alpine landforms are most pronounced - sharp ridges, steeply walled valleys plowed by glaciers. To the north and south of the ridge zone is the famous ice - Eisriesenwelt (world of ice giants) in the Tennengebirge mountains, south of Salzburg. The very names of the mountain ranges speak of the inhospitability and wildness of these places: Totes-Gebirge (meter-high mountains), Hellen-Gebirge (hellish mountains), etc. The limestone Alps to the north pass into the Pre-Alps, descending in steps to the Danube. These are low ridged mountains, overgrown with forests, in some places their slopes are plowed up, and wide sunny valleys are quite densely populated. If it is appropriate to compare the geologically young Alps with the Caucasus, then the mountains lying on the other, left side of the Danube, resemble the Urals. These are the southern spurs of the Šumava, part of the ancient Bohemian massif, almost to the base, destroyed by time. The height of this border hill is only 500 meters and only in a few places does it reach 1000 meters. Areas with a calm relief, flat or hilly lowlands occupy only about 1/5 of the country's area. This is, first of all, the Danube part of Austria and the adjacent western outskirts of the Middle Danube Plain. The overwhelming majority of the population lives here and the "center of gravity" of the whole country is located. 2. Climate. Large relief contrasts - from lowlands to snowy mountains - determine the vertical zonality of the climate, soils, and vegetation. Austria has vast areas of fertile land, a warm and rather humid (700-900 mm of precipitation per year) "grape" climate. Everything is in this word: a rather warm, long summer with an average July temperature of + 20 degrees and a warm sunny autumn. On the plains and foothills, a relatively mild winter with an average January temperature of 1-5 degrees. However, a large alpine part of the country is "deprived" of heat. With the rise for every 100 meters, the temperature drops by 0.5 - 0.6 degrees. The snow line is located at an altitude of 2500-2800 meters. Summer in the high mountains is cold, damp, windy, and sleet often falls. In winter, there is even more precipitation here: giant layers of snow accumulate on the slopes of the mountains, which often break off and rush down in avalanches for no apparent reason. crushing everything in its path. Rare winter does without casualties; dwellings, roads, power lines are destroyed... And sometimes in the middle of winter the snow suddenly disappears. So it was, for example, in the days of the "white" Olympics at the beginning of 1976 in the vicinity of Innsburg. Usually snow is "driven" by warm southerly winds - hair dryers. 3. Natural resources. The mountainous part of the country is distinguished by an abundance of clean fresh water. It accumulates in the form of snows and glaciers for most of the year, only to fall down to the Danube in summer in thousands of roaring streams, filling the lake basins along the way. Alpine rivers also determine the regime of the Danube: it is especially abounding in summer, when lowland rivers usually become shallow. The tributaries of the Danube - Inn, Salzach, Enns, Drava - contain large reserves of energy, but all of them are not navigable and are only partially used for timber rafting. There are many lakes in the country, especially in the northern foothills of the Alps and in the south, in the Klagenfurt Basin. They are of glacial origin, their pits are plowed by ancient glaciers; as a rule, lakes are deep, with cold, clear water. This type in the vast Lake Constance, partially owned by Austria. Vegetation zones on the territory of Austria replace one another in the following order: broad-leaved (oak, beech, ash) forests in the Danube valley (though very thinned) are replaced by a mixed forest of foothills. Above 2000 - 2200 m they are replaced by coniferous (mainly spruce-fir, partly pine) forests. Mountain forests are one of the national treasures of Austria. On a vegetation map of Central Europe, the Austrian Eastern Alps look like the only large green island. Among the small Western European states, only Finland and Sweden surpass Austria in forest area. There are especially many forests suitable for industrial exploitation in Upper (mountainous) Styria, for which it is called the “green heart of Austria”. Apparently, it is no coincidence that the color of the flag of the land of Styria, its folk costumes is green. During the German occupation of the Second World War, the Austrian forests suffered enormous damage. Above the forests and sparse dwarf shrubs - subalpine (matta) and alpine (alma) meadows. In the hot summer months, rapid snowmelt in the mountains begins, which leads to large floods, including on the Danube, the level of which sometimes rises by 8-9 m. Nevertheless, the Alps, as “moisture collectors”, are of inestimable importance for Austria: the full-flowing rivers flowing from them, especially the Inn, Enns, Salzach, Drava, serve as the richest sources of inexhaustible water energy. In addition, Austria has large reserves of clean fresh water, concentrated in addition to glaciers and rivers in numerous alpine lakes (the predominance of lakes in the Salzkammergut area). In addition to this, Austria owns the southeastern part of the large and deep Lake Constance on the western outskirts of the country and almost entirely the shallow lake Neusiedler See on its eastern outskirts. 4. Minerals. In Austria, the set of minerals is quite diverse, but among them there are very few of those whose value would go beyond the borders of the country. An exception is magnesite, which is used for the production of refractories and, to some extent, for the production of metallic magnesium from it. Magnesite occurs in the Styrian, Carinthian and Tyrolean Alps. There are very few energy resources. These are very modest deposits of oil (23 million tons) and natural gas (20 billion tons). cubic meters) in Lower and partly in Upper Austria. Even with the Austrian scale of production, these reserves, according to available forecasts, will be exhausted within two decades. The reserves of brown coal are somewhat larger (in Styria, Upper Austria and Burgenland), but it is of poor quality. Comparatively high-quality iron ores, but with a high metal content, are found in Styria (Erzberg) and a little in Carinthia (Hüttenberg). Non-ferrous metal ores are found in small quantities - lead-zinc in Carinthia (Bleyberg) and copper in Tyrol (Mitterberg). Of the chemical raw materials, only table salt (in the Salzkammergut) is of practical importance, and of other minerals, graphite and feldspar. 5. Fauna In mountain forests, mainly in reserves, ungulates live - red deer, chamois, mountain sheep, mountain goats. Of the birds - capercaillie, black grouse, partridge. On the plains, where almost all the land is already cultivated, there are no large wild animals for a long time. But still there are foxes, hares, rodents. 