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| Independence Year : 1918 Population : 8091800 Life Expectancy : 77.7 Capital : 1523 GNP : 211860.00 GNP Old : 206025.00 Local Name : Österreich Government Form : Federal Republic Location : Central Europe Terrain : Alpine (64%), northern highlands that form part of the Bohemian Massif (10%), lowlands to the east (26%). Climate : Continental temperate Ethnic Group : Germans 98%, Croats, Slovenes; other recognized minorities include Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Roma Religions : Roman Catholic 73.6%, Lutheran 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 5.5, no confession 12.0% Official Website :www.hofburg.at/ | 
Genral Information - Austria
Background
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999. (Source: CIA - The World Factbook) |
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