Geography of Austria
Austria is geographically located in Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total:
83,858 km²
land:
82,738 km²
water:
1,120 km²
Area comparative
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 in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers
Terrain:
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point:
Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural resources:
iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
17%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
23%
forests and woodland:
39%
other:
20% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land:
40 km² (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
Reference
Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
See also: States of Austria
Referenced By
Austria | Austrian | Austrian Empire | Austrians | Gurk | ISO 3166-1:AT | List of Austria-related topics
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