Occupied area 83.8 thousand square meters. km; population 8 million people. The capital is Vienna, home to 1.6 million people. The form of government is a federal republic.
Official language: German.
The national composition of Austria is made up of ethnic Austrians - 96%, Croats, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Italians, Serbs, Romanians.
The main religion is Christianity (Catholicism).
The national flag of Austria is a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 2:3, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes - top red, middle white and bottom red.
The flag of Austria was adopted in 1919. Then, in 1933, it was canceled and again restored as a state one in 1945.
In the Republic of Austria, the single-headed black eagle, which served as the country's coat of arms in the 12th-13th centuries, was returned as a coat of arms in 1919. and became a symbol of power (the imperial crown on the eagle was replaced by a tower with three prongs, symbolizing the bourgeoisie, peasantry, workers and artisans). In the eagle's claws there is a hammer and sickle, also a symbol of the union of peasants and workers. In 1945, a new symbol appeared on the Austrian coat of arms - a broken chain holding the paws of an eagle. This is a memory of the Anschluss ("annexation") of Austria to the German Reich, which took place in 1938.
Geography of Austria
The state is located in the mountainous regions of Central Europe (Alps). The territory of Austria is elongated in the form of a wedge, strongly tapering to the west, and occupies little space on the map of Europe. The Danube River flows in the Northeast.More than 70% of the country's territory is occupied by the ridges of the Eastern Alps and their spurs, stretching in a latitudinal direction. These are the Northern Limestone Alps with the peak of Hoer-Dachstein (2995 m) and the Central Crystalline Alps with the highest point - Mount Großglockner (3797 m). Peak mountain ranges, separated by deep valleys, gradually decline to the east, where the western part of the Middle Danube Plain, including the Vienna Basin, extends.
Its position in the center of Europe makes Austria the crossroads of a number of trans-European meridional routes (from the Scandinavian countries and central European states through the Alpine passes of Brenner and Semmering to Italy and other countries).
In the west, Austria borders Switzerland and its closely related Liechtenstein. In the northwest and south it is bordered by Germany and Italy. The eastern part of the country borders on the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on the north on Hungary, on the southeast on Slovenia.
The state borders of Austria mostly coincide with natural boundaries - mountain ranges or rivers. Only with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (for a short distance) do they pass on almost flat terrain.
Climate of Austria
The climate of Austria is mountainous and moderate continental. The average temperature in January is from -1 to -5 °C, in July - from +15 to +19 °C. Precipitation falls annually from 500 mm on the plain to 2000 mm in the mountains, mainly in summer. In the highlands, snow remains for 7-8 months.On the low-lying northeastern and eastern outskirts of Austria, the climate is moderately warm (the average July temperature in Vienna is about + 19°C, January - 0°C) and quite humid (700-900 mm of precipitation per year).
The climate of Austria is called "grape" because it is warm enough to ripen grapes and droughts rarely occur.
Up the Danube valley the humidity increases. As you rise into the mountains, the amount of precipitation increases, reaching 2000 mm or more per year on the highest mountains, especially on their western slopes.
On the plains and foothills there is a relatively mild winter with an average January temperature of 1-5 degrees. With every 100 meters of rise, the temperature drops by 0.5 - 0.6 degrees. The snow line is at an altitude of 2500-2800 meters. Summer in the high mountains is cold, damp, windy, and wet snow often falls. In winter, there is even more precipitation here: gigantic layers of snow accumulate on the mountain slopes, which often break off for no apparent reason and rush down in avalanches, crushing everything in their path.
Vegetation of Austria
The country is rich in forests (47% of the total territory). The Austrian flora is characterized by oak-beech forest in the valleys, and at an altitude of more than 500 m - beech-spruce mixed forest. Above 1200 m, spruce predominates; larch and cedar are also found. Alpine meadows in the foothills.Vegetation zones on the territory of Austria replace one another in the following order: broad-leaved (oak, beech, ash) forests in the Danube Valley (though greatly thinned out) are replaced by mixed forests of the foothills. Above 2000 - 2200 m they are replaced by coniferous (mainly spruce-fir, partly pine) forests.