6. Environment The environment in most of Austria is not yet under the same threat of pollution as in most other industrialized countries in Europe. First of all, this concerns the Alps with their sparse population and generally insignificant industry in relation to this vast territory. The Austrian authorities, interested in attracting foreign tourists to the country, are taking some measures aimed at limiting environmental pollution, but not enough. The democratic public and scientific circles in Austria are sounding the alarm about the unacceptable degree of pollution of the Danube by industrial waste downstream of Vienna and the rivers Mura and Mürz. Nature reserves play an important role in the system of measures for nature protection. There are 12 of them in Austria with a total area of 0.5 million hectares. They are found in all natural areas - from the steppe surroundings of Lake Neusiedler See to the high Tauern. Most of the reserves are located in the Alps. POPULATION. 1. Ethnic composition. The population of Austria is relatively homogeneous in ethnic terms: about 97% of its population are Austrians. In addition, in Austria, in certain regions of Styria, Carinthia and Burgenland, small groups of Slovenes, Croats and Hungarians live, and in Vienna there are also Czechs and Jews. Many Austrian citizens consider themselves not only Austrians, but, by origin from one province or another, also Styrians, Tyroleans, etc. The Austrians speak the Austro-Bavarian dialects of the German language, which differ significantly from the literary one. Literary German is used mainly as a written or official language, as well as in conversations with foreigners. Under the influence of local dialects, his vocabulary and grammar also received some originality. 2. Demographic situation. One of the main features of the Austrian population is the cessation of its growth since the beginning of the 70s. This is explained by a large drop in the birth rate. If it were not for the marked increase in average life expectancy, which reached 75 years in 1990, the demographic situation would have been even more unfavorable. The fall in the birth rate is associated with the difficult financial situation of the majority of the Austrian population, as well as with the consequences of the Second World War. A small natural increase has been preserved even in the less developed western alpine lands, as well as in rural areas. Austrian experts predict that until the year 2000 the population in the country will not change significantly, but the reduction in the proportion of young people and the increase in the proportion of the elderly threatens to reduce labor resources. 3.Structure of population distribution The territory of the country is populated very unevenly. With an average density across the country of 90 people per square kilometer, it ranges from 150-200 or more people in the eastern regions adjacent to Vienna to 15-20 in the Alps. In most of the country's territory, the rural population lives in hamlets and individual yards - the lack of convenient land is affecting. Due to the difficult living conditions, the proportion of the Alpine population is constantly decreasing, there is an flight from the mountains - "bergflucht". Above 1000 m above sea level, 2% of the country's population lives permanently. 77% of the population lives in cities (with a population of over 2 thousand people), but Austria does not impress the traveler as an urban country. The fact is that more than a quarter of the townspeople are concentrated in the country's largest city - Vienna. Half of the entire urban population lives in small towns with a population of up to 100,000 people. Thus, large cities - with a population of 100 to 250 thousand are not typical for this country. There are only four of them Graz, Linz, Salzbkrg and Innsburg. The functions of these cities, not to mention Vienna, are diverse, which cannot be said about the mass of small cities, which for the most part are "unambiguous". They are dominated, as a rule, by one or two industries. The rapid growth in the number of urban residents is associated with an increase in the share of non-agricultural activities of the economically active population. In 1990, in industry, including construction and craft, its share was more than 41%, and in agriculture and forestry - about 12% (against 33% in 1960), in transport and communications - 7%. 4. Religion. According to an international survey of values conducted in 1990-91, 44% of Austrians visit churches and other prayer houses once a month and more often (8th place out of 27 countries in Europe and North America). If we combine the data of these international studies in 1990-91 and 1995-97, then Austria will take 23rd place out of 59 countries in terms of church attendance once a week or more (30% of Austrians attended churches in 1990-91 with exactly this regularity). At the same time, during a 1991 survey, only 6.1% of Austrians said that they did not believe in God (another 8.3% believed in God, but did not believe in life after death). (on the territory of Austria, Christianity began to spread from the end. Religious organizations The largest religious organization is the Roman Catholic Church of the 3rd century). The state supports the Church: there is a 1% church tax in the country, which all citizens of the country are required to pay. The Roman Catholic Church in 2000 had 5,651,479 adherents (72.1% of the population). The second largest is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetian Confession (ECAiGI), which unites two churches autonomous from each other (Lutherans and Reformed). Lutherans and Reformed finally received the right to freely practice their faiths only in 1781, and fully equalized in rights with the Catholics - a century later. 5. Education. Universal compulsory education in Austria starts at the age of six and lasts for 9 years. Education in public schools and higher education - free of charge. There are 18 universities, 12 universities. The University of Vienna (founded in 1365) is the oldest existing university in the German-speaking countries. 6. Mass media. Over 20 daily newspapers are published in Austria. Of the one-time circulation is approximately 3 million copies. Television and radio broadcasting is carried out by the state company ERF. The national information agency is the Austrian Press Agency (APA). 7. National holidays. Ascension of Christ, Second Day of the Trinity, Feast of Corpus Christi, Assumption of the Virgin (15.8), National holiday of the Austrian Republic (26.10), Feast of All Saints (1.11): St. Virgin Mary (8.12), as well as Christmas (25 and 26.12). 