Youth for Christ ministry in Austria is still in the target stage. This means key contacts have been identified, and a ministry plan is being developed but ministry has not yet commenced.
About Austria
Austria
Introduction
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
Location
Location: Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic Coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E
Area
Total Area: 83,871 sq km Rank: 113
Land Area: 82,445 sq km
Water Area: 1,426 sq km
Comparison: slightly smaller than Maine
Land Boundaries: 2,562 km
Bordering 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)
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
Elevations
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)
Renewable Water Resources: 84 cu km (2005)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
Environment
Natural Hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Environmental 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
Environmental 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
Geography Notes
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
Population: 8,210,281 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 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) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 41.5 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 0.052% (2010 est.) Rank: 195
Birth Rate: 8.65 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 217
Death Rate: 9.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 65
Net Migration Rate: 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 43
Urbanization
Urban Population: 67% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 202
Life Expectancy at Birth: 79.5 years Rank: 27
Fertility Rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 197
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.2% (2007 est.) Rank: 93
People living with HIV/AIDS: 9,800 (2007 est.) Rank: 105
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2003 est.) Rank: 128
Nationality and Culture
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)
Religion: 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)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 98% Male: NA Female: NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 15 years Male: 15 years Female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures: 5.4% of GDP (2005) Rank: 51
Government
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: Vienna Geographic Coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
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: 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire 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 on 25 April 2010 (next to be held on 25 April 2016); 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 reelected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 79.3%, Barbara ROSENKRANZ 15.2%, Rudolf GEHRING 5.4%
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 on 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
Politics
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, FATF, 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, MINURCAT, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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, in 1191, 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
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 international financial crisis and global economic downturn in 2008 led to a recession that persisted until the third quarter of 2009. Austrian GDP contracted 3.5% in 2009 but it will probably see positive growth of nearly 2% in 2010. Unemployment has not risen as steeply in Austria as elsewhere in Europe, partly because its government has subsidized reduced working hour schemes to allow companies to retain employees. Such stabilization measures, stimulus initiatives, and the government's income tax reforms pushed the budget deficit to about 4% of GDP in 2009, from only about 1.3% 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. Some of Austria's largest banks have required government support - including in some instances, nationalization - to prevent insolvency and possible regional contagion. In the medium-term all large Austrian banks will need additional capital. 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 growing unemployment and Austria's aging population and exceedingly low fertility rate.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $321.8 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 37
GDP - real growth rate: -3.4% (2009 est.) Rank: 169
GDP - per capita (PPP): $39,200 (2009 est.) Rank: 22
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 1.5% Industry: 29.8% Services: 69% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 3.68 million (2009 est.) Rank: 92
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 5.5% Industry: 27.5% Services: 67% (2005 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (2009 est.) Rank: 41
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 6% (2008)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closed its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