Mountain forests are one of Austria's national treasures. On a map of the vegetation of Central Europe, the Austrian Alps appear as the only large green island. Among small Western European states, only Finland and Sweden exceed Austria in forest area. There are especially many forests suitable for industrial exploitation in Upper (mountain) Styria, for which it is called the “green heart of Austria”. Above the forests and sparse dwarf shrubs there are subalpine (mattas) and alpine (almas) meadows.
Nature reserves play an important role in the system of nature conservation measures. There are 12 of them in Austria with a total area of 0.5 million hectares. They are found in all natural areas - from the steppe surroundings of Lake Neusiedler See to the high Tauern. Most of the reserves are located in the Alps.
Fauna of Austria
The fauna of Austria is typical Central European. The surrounding area of Lake Neusiedler See is a unique protected nesting area for birds of various species. In the highlands of the Eastern Alps, the composition of the fauna is typically Alpine.Mountain forests, mainly in nature reserves, are home to ungulates - red deer, chamois, mountain sheep, and mountain goats. Birds include wood grouse, black grouse, and partridge. On the plains, where almost all the land is already cultivated, there are no large wild animals for a long time. But there are still foxes, hares, and rodents here.
Water resources of Austria
The rivers of the Danube basin flow through Austria. The Austrian part of the Danube - 350 km, Mur - 348 km, Inn - 280 km. On the territory of the country there are more than 500 relatively small lakes and two large ones: on the border with Hungary - Neusiedler See (156.9 km2, the Austrian part - 135 km2), on the border with Germany and Switzerland - Constance (total - 538.5 km sq.).The mountainous part of Austria is distinguished by an abundance of clean fresh water, concentrated in addition to glaciers and rivers in numerous alpine lakes (the predominance of lakes in the Salzkammergut area). In the hot summer months, rapid melting of snow in the mountains begins, which leads to large floods, including on the Danube, the level of which sometimes rises by 8 - 9 m.
Alpine rivers also determine the regime of the Danube: it is especially rich in water just in the summer, when lowland rivers usually become shallow. The tributaries of the Danube - Inn, Salzach, Enns, Drava - contain large reserves of energy, but all of them are not navigable and are only partially used for timber rafting. The country has many lakes, especially in the northern foothills of the Alps and in the south, in the Klagenfurt Basin. They are of glacial origin, their pits were plowed by ancient glaciers; As a rule, lakes are deep, with cold, clear water. Such lakes include the vast Lake Constance, the southeastern part of which belongs to Austria.
Minerals of Austria
In the depths of Austria there are a variety of minerals: iron ore, the main deposit of which is in Styria, as well as lead-zinc ores, copper ore, bauxite, manganese, antimony, molybdenum and others. However, among Austria's mineral resources there are very few whose significance goes beyond the country's borders. The exception is magnesite, which is used for the production of refractories and partly for the production of metallic magnesium from it, but magnesite is not, as is known, a raw material of primary importance. Magnesite occurs in the Styrian, Carinthian and Tyrolean Alps.There are very few energy minerals. These are very modest deposits of oil (23 million tons) and natural gas (20 billion cubic meters) in Lower and partly in Upper Austria. Even with the Austrian scale of production, these reserves are projected to be exhausted within two decades. There are slightly larger reserves of brown coal (in Styria, Upper Austria and Burgenland), but it is of poor quality.
Relatively high-quality iron ores, but with a high metal content, are found in Styria (Erzberg) and a little in Carinthia (Hüttenberg). Non-ferrous metal ores are found in small quantities - lead-zinc in Carinthia (Bleiberg) and copper in Tyrol (Mitterberg). Of the chemical raw materials, only table salt is of practical importance (in Salzkamergut), and of other minerals - graphite and feldspar. There are significant reserves of building materials - granite, marble, limestone, kaolin, etc.