8. Taxation. Austria, like most countries in Western Europe, has a rather complex, multi-level taxation system, with most of the taxes collected through the Federal Tax Service. Local taxes are not too significant. Austrian law divides all individuals and legal entities into taxpayers with unlimited and limited tax liability. Unlimited liability means that tax is paid on all income received both in the country and abroad. Such liability is borne by individuals with permanent residence in Austria, as well as companies whose registered office or headquarters are in Austria. Accordingly, limited tax liability is borne by individuals residing abroad, and corporations that do not have either governing bodies or a legal address in the country. In this case, certain types of income received in Austria are subject to taxation, for example, income from activities carried out through permanent establishments or branches. Main types of taxes: 1) on investments; 2) for income; 3) corporate; 4) for entrepreneurial activity; 5) on property; 6) from turnover (value added); 7) real estate; 8) for inheritance and gifts. Economy. 1. General information After the formation of Austria as an independent state in 1918, it experienced a severe economic and political crisis during the 1920s and 30s. Having lost its outlying possessions - the industrial Czech Republic and the agrarian territories of Hungary, as well as burdened with huge expenses for the maintenance of a numerous bureaucracy that previously ruled a huge empire, and now remained out of work, Austria could not adapt to new conditions for a long time. During the years of the Anschluss, German monopolies took control of thousands of Austrian enterprises and sought to establish the exploitation of Austria's natural resources in the interests of Germany. Numerous hydroelectric power stations, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, and chemical plants were built. After the Second World War, former German property passed into the hands of the state in Austria, which was in the interests of the Austrian people. At the present time the main enterprises of heavy industry and the banks have been nationalized in Austria. State-owned enterprises mainly produce electricity, iron and steel, aluminum, iron ore, brown coal, oil and natural gas are mined, oil is processed, nitrogen fertilizers, artificial fibers, and some engineering products are produced. Mainly enterprises of the light and food industries, as well as a group of industries related to the harvesting, processing and processing of wood, remained not nationalized. Serious positions in the Austrian economy is played by foreign capital. Entire industries are under its strong influence, and in some cases under control: electrical engineering, electronics, petrochemicals, magnesite, and the production of certain types of equipment. Foreign capital limits the economic independence of Austria, in particular, it hinders the development of the public sector. Austria is one of the economically developed countries with a relatively rapidly developing industry. Although the world economic crisis of 1974-1975 did not spare Austria either. but here it started a little later. The economic development of Austria is also favorably influenced by the fact that, as a neutral state, it has relatively small military expenditures. In the post-war period, the industrial development of Austria has made significant progress. Today, Austria belongs to the industrial countries, and although industry exceeds agriculture by about 7 times in terms of the cost of production, Austria provides its needs for basic agricultural products by 85% through its own production. Austria's dependence on the foreign market is reflected in the fact that it imports the missing energy raw materials and exports surplus manufactured products. The main industrial and agricultural region of the country is the Danube lands. Here, on 1/5 of the territory of Austria, there are its vital economic centers. The rest of the country, especially in the highlands of the Alps, is dominated by almost uninhabited areas, still little connected with the outside world and with each other. As in many Western European countries, Austrian industry is distinguished by the uneven development of individual sectors. Some key manufacturing industries are non-existent, such as the aircraft industry, while others are of minor importance, such as the automotive and electronics industries. 1. Mining,_heavy,_light_industry Due to the poverty of minerals, the mining industry plays an extremely insignificant role in the economy, with the exception of magnesite, which is of export importance. In these industries, Austria has excess capacity, and a significant part of their products are exported to Western European countries. 2. Fuel industry One of the weakest points of the Austrian economy is its fuel industry. Austria imports all the necessary coal, more than half of brown coal, about 4 oil, almost half of natural gas. From the beginning of the 1970s, imports of primary energy sources began to exceed their domestic production in terms of cost. Particularly high costs are associated with the transport of oil and gas. Oil and natural gas account for approximately 60% of all energy consumption, while solid fuels and hydropower account for 20% each. The country produces less than 2 million tons of oil per year, and its production is gradually declining. However, the oil is relatively shallow and of high quality. The main deposits are located northeast of Vienna. Near the capital, in the city of Schwechat, at the only large oil refinery, almost all oil refining is concentrated. From abroad (mainly from the Arab countries), it is received through the Trieste-Vienna oil pipeline, laid along the southeastern outskirts of Austria outside the Alps. Parallel to it, but in the opposite direction, a gas pipeline was laid from Russia, through which Russian gas goes to Austria and Italy. 3.Energy More than half of electricity is produced by numerous hydroelectric power plants, but the importance of hydropower is declining, and electricity generation at thermal power plants is growing faster. HPPs are mainly built on the alpine rivers in the west of the country, from where part of the electricity is transmitted to the eastern regions, part is exported and only a little is consumed locally. 4. Ferrous_metallurgy One of the most important branches of Austrian industry is ferrous metallurgy. Iron and steel smelting greatly exceeds the needs of the country, and most of the ferrous metal is exported. Most of the pig iron is smelted in Linz in Upper Austria, the rest in Leoben. Steel production is roughly equally distributed between Linz and the Styrian region. Austria is the birthplace of a new, more efficient technological steel smelting, namely oxygen-converter, which is increasingly replacing the open-hearth process. The needs of metallurgical plants for only 3 are covered by local ore. All alloying metals and metallurgical coke are imported from abroad. 5. Non-ferrous metallurgy In non-ferrous metallurgy, only the production of aluminum is important. The development of this industry in Austria, which does not have bauxite in its bowels, is associated with the use of cheap electricity from numerous hydroelectric power plants on the Inn River. Here, in Ranshofen, near Braunau, one of the largest aluminum plants in Western Europe was built. Other non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises do not even cover the domestic needs of the country. Only a small amount of copper and lead is smelted from local ore. 6. Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering, although it forms the core of the entire industry of Austria, is less developed than in other Western European countries, as a result of which Austria imports more engineering products than it exports. Machine-building enterprises are, as a rule, small: many of them employ no more than 50 people. Large quantities are produced of machines and apparatus for the light and food industries, some types of machine tools, and equipment for the mining industry. Locomotives, small sea vessels are also produced. The largest center of mechanical engineering is Vienna. 7. Timber industry complex. Austria is also characterized by a complex of industries, including timber harvesting, its processing and the production of pulp, paper and cardboard. The value of the timber industry complex goes far beyond the borders of the country. Forest products account for about a third of the country's total exports. Large areas of timber harvesting are carried out in the mountainous regions of Styria, mainly its primary processing is also carried out here. 8.AgricultureAgriculture is quite developed in Austria. At present, the yield of the main grain crops - wheat and barley - exceeds 35 centners per hectare, the productivity of dairy cows reaches 3 thousand kg of milk per year. More than 2 agricultural products are provided by animal husbandry. This is facilitated by the fact that natural meadows and pastures occupy more than half of the entire agricultural area. In addition, about a quarter of the arable land is occupied by fodder crops. And some of the feed is imported. All this makes it possible to keep 2.5 million heads of cattle. Recently, the production of meat and milk covers the entire solvent demand of the population. The cultivated area is small. There are lands cultivated intermittently. These are the so-called egarten (relogs). They are used alternately as arable land, then as a pasture. Egarten is characteristic of the Alpine regions. The main agricultural crops—wheat, barley, and sugar beets—are cultivated chiefly where the climate is warm and the soils are fertile—in the Danubian part of Austria and on its eastern flat-hilly outskirts. Rye, oats and potatoes are also sown here. But their crops are even more widespread - they are also found in the foothills of the Alps and in mountain valleys, on the Šumava plateau. Outside the mountainous areas, vegetable growing, fruit growing, and especially viticulture are widespread. Grapes are grown only in the warm regions of the northeastern and eastern outskirts of the country. 9. Transport The network of communications in Austria is quite dense, and not only on the plains, but also in the mountains, which is facilitated by the significant dissection of the Eastern Alps by deep transverse and longitudinal valleys. But, despite the deep dissection of the relief, they still had to go to the construction of numerous road engineering structures: tunnels, bridges, viaducts. There are over 10 tunnels in Austria, each more than a kilometer long. The longest is the Arlberg road tunnel, which has a length of 14 km. The construction of mountain railways and highways contributed to the development of forest, hydropower and other resources of mountain regions. The main modes of transport in Austria are rail and road. About 1 of the total length of railways is electrified. Electric tracts are located mainly in the mountainous part of the country, where cheap electricity from local hydroelectric power plants is used and where there are many steep slopes. The most important international directions are also electrified, including those to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and transalpine roads. In other directions, diesel traction prevails. From Vienna, as the largest railway junction, the most important highways radiate outward. The main one departs in a westerly direction, linking the Danube and Alpine lands. In the northwest direction from this trans-Austrian highway there are roads to the countries of the former Czechoslovakia and Germany. Of great importance is the Semmering Highway, which departs from Vienna to the southwest and connects the capital with Upper Styria and Italy. The main highways are connected by two high-altitude lines crossing the Alps from north to south (Linz - Leoben and Salzburg - Villach). Road transport successfully competes with rail transport in the transportation of both goods and especially passengers. Now only intercity buses carry twice as many passengers as railroads. Over the past decades, several sections of new highways such as motorways have been built, the most important of which is the Vienna-Salzburg highway. The pattern of the highway network is similar to that of the railways. The only navigable river in Austria is the Danube. It is navigable throughout the Austrian section, 350 km long. It is especially full of water in summer, when mountain snows and glaciers melt. However, river transport accounts for less than a tenth of the country's total cargo turnover. The largest port in Austria is Linz, where metallurgy consumes a huge amount of coal and coke, iron ore and other raw materials imported mainly by river. In terms of cargo turnover, Vienna is more than twice inferior to it. Geography of foreign economic relations. The Austrian economy cannot develop without close ties with foreign countries, and its import of goods and capital exceeds their export. But the services provided to foreign partners exceed the services received from them. First of all, we are talking about tourism, which plays an important role in the country's economy. Austria's foreign trade has a negative balance, that is, imports of its goods are worth more than exports. A significant place in the export of Austria is occupied by raw materials and semi-finished products: wood and products of its partial processing, ferrous metals, chemical products, and electricity. Some types of machinery and equipment, river vessels are exported from finished products. Food is exported in small quantities. Mostly finished products are imported, and first of all consumer goods, the import of machinery and equipment, cars, household and industrial electronics is of somewhat lesser importance. Oil, natural gas, coal and coke, ferrous and non-ferrous ores, and chemical raw materials are imported in large quantities. Food and taste products, products of tropical agriculture, and a lot of fodder are also imported. In general, more than 85% of Austria's foreign trade is oriented towards the world capitalist market. Germany occupies the first place both in exports and especially in imports of Austria. The policy of state neutrality pursued by Austria is a good basis for the further development of foreign economic relations with all countries of the world.

