Country Name : Republic of Austria
Independence Day : April 27 (1945)
National Day : October 26 (1965)

Flag : The Flag is rectangular in shape with colors red and white arranged horizontally where the white color is in between two red stripes. On the white portion is the emblem of Austria. The emblem was used by Austrian royalties since the establishment of the Astruo-Hungarian Empire. The colors red and white takes its origin when the Duke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the Palestinian Ben bow was at war with King Charles I of England. During the war, the white uniforms of the soldiers were stained with blood to the extent that only the waist where the saber was strung was left unstained.

Only the President, Ministers, government agencies and foreign institutions are allowed to use the flag with the emblem. During unofficial events, the flag to be used must not contain the emblem. 　

Emblem:
The eagle is a symbol of Austria. The eagle symbolizes the public. It holds a golden hammer and a sickle, which are symbols for agricultural workers. The shield on the breast of the eagle is the strong defense of Austria against any invasion. The broken chain on the eagle symbolizes Austria’s freedom and liberation.

National Anthem : "Let Us Pull Up Their Hands"

National tree: grass fire Cashmere

State bird: Barn swallows

Population : Austria has 8.059 million as of 1996. Majority is Austrians. Foreigners number to about 72,800 taking about 9% of the population. Ethnic minorities in Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary, represent a population of 0.51%. The official language is German. 78% of the population is Catholic.  
Capital : Vienna with a Population of about 1.595 million as of 1996.

Administrative divisions : The country is divided into nine states with 15 autonomous city. There are also 84 provinces and an estimated 2,355 townships.

Physical Geography: Austria is composed of total land area of 83,858 square kilometers. Its is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps. Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Its capital city is Vienna.The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria (84 000 km2 or 32,000  sq. mi), only about a quarter can be considered low lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640  ft). The high mountainous Alps in the west of Austria flatten somewhat into low lands and plains in the east of the country. Austria may be divided into five different areas. The biggest area are the Austrian Alps, which constitute 62% of Austria's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the Carpathians account for around 12% of its area. The foothills in the east and areas surrounding the periphery of the Pannoni low country amount to about 12% of the total landmass. The second greater mountain area (much lower than the Alps) is situated in the north. Known as the Austrian granite plateau, it is located in the central area of the Bohemian Mass, and accounts for 10% of Austria. The Austrian portion of the Viennese basin comprises the remaining 4%.

Climate: The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate climate zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. With over half of the country dominated by the Alps the alpine climate is the predominant one. In the East, in the Pannonian Plain and along the Danube valley, the climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas.Although Austria is cold in the winter, in the summer temperatures can be relatively warm reaching 70-95 degrees Farenheit. This year, though, the weather has been changing rapidly from cool temperatures to fairly warm temperatures. Therefore, it will be hard to predict the weather in the future for Austria.

History :
In 400 BC, the Celts established a Connaught Rikon Kingdom. Then in 15 BC, the Romans invaded the Celts. In early Medieval Gothic, Bavaria and Alemannic immigrants occupied the land and converted this region of Europe to Christianity. In the middle of the 12 th century, where the idea of Principality was popular, the Babenbergs came into power.

In 1282, the Habsburg came into power. This was a result of the invasion of Austria by the Holy Roman Empire in 1276. However, the Habsburg power gradually declined and can no longer control directly its territory. Thus, in 1699, Hungary invaded the land. Franz II of Hungary, ascended to the throne in 1804 and used the title of Emperor of Austria. However, in 1806 Franz II was forced to denounce the title and assumed the title Duke of Austria subject to the Holy Roman Emperor.

In 1860 to 1866, a transition in the form of government from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy was established. However, in the end of 1866, Prussia was defeated in a war with Germany. As a result, Germany was forced to disband from the Union.

The following year Austria and Hungary signed an agreement to set up the dual system of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the strongest power in Europe but was neutralized when defeated during First World War.

On November 12, 1918, Austria officially assumed its new name as The Republic of Austria. However, The Nazi power of Germany invaded Austria after latter did not assume the title Republic of German Austria but simply Republic of Austria. This is one of the factors of the Second World War outbreak. The Allied troops (US, France, Russia, Britain) liberated Austria on April 27, 1945 and divided the land into occupation zones. Then in July, after Germany surrendered to the Allied Power, Austria was signed a state treaty with the Union Soviet and the other occupying powers and regained its independence on May 15, 1955. The Austrian second republic, established on December 19, 1945, on the basis of the 1920 constitution was declared by the federal parliament to be permanently neutral.

Constitution: The Constitution was drafted on November 20, 1920. In 1925 and in 1929 there was 2 bills passed seeking to repeal the 1920 Constitution; and in 1934 it was approved that the constitution be repealed. This gave way to the Federal Republic of Austria where the federal republic was divided into nine states. The head of the state is the President. He exercises supreme authority of the state by virtue of national election for six years. He appoints the chairman of the federal called the Federal Chancellor.

The Parliament of Austria consists of two chambers. The composition of the Nationalrat is determined every four years by a free general election in which every citizen is allowed to vote to fill its 183 seats. This period will be extended to five years after the next election. While there is a general threshold of 4 percent for all parties at federal elections (Nationalratswahlen), there remains the possibility to gain a direct seat, or Direktmandat, in one of the 43 regional election districts. The Nationalrat is the dominant chamber in the formation of legislation in Austria. However, the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat has a limited right of veto (the Nationalrat can — in most cases — pass the respective bill a second time bypassing the Bundesrat altogether).

• P olitics: aimed at ensuring the government's austerity policy, eradicating slow pace of economic development, reconciling social contradictions, and neutralizing the influence of the right-wing forces.

• Economy : Austria is a developed capitalist-industrial country, which is situated in the center of Europe. It is the European most important transport hub. As of 2006, Austria has a per capita of $35,500.00 and ranks 8th among European countries.

• Currency Name: Euro

• Tourism: Famous tourists spots are found mainly in the province of Tyrol, Salzburg, Carinthia state and the City of Vienna. Tourists mostly come from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France and other countries.

• External trade . Austria believes that external trade is very important in economy; thus, it has trade relations with more than 150 countries in the European region only excluding trades with Asia and America.

• Military: The president is the supreme commander of the national defense. Other than the President, the Secretary of Defense carries the responsibility of ensuring national peace and order in Austria.

• Diplomacy: Austria announced its permanent neutrality in October 1955 after the cold war. This is in response of Austria to adapt to the changing international situation. In 1995, Austria has joined the European Union and NATO's