There is practically no coal. There are no industrial reserves of aluminum ore and alloying metal ores.
From high mountain peaks and beautiful nature to modern cities, Austria has a lot to offer travelers. But before you go on holiday to Europe, here are 25 interesting facts about Austria that you may not know.
25. Austria maintains a position of permanent neutrality in all wars, without entering into any global conflicts. 
24. Although Austria is a member of the European Union, it is not a member of NATO. 
23. Beethoven was not an Austrian, he was a German. But he did live most of his life in Austria. 
22. But Mozart was still an Austrian. So did Haydn, Schubert and Strauss. Austria is famous for its composers and music. 
21. Did you think that Hitler was German? No - He was Austrian. 
20. You most likely already know the name of the most famous Austrian living today - Arnold Schwarzenegger. 
19. Eisreisenwelt, which translates from German as “World of the Ice Giants,” is the largest ice cave in the world. 
18. The official name of Austria is the Republic of Austria (Republik Oesterreich) 
17. The Austrian flag is one of the oldest in the world. 
16. According to legend, in 1191 Duke Leopold V splashed blood on his tunic during a battle. When he removed his belt, a white stripe remained on the red background - hence the colors of the Austrian flag.
15. Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna was named after the spring that provided the palace with water. Apparently, it was so delicious that the Emperors decided to name a palace after the water. 
14. In 1552, the Habsburg prince brought an elephant from Spain to Vienna, but the elephant soon died due to the too cold climate. 
13. When artist Edwin Lipburger argued with the authorities over building licenses for his spherical house, he decided to declare independence from Austria. 
12. His new country was called the Kugelmugel (round hill) Republic. The authorities, however, moved his house to the Prater park in the center of Vienna and surrounded it with barbed wire. 
11. When Edwin refused to pay taxes to Austria, only a presidential pardon saved him from prison. Today, the Kugelmugel still survives as one of Austria's landmarks. 
10. Most of Austria is mountainous and covered by the Alps, and 1/4 of the country's total population lives in the capital, Vienna. 
9. Among its peaks, Mount Grossglockner stands out - the second highest mountain in Europe (3,798 m). 
8. Krimmler Waterfall (Krimmler Wasserfalle) is the highest waterfall in Europe (380 meters). 
7. After Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries, Austria has the highest number of Nobel Prize winners per capita (19). 
6. The largest emerald in the world is on display in Vienna (2860 carats) 
5. Despite the elephant failure, Vienna is home to the oldest zoo in the world - Tiergarten Schönbrunn. 
4. St. Peter Stiftskeller is the oldest continuously operating hotel/restaurant in the world. It opened in 803 - more than 1200 years ago! 
3. There are more than 2.5 million graves in the central cemetery in Vienna. This is more than the entire living population of the city! 
2. Alpine winter sports competitions are very popular in Austria. Among them, skiing stands out the most. 
1. Austria has one of the highest standards of living in the world, and Vienna almost always tops the list of the most comfortable capital cities in the world.
Austria lies in the Eastern Alps, which are lower and wider than the Western Alps. The border between them coincides with the western border of Austria and runs along the upper Rhine valley. The Eastern Alps have fewer glaciers and more forests and meadows than the Western Alps. The highest point in Austria - Mount Großglockner in the Hohe Tauern - does not reach 4 thousand m (3797 m). From the highest peaks flows the largest glacier of the Eastern Alps - Pasterze - over 10 km long. Other peaks of the ridge granite-gneiss zone of the mountains - the Ötztal, Stubai, and Zillertal Alps - are also covered with snow and ice.
In this crystalline zone, the so-called alpine landforms are most pronounced - sharp ridges, steep-walled valleys plowed by glaciers.