There is an airport in the capital of each land. The main marinas are located in Linz and near Vienna. The largest cities are Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg.

Austria, whose territory is elongated in the form of a wedge, strongly narrowing to the west, takes up little space on the map. Its area is 83.8 thousand km 2. It contributes to its communication with other European countries, of which it directly borders on seven. The most important in terms of economic potential and the most densely populated eastern part of the country borders on the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the north with, in the southeast with. This provides Austria with favorable geographic conditions for mutually beneficial trade with neighboring countries. To the west, Austria borders on and is closely connected with it. In the northwest and south, and adjoin it.

The position in the center of Europe makes Austria a crossroads of a number of trans-European meridional routes (from the Scandinavian and Central European states through the Brenner and Semmering Alpine passes to Italy and other countries). Serving the transit traffic of goods and passengers gives Austria certain income in foreign currency. In addition, as it is easy to establish on a physical map, the state borders of Austria for the most part coincide with natural boundaries - mountain ranges or. Only with Hungary, and (for a short distance) they pass almost on flat terrain.

When our compatriot, on his way to Austria by train, crosses the Czech-Austrian border in the northeastern corner of the country, he is somewhat disappointed. Where is Alpine Austria? All around, as far as the eye can see, is a flat, like a table, treeless plowed plain. Here and there glimpse green gardens and vineyards, brick houses and solitary trees on the borders and along the roads. and rolling lowlands extend far south from here along the entire border with Hungary and occupy 20% of the territory. But having reached Vienna, we find ourselves in a more typical natural environment for Austria: mountains, Vienna (Wienerwald) - the northeastern outpost of the mighty Alps and an elevated, hilly, wide and open valley, noticeably rising in a westerly direction. If you climb one of the peaks of the Vienna Woods, for example, Kahlenberg (“Bald Mountain”), then far to the north and northwest in a blue haze beyond the Danube you can see the low, ridged, forested, granite ridges of Sumava, only some of the peaks of which rise somewhat above 700 meters. This ancient hill occupies 0.1 of the country's territory. Undoubtedly - dominating in Austria, they (together with the foothills) occupy 70% of the country's area. This is the Eastern Alps. So it is customary to call the part of the Alpine, lying to the east of the valley, along which the state border with here passes. What is the difference between the Eastern Alps and the Western Alps? To the east of the Rhine fault, the Alpine ranges take on a latitudinal direction, begin to diverge as if like a fan and decline. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western Alps, more accessible. There are fewer glaciers here, and the largest ones are about half as long as in Switzerland. In the Eastern Alps there are more and especially forests, and the Eastern Alps are much richer than the Western.

