Austria

Austria is a centrally located European power, and a member of the European Union. Since 1955, like its neighbor Switzerland, it has been officially neutral. It is known for its skiing and its classical music and arts.

Historical records of Vienna date back to the Roman era, when it was a Roman military garrison. The first records of the location name Austria are from 996. It was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, and became a duchy in 1156. Beginning in 1278, it was ruled by the Habsburgs, whose command of the country would not end for over six hundred years. The Habsburgs grew the size of their empire, and the country was a dominant force in European politics until World War I. After the war, the country went through a period of political flux, and was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938. After World War II, it was occupied by Allied powers until 1955, when it once again became independent.

Austria is landlocked and mountainous. It is south of Germany and the Czech Republic, north of Slovenia and Italy, west of Hungary and Slovakia and east of Switzerland.

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  Creative Commons image by CIA World Factbook

• Wikipedia: Geography of Austria

• Lonely Planet: Austria Map

• MSN Weather: Austria Weather Maps

• Wikipedia: Culture of Austria | Cuisine | Education

• Wikipedia: Demographics of Austria

• AboutAustria: Austrian Composers

• Vienna Government Site: Vienna, Austria Cultural Attractions

• German-Way: Austrian Cultural Links