The main thing that determines the natural features of almost the entire territory is the chain of Limestone Alps. Although they are lower than the ridges of the central zone, they are more severe than them. Tower-like massifs with flat tops and bare, almost vertical, even overhanging slopes produce a depressing impression. Rain and melt water easily pass through numerous cracks in the limestone, so the ridges of this zone are dry and the vegetation on them is sparse. Karst landscapes are often found: karst fields, where in the chaos of water-eaten limestone stones you don’t know where to put your foot, sinkholes, “bottomless” wells, caves... Of the caves, the ice cave is especially well known - Eisriesenwelt (the world of the ice giants) in the Tennengebirge mountains , south of Salzburg. The names of the mountain ranges themselves speak about the inhospitability and wildness of these places: Totes-Gebirge (dead mountains), Hellen-Gebirge (hell mountains), etc.
The limestone Alps to the north turn into the Pre-Alps, descending in steps to the Danube. These are low, rugged mountains covered with forest; In some places their slopes are plowed, and the wide sunny valleys are quite densely populated.
The Eastern Alps, even in their deepest parts, are relatively accessible: the passes are low in many places, and the ridges are separated by wide longitudinal valleys. The Brenner Pass on the border with Italy is located at an altitude of only 1371 m, and a railway and highway are built through it without a tunnel. In the east, the Semmering Pass is even lower - destroyed by time. The height of this hill, bordering Czechoslovakia, is only about 500 m, and only in a few places does it reach 1000 m.
Areas with calm relief, flat or hilly lowlands occupy only about 1/5 of the country's area. This is, first of all, the Danube part of Austria and the adjacent western edge of the Middle Danube Plain. The vast majority of the population lives here and the “center of gravity” of the economic life of the entire country is located. This part of Austria has vast areas of fertile land, a warm and fairly humid (700-900 mm of precipitation per year), and “grape” climate. This word has it all: a fairly warm, long summer with an average July temperature of + 20° and a warm, sunny autumn. On the plains and foothills there is a relatively mild winter with an average January temperature of -1 -5°.
Communication in the Alps is also facilitated by the longitudinal valleys of the rivers Inna, Salzach, Ensa, Mur, Drava, along which railways are laid. There are many cities in such valleys, and in some places they are plowed. But, perhaps, even more interesting among landscapes of this type is the Klagenfurt intermountain basin, along the bottom of which the upper Drava flows its waters.
If it is appropriate to compare the geologically young Alps with the Caucasus, then the mountains lying on the other, left, side of the Danube resemble the Urals. These are the southern spurs of Sumava, part of the ancient Bohemian massif, almost to the ground part of the country is “deprived” of heat. With every 100 m rise, the temperature drops by 0.5-0.6°. The snow line is located at an altitude of 2500-2800 m. Summer in the high mountains is cold, damp, windy, and wet snow often falls. In winter there is even more rainfall; On the slopes of the mountains, gigantic layers of snow accumulate, which often break down for no apparent reason and rush down in avalanches, crushing everything in their path. Rarely does a winter go without casualties; Homes, roads, power lines are destroyed... And sometimes in the middle of winter the snow suddenly disappears. This was the case, for example, during the “white” Olympics in early 1976 in the vicinity of Innsbruck. Usually the snow is “driven away” by warm southern winds - hair dryers.
The mountainous part of the country is distinguished by an abundance of clean fresh water. It accumulates in the form of snow and glaciers during most of the year, only to rush down to the Danube in the summer in thousands of roaring streams, filling the lake basins along the way. Alpine rivers also determine the regime of the Danube: it is especially rich in water just in the summer, when lowland rivers usually become shallow. The tributaries of the Danube - Inn, Salzach, Enns, Drava - contain large reserves of energy, but all of them are not navigable and are only partially used for timber rafting.
The country has many lakes, especially in the northern foothills of the Alps and in the south, in the Klagenfurt Basin. They are of glacial origin, their basins were plowed by ancient glaciers.