If you cross the Alps from north to south, it is easy to see that the geological structure and composition of their constituents is located symmetrically with respect to the axial zone. This zone is the highest and most powerful group of ridges covered with glaciers and snows, among which stand out the High Tauern with the highest point of the country - the two-headed peak Glosglockner ("Big Zvonar"), reaching 3997 m; Ötztal, Stubai, Zillerthai Alps. All of them, together with the ridges adjacent to the west and east, are composed of solid crystalline rocks - granites, gneisses, crystalline schists.

The largest - Pastertze - has a length of about 10 km and an area of 32 km 2. To the north and south of the axial zone lie ridges composed of solid sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone and dolomite: Lichtal Alps, Karwendel, Dachstein, Hochshvat and other ridges of the Northern Limestone Alps up to the Vienna Woods mentioned above at the extreme
northeast. Unlike the peaked peaks of crystalline ridges, limestone mountains are giant blocks with more or less flat, slightly inclined surfaces and almost sheer or even overhanging slopes. The years are mostly bare, there are dips, caves and other forms of karst formed by melted rainwater in soluble limestones and dolomites.

The peripheral zone of the Alps is formed by low, soft-shaped peaks and slopes of the Prealps, composed of loose sedimentary rocks. And within Austria, this zone is well expressed in the north, and in the south it is absent. One of the features of the Alps is that they are dissected by deep and wide transverse valleys, due to which the deep parts of the Alps are relatively easily accessible, and low convenient passes make it possible to cross the country from north to south without much difficulty in a number of places. Thus, the famous Brenner Pass has a height of 1371 m, and the Semmering Pass - 985 m. It is no coincidence that roads have long been laid through the Alpine passes, some of them without tunnels.

