Austrian Geography

Austrian Geography

Introduction

Austria is a small relatively mountainous country with about a population of about 8.85 million and an area of 83,879 km², making it roughly twice the size of Switzerland. It is a landlocked nation neighboured by Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Lichtenstein and the Czech Republic.

Austria has 9 provinces. By size they are:

Vienna - Austria's capital: pop. 1,840,573:

• Vienna is unlike the other provinces because it is purely the capital city and not an actual region like the others. Nonetheless, it is in and of itself a province.
• Vienna lies in the northeastern corner of Austria, between the foothills of the Alps and the Carpathians, where the Danube (German: Donau), Europe’s second-longest river, has cut its course through the mountains. The city is situated alongside the river, most of it on the right bank. The Vienna basin was a nodal point of ancient trade and military routes. 
• Vienna provides approximately one-fourth of the jobs in the country and produces almost one-third of the gross national product.
• Area in km²: 415

Styria - capital: Graz, pop. 280,200:

• Upper Steiermark extends in the north from the Limestone Alps to the eastern groups of the Central Alps, embracing the valleys of the Mur, Mürz, Salza, and Upper Enns rivers. The Lower Steiermark upland and hill country consists of the middle Mur Valley with the Grazerfeld “plain” in the center; the Koralpe and Packalpe rising above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) in the west; and a gravel, loam-covered hill country in the east.
• Steiermark’s economic development has always been determined by its mineral resources. The Erzberg near Eisenerz supplies most of Austria’s iron ore and has been mined since Celtic times.
• It borders Slovenia to the South and is surrounded on all other sides by Carinthia, Salzburg, Upper- and Lower Austria and Burgenland
• Area in km²:  16,401

Upper Austria - capital: Linz, pop. 200,841:

• It lies between the rivers Inn and Enns and much like Lower Austria is traversed by the Danube.
• About half of Upper Austria is occupied by agriculture resources for farming and another third is used for forestry. Despite this, it is still highly industrial.
• The North of the region is occupied by part of the granite plateau, while the South is a more alpine landscape.
•  It borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the North and borders Lower Austria, Salzburg and Styria
•  Area in km²: 11,982

Salzburg - capital: Salzburg, pop. 150,887:

• ·      The province is drained by the Salzach, Enns, and Mur rivers and occupies an area of 7,154 square km. Nine-tenths of Salzburg Bundesland is situated among the Alps, and it contains some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the world.
• ·      The state’s population has increased since World War II, but its density is still one of the lowest in Austria.
• ·      It borders Germany to the North, Upper Austria, Styria, Tirol, and Carinthia
• ·      Area in km²: 7,254

Tirol/Tyrol - capital: Innsbruck, pop. 130,894:

·      Tirol is split in two by Salzburg. The river Inn traverses North Tirol and forms the valley where most of the Infrastructure of the region is. The river Drau drains into East Tirol.

·      The vast majority of Tirol’s landscape is Alpine, making it one of the most popular places for winter sports in Austria. The capital city Innsbruck has hosted the Winter Olympics twice.

·      Northern Tirol is bordered by Germany to the North and Vorarlberg. East Tirol is bordered by Italy to the South and Carinthia. Both parts share a border with Salzburg.

·      Area in km²: 12,648

Carinthia - capital: Klagenfurt, pop. 99,110:

·      It is drained by the Drau, Gail, Möll, Gurk, and Lavant rivers and has a mainly Alpine landscape but also contains the low-lying Klagenfurt basin. There are two large lakes, Weissensee and Millstätter See.

·      Carinthia is Austria Southernmost province.

·      It is another province where agriculture and forestry take up a large portion of the province's landmass

·      It is bordered by Italy and Slovenia to the East and Salzburg, Styria and Eastern Tirol.

·      Area in km²: 9,536

Lower Austria - capital: St. Pölten, pop. 53,445

·      The most North-Eastern region of Austria completely surrounds the capital Vienna.

·      The Danube river runs through the province from West to East. The borders of the state are demarcated by the mouths of the Enns River on the west and the March River on the east as they join the Danube River.

·      The state is bordered by The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Upper Austria, Styria, and Burgenland.

·      Area in km²: 19,178

Vorarlberg - capital: Bregenz, pop. 29,139:·      Vorarlberg is drained by the Ill River and the Bregenzer River; the terrain is level south of Lake Constance and in the Rhine and Ill valleys, hilly in the forested Bregenzer Forest and mountainous in the Silvretta Alps.

·      It is Austria's second-largest region in terms of industrialisation, after Vienna, it constitutes a large percentage of the country’s national production for exports.

·      It is bordered by Switzerland and Lake Constance to the West and Tirol to the East.

·      Area in km²: 2,601

Burgenland - capital: Eisenstadt, pop. 14,241:·      It is Austria's smallest province in terms of population (excluding Vienna) and also its flattest.

·      It is the newest region of Austria to become its own province. It got the title in 1921, deriving from 4 former west Hungarian counties.

·      It borders Hungary to the East, Upper Austria and Styria.

·      Area in km²: 3,965