In the flat and hilly areas of the country, the vegetation cover has been almost completely changed by humans. These areas were once covered with shady oak and beech forests, of which small groves remain. Now almost all the land is plowed, there are many gardens, vineyards, and parks. The roads are lined with trees, their green chains often separating the possessions of one owner from the lands of another.
Mountain forests, mainly in nature reserves, are home to ungulates - red deer, chamois, mountain sheep, mountain goats, and birds - wood grouse, black grouse, partridge. On the plains, where almost all the land is already cultivated, there are no large wild animals for a long time.
Austria is a fairly wooded country. Forests occupy almost 2/5 of its territory. They were preserved mainly in the mountains, where the vegetation was relatively little changed by man. The foothills and lower parts of the mountain slopes are covered with broad-leaved forests - oak, beech and hornbeam. Higher up they are replaced by coniferous - mainly fir - forests. Mountain forests are one of Austria's national treasures.
Austria has a fairly diverse range of mineral resources, but among them there are very few whose significance goes beyond the country. The exception is magnesite, which is used for the production of refractories and partly for the production of metallic magnesium from it. Magnesite occurs in the Styrian, Carinthian and Tyrolean Alps.
There are very few energy minerals. These are very modest deposits of oil (23 million tons) and natural gas (20 billion cubic meters) in Lower and partly in Upper Austria. Even at Austrian production rates, these reserves are projected to be depleted within the next one to two decades. There are slightly larger reserves of brown coal (in Styria, Upper Austria and Burgenland), but it is of poor quality.
Nature reserves play an important role in the system of nature conservation measures. There are 12 of them in Austria, with a total area of over 0.5 million hectares. They are found in all natural ones. Most of the nature reserves are found in the Alps.
The environment in most of Austria is not yet as threatened by pollution as in most other industrialized countries.
“Austria nature and its protection” 3rd grade will briefly tell How to protect nature in Austria. Also, information about the nature of Austria will help in preparing for classes.
"Austria: nature and its protection" message
The flora, as well as the animal world, is quite diverse. This is due to climatic conditions, topography, and geographical environment, which varies from the steppe lakes of Burgenland to the alpine ecosystem.
Approximately 65-70 million years ago, the nature of Austria resembled modern tropical mountain forests of Southeast Asia. About 25 million years ago, heat-loving plants gradually began to disappear. The Ice Age had a special influence on the nature of Austria. The basis of the flora was spruce and broad-leaved trees. The Ice Age was marked by an exchange between Arctic and alpine ecosystems.
Today, the flora of Austria is rich in forest cover. The country ranks first in Europe in this indicator. Typical trees are oak, beech, fir, spruce, larch and pine. The alpine flora of Austria is varied and colorful. Gentian, alpine carnation, orchids, edelweiss, heather, arnica, and rhododendron grow here.
The country's fauna is represented by 320 species of birds (grey geese, bee-eaters, falcons, eagles), green lizards, snakes, wild boars, mountain goats, badgers, roe deer, wild goats, brown bears, marmots.
Nature reserves in Austria
Approximately 3% of Austria's area is reserved for nature reserves and national parks. The largest of them:
- Hohe Tauern National Park. Its area is 1800 km 2. The reserve is located on the territory of 3 federal states: Salzburg, Tyrol and Carinthia.
- Nockberge National Park. Its area is 216 km 2. The reserve is located in Carinthia.
- Neusiedlersee National Park. Its area is 95 km 2. Includes steppe plains and lakes Neusiedler.
- Donau-Auen National Park. Its area is 9300 hectares. Consists of the last large river meadows remaining in Europe.
- Kalkalpen National Park. Its area is 21 km 2. More than 1000 higher plants grow here.
- Thayatal National Park. Its area is 1330 hectares. The reserve is located on the border with the Czech Republic. Famous for its beautiful mountain scenery and untouched wildlife.