1.Business card

2. EGP of Austria

3. Historical reference.

4. Economy of the country.

5. Nature

3) Natural resources

4) Minerals

5) Animal world

6) Environment

6. Population.

Ethnic composition

Demographic situation

Population distribution structure

Education

Mass media

National holidays

Taxation.

7. Economy.

8. Geography of foreign economic relations

Political and economic situation in Austria.

Austria - a small country located in the center of Europe, consists of 9 federal states: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Burgerland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Vienna and Salzburg. The city of Vienna - the capital of Austria - is administratively equated with the lands. The division of the country into lands has developed historically: almost every land is a former independent feudal possession. In fact, modern Austria is a centralized state.

Austria has no access to the sea. Here, on an area of 84 thousand square meters. km is home to about 11 million people, i.e. less than in Greater London. The geographical position of Austria contributes to its communication with other European countries, of which it directly borders on seven: in the east - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, in the west - Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein. This provides Austria with favorable transport and geographical conditions for mutually beneficial trade with neighboring countries.

The territory of Austria is elongated in the form of a wedge, strongly narrowed in the west and expanded in the east. This configuration of the country resembles, according to some, a bunch of grapes.

The largest cities are Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg.

The position in the center of Europe makes Austria the crossroads of a number of trans-European meridional routes (from the Scandinavian countries and the states of central Europe through the Brenner and Semmering Alpine passes to Italy and other countries). Serving the transit traffic of goods and passengers gives Austria certain income in foreign currency.

In addition, as it is easy to establish on a physical map, the state borders of Austria for the most part coincide with natural boundaries - mountain ranges or rivers. Only with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (for a short distance) do they pass on almost flat terrain.

Undoubtedly, the Alps are the dominant landscape in Austria, they (together with the foothills) occupy 70% of the country's area. This is the Eastern Alps. So it is customary to call a part of the Alpine mountain system lying to the east of the Upper Rhine valley, along which the state border with Switzerland passes here. What is the difference between the Eastern Alps and the Western Alps? To the east of the Rhine fault, the Alpine ranges take on a latitudinal direction, begin to diverge as if like a fan and decline. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western Alps, they are more accessible. There are fewer glaciers here, and the largest ones are about half as long as in Switzerland. In the Eastern Alps there are more meadows and especially forests, and the Eastern Alps are much richer in minerals than the Western ones.

The division of the country into lands has developed historically: almost every land is a former independent feudal possession. In fact, modern Austria is a centralized state.

Austria has no access to the sea. Here, on an area of 84 thousand square meters. km is home to about 11 million people, i.e. less than in Greater London.

The geographical position of Austria contributes to its communication with other European countries, of which it directly borders on seven: in the east - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, in the west - Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein. This provides Austria with favorable transport and geographical conditions for mutually beneficial trade with neighboring countries.

The largest cities are Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg.

This ancient hill occupies 1/10 of the country's territory.

If you cross the Alps from north to south, it is easy to see that the geological structure and composition of the rocks composing them are located symmetrically with respect to the axial zone. This zone is the highest and most powerful group of ridges covered with glaciers and snows, among which stand out the High Tauern with the highest point of the country - the two-headed peak of Glosglockner (“Big Ringer”), reaching 3997m; Ötztal, Stubai, Zillerthai Alps. All of them, together with the ridges adjacent to the west and east, are composed of solid crystalline rocks - granites, gneisses, crystalline schists. The largest glacier - Pasterze - has a length of about 10 km and an area of 32 km 2.

To the north and south of the axial zone lie ridges composed of hard sedimentary rocks, mainly limestones and dolomites: the Lichtal Alps, Karwendel, Dachstein, Hochschwat and other ridges of the Northern Limestone Alps up to the aforementioned Vienna Woods in the extreme northeast. In contrast to the peaked peaks of crystalline ridges, limestone mountains are giant blocks with more or less flat, slightly inclined surfaces and almost sheer or even overhanging slopes. The years are mostly bare, there are sinkholes, caves and other forms of karst relief formed by melted rainwater in soluble limestones and dolomites.

One of the features of the Alps is that they are dissected by deep and wide transverse valleys, due to which the deep parts of the Alps are relatively easily accessible, and low convenient passes make it possible to cross the country from north to south without much difficulty in a number of places. Thus, the famous Brenner Pass has a height of 1371m, and the Semmering Pass - 985m. It is no coincidence that railways have long been laid through the Alpine passes, some of them without tunnels.

