General

Austria, with an area of 83,858 sq km (32,378 sq mi), is a landlocked country in Central Europe, extending 573 km (356 mi), east to west, and 294 km (183 mi), north to south.

Comparatively, Austria is slightly smaller than the state of Maine. Bounded on the north by Germany and the Czech Republic, on the east by Hungary, on the south by Slovenia and Italy, and on the west by Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Austria has a total boundary length of 2,562 km (1,588 mi).

While not making any territorial claims, Austria oversees the treatment of German speakers in the South Tyrol (now part of the autonomous province of Trentino-Alto Adige), which was ceded to Italy under the Treaty of St.-Germain-en-Laye in 1919.

Austria's capital city, Vienna, is located in the northeastern part of the country.

Most of western and central Austria is mountainous, and much of the flatter area to the east is hilly, but a series of passes and valleys permits travel within the country and has made Austria an important bridge between various sections of Europe. The principal topographic regions are the Alps, constituting 62.8% of Austria's land area; the Alpine and Carpathian foothills (11.3%); the Pannonian lowlands of the east (11.3%); the granite and gneiss highlands of the Bohemian Massif (10.1%); and the Vienna Basin (4.4%).

The highest point of the Austrian Alps is the Grossglockner, 3,797 m (12,457 ft). The Danube (Donau) River, fully navigable along its 350-km (217-mi) course through northeastern Austria, is the chief waterway, and several important streams – the Inn, Enns, Drava (Drau), and Mur – are tributaries to it. Included within Austria are many Alpine lakes, most of the Neusiedler See (the lowest point in Austria, 115 m/377 ft above sea level), and part of Lake Constance (Bodensee).

Climatic conditions depend on location and altitude. Temperatures range from an average of about -7 to -1°C (20 to 30°F) in winter to about 18 to 24°C (65 to 75°F) in July. Rainfall ranges from more than 102 cm (50 in) annually in the western mountains to less than 66 cm (26 in) in the driest region, near Vienna.

Overview

Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 83,870 sq km
land: 82,444 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,562 km
border 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)

Maritime claims:
none (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