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| The Alps are the dominant physical feature, covering all the narrow western part of the country and much of central and southern Austria as well, or 60,000 sq km. They can be divided into three ranges: the Northern Alps, the Southern Alps and the Central Alps. The highest peak, the Grossglockner (3,797 m), stands in the Hohe Tauern range of the Central Alps. Average elevations decrease from west to east as these belts of mountains fan out. The major ranges are separated by river valleys and depressions, such as the Klagenfurt Basin in south central Austria between the Karawanken and Carnic mountains. To the north of the Alps lies the Danube Valley, which is narrow in the west and broadens at Vienna into the Hungarian Plain. Elevations in the valley vary from 365 m in the west to 185 m in the eastern plain.The Bohemian Plateau, north of the Danube Valley, is a hilly upland area composed of granite or covered by forest. Elevations here range from 350 to 900 m. | |
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| The climate of western and central Austria, varies according to altitude, wind, and certain other mountain conditions but, except for a higher incidence of rain, snow, or mist, is generally similar to the moderate Atlantic climates typical of Western Europe. The foehn, a warm, dry wind from the south, can set off avalanches when it thaws the snow too suddenly. Eastern Austria is subject to a harsher continental climate, with cold winters, short moderate summers, and only a modest amount of precipitation. Minimum winter temperatures in four major Austrian cities range between -3.3°C and 2.2°C; summer maximums, between 17.8°C and 20°C. These index locations receive between 635 and 990 mm of precipitation annually. | |
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| Total population is 8,023,244 (World Factbook, July 1996 est.). The five largest cities in Austria: Wien, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck, are home to about a third of the population. One in five lives in the capital itself. A marked population redistribution has occurred since World War II. The eastern provinces have either lost population or made only modest gains, whereas the three western provinces--Vorarlberg, Tyrol, and Salzburg--have shown dramatic increases. Urban areas continue to grow as the farm population leaves the upland valleys and as the tourist industry increasingly develops in the Alpine areas. | |
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Clock Time: GMT+1. Summer time shift (GMT+2), from last Sunday in March,
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| Osterreichisches Nationalkomitee der CIE (Internat. Beleuchtungskom.)
Postfach 148
A-2340 Moedling
Austria
Tel: +43 2236 42651
Fax: +43 2236 42651
CIE on the Internet. | | | | | More information is available at Amadeus or the Electric Library Back to Country Info Main Page
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