POPULATION: About 7.9 million people (1993). Austrians make up approximately 98% of the population. There are also Croats, Slovenes, Czechs, Hungarians.

GEOGRAPHY: Austria is located in the heart of Europe. In the north, the country borders with the Czech Republic, in the northeast with Slovakia, in the east with Hungary, in the south with Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland, in the west Austria borders on Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany. The total area of the country is 83.8 thousand sq. km.

CLIMATE: Moderate, continental. The coldest winter month is January, the temperature drops to -2 C. The hottest are July and August, the temperature is about +20 C. Precipitation is from 600 to 1100 mm.

LANGUAGE: The official language is German.

CURRENCY: Austrian schilling (ATS). 1 shilling is equal to 100 groschen. Banknotes in circulation are 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 shillings.

RELIGION: 78% of the population are Catholics, 8% are Protestants, 2% are Muslims, and 12% are atheists.

POLITICAL STATUS: federal parliamentary republic with a presidential form of government.

TIME: 2 hours behind Moscow time.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS: first of all, the beauty of Vienna and the most famous ski resorts. There are picturesque villages in the Alps, excellent conditions for skiing, professional instructors. Vienna: symbol of the city - St. Stephen's Cathedral, Graben Street, St. Ruprecht's Church and Schönbrunn Castle, Vienna Amusement Park, Vatican Church, City Hall, Belvedere Palace, Music Society Collection, Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Graphics Museum - the Albertina Gallery, the main art museum of Austria - the Museum of the History of Art, the St. Bernard Chapel, the buildings of the Town Hall and the Parliament, in front of which stands the statue of Pallas Athena, the Burgtheater, the Staatsoper, the ancient Viennese parks Augarten and Prater. Very popular with tourists are the Vienna State Museum of Art, the Albertina Museum, the Vienna Woods, 70 km west of Vienna - the ruins of the Dürnstein fortress (XII century), the State Jewish Museum, 25 km southwest - the Cistercian monasteries in Heiligenkreuz. The pearl of Vienna is the former imperial court of the Hofburg (XIII century) with the "Schatzkammer" - one of the richest gold storerooms in the world, where the treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the highest order of Austria and Spain, are stored. One of the masterpieces of the collection is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, made in 962, and the Austrian imperial crown, which was crowned by the Habsburgs. Salzburg: Salzburg Lakes, Salzburg Cathedral (founded in the 8th century, rebuilt in 1611-1628), surrounded by three squares with a luxurious residence of prince-archbishops, a baroque museum, Salt Mountains, the house in which Mozart was born, Hellburn palaces with magnificent a park adorned with cracker fountains, and Mirabel, Geerfiedegasse, the Eisriesenwelt cave ("world of ice giants") in Tennengebirge, south of Salzburg. Styria and Carinthia attract with a huge number of medieval castles and majestic nature. Innsbruck: Ambras castle (XVI century), ski resort. Kitzbühel is a resort located in the Tyrolean Alps. Karnische is a well-known sports center and resort located in the very south of Austria. Saalbach and Hinterglemm are the most popular ski resorts. Lech on the Arlberg is a fashionable resort offering the highest service. Baden - a resort with healing hot sulfur springs, located 25 km south of Vienna, has long been popular with crowned heads and artists. The most popular ski resorts are Innsbruck, Kitzbühel, Badgasstein, Baden bei Wien, Seefeld, Otztal, Zillertal, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, St. Anton, Zell am See-Kaprun, Galtür, Gaschurn, Stubaital, St. Johann, Pitztal , Carinthia, Salzkammergut, St. Wolfgang, Hintertux.

ENTRY RULES: Austria is part of the Schengen area. To enter, you must have a passport, a visa obtained on the basis of an invitation, and a paid consular fee of 400 Austrian Schillings. Regardless of the type of invitation, the embassy issues a multi-visa - for multiple entries into the country during the period specified in the visa.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS: in Austria there are no restrictions on the import or export of foreign and local currency (export of national - no more than 50 thousand shillings). It is forbidden to export, without special permission, objects and things of historical and artistic value.

INFORMATION PHONE: throughout Austria 1611

What adjectives can describe Austria. Political and economic situation in Austria. Flora and fauna

What adjectives can describe Austria. Political and economic situation in Austria. Flora and fauna

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