We hope that the report about the nature of Austria and its protection helped you prepare for the lesson. You can leave a short story on the topic “Austrian nature and its protection” using the comment form below.
Each country boasts its own flora and fauna, picturesque landscapes and breathtaking views. Austria is a fabulous country where you can relax your soul while traveling by private car or tourist bus.
Most of the country's territory, almost 80%, is occupied by the Alps. Moreover, due to the complex system of mountain ranges and fairly excellent weather conditions, it is customary to conditionally zone Austria into three regions: central, lower and upper.
Central Austria: varied mountain landscapes
The central part occupies almost 63% of the entire territory of Austria, covering almost the entire south of the country.
The nature of Austria consists of approximately 30 mountain ranges and massifs, which form a complex chain of mountains and valleys, each of which has its own natural and climatic conditions. Some of the mountains are covered with ice even in summer, but there are also many peaks that are completely devoid of snow cover in the warm season.
Numerous mountain rivers, which have the status of some of the cleanest in Europe, originate in the picturesque valleys.
The highest point in Australia is Mount Grossglockner, which has two peaks at the same time: Grossglockner (3798 m) and Krainglockner (3770 m). At the foot of the mountain is the largest Austrian glacier - Pasterze, 9 km long. About 30 local mountains reach a height of 3 thousand meters, and 6 of them reach a height of 3.5 thousand meters.
The nature of Austria in the southern part is characterized by dense coniferous forests, picturesque beautiful valleys and crystal clear reservoirs.
Upper Austria: a tourist paradise
Upper Austria is the Alpine and Carpathian foothills with moderately high mountain peaks (up to 2.5 thousand meters). Austria's nature in this area is composed of mixed spruce, oak and beech forests that extend throughout the northwestern territory of the country. frame the Danube valley, gradually uniting with the Northern limestone Alps, forming a single vast resort area known for its natural beauty. Karst areas and healthy mineral springs make this region of Austria even more popular. The most picturesque alpine meadows, framed by glaciers, beautiful mixed forests and rivers at the foot of the mountains - all this is the nature of Austria, which is very difficult to briefly describe.
There are many mountain rivers and beautiful lakes in Upper Austria. Together with the Austrian Granite-Gneiss Plateau and the Bohemian Massif, this part of Austria occupies approximately 25% of the total territory.
Lower Austria: the best agronomic area
Lower Austria occupies about 12% of the total area of the country, almost all of this territory belongs to the so-called Pannonia (Danube Valley), which is also known as the Vienna Basin. It is not for nothing that the lower part of Austria has such a name, since it is truly the lowest part of the country, the lowest point of which is located only 115 meters above sea level. This part of the country is home to Lake Neusiedler See, which is also a biosphere reserve and a popular holiday destination for locals and tourists. In this place, the nature of Austria is picturesque in its own way.
Lower Austria is the most suitable and popular area for agricultural work.
What is remarkable about the nature of Austria
One of the main advantages of the country is the presence of areas of natural complex untouched by human hands. Thanks to this, local ecosystems were formed on them, which are inhabited by animals and plants that are not numerous in terms of species diversity, but have remained virtually unchanged since the Neolithic era.
Country Austria: nature and its protection
Despite the ever-growing popularity of the tourism sector, Austrians carefully protect not only protected areas, but also resort areas of their country. The Austrian government allocates colossal budgets to maintain the natural balance and protect flora and fauna. “The nature of Austria and its protection” is a constant topic that is often raised in research centers and in circles of activists for the preservation of the ecosystem.
Approximately 3% of the country's area is occupied by protected lands, on which 7 national parks are located:
- Hohe Tauern.
- Nockberge.
- Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel.
- Donau-Auen.
- Kalkalpen.
- Tayatal.
- Gezoise.
Ordinary residents of the country also pay great attention to the nature of Austria and its protection, observing established laws. Thus, they maintain such a valuable natural eco-balance, and this, you see, is worthy of respect!
