From my original archive
Austria
Destination overview
About this destination
Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with Vienna as its capital. The Alps dominate much of its western and southern landscape. To the east, the Danube passes through gentler country and historic towns.
Vienna's palaces, museums and concert halls reflect its role in European cultural history. Salzburg is closely associated with Mozart and its old town. Innsbruck sits in an Alpine valley surrounded by mountains.
German is the principal language, with regional traditions expressed through food, music and architecture. Lakes, mountain villages and long-established rail routes add another dimension to the country.
My connection
Tourist visit.
Original archive notes and photographs
My original travel notes
Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of about 8.9 million people. It is known for its rich cultural heritage, beautiful landscapes and high standard of living. In this blog post, we will explore some of the features of Austria's landscape, demography and standard of living.
Landscape
Austria has a diverse and varied landscape, ranging from the Alps in the west and south to the lowlands and hills in the east and north. The Alps cover about 62% of the country's territory and offer stunning scenery, skiing opportunities and hiking trails. The highest peak in Austria is Grossglockner, which reaches 3,798 meters above sea level. The Danube River, which flows through Vienna, is the longest river in Austria and an important waterway for trade and tourism. Austria also has many lakes, such as Lake Constance, Lake Neusiedl and Lake Wolfgang, which are popular destinations for recreation and relaxation.
Demography
Austria has a relatively homogeneous population, with about 88% of the people being native German speakers. The largest minority groups are Turks, Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks, who mostly live in urban areas. Austria also has some traditional minorities, such as Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs and Roma, who have their own languages and cultures. The average age of the population is 44.5 years, which is higher than the European Union average of 43.1 years. The fertility rate is 1.51 children per woman, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. The life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, which is one of the highest in the world.
Standard of living
Austria has a high standard of living, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of about 50,000 US dollars in 2020. It has a social market economy that combines free enterprise with a strong welfare state. Austria is a member of the European Union and the Eurozone, and benefits from the free movement of goods, services, capital and people within the bloc. Austria also ranks high on various indicators of human development, such as education, health care, civil liberties and environmental protection. According to the World Happiness Report 2020, Austria is the tenth happiest country in the world.
Personal memories
I visited Austria twice, in 1986 and 2007. During the first trip, my friend Bruno and I had a memorable experience at the Austrian–German border. We had entered Austria in the afternoon and crossed back around midnight. Following a terrorist attack in a German town at the time, the customs officers apparently found us suspicious and searched our car for weapons.
They removed everything, including the seats. After inspecting the whole car, they left us to put it all back ourselves; we felt they simply could not be bothered to do it!
On the second visit, my wife and I spent a week on holiday. We did plenty of sightseeing, but our main reason for going was to enjoy concerts and opera. There seemed to be music on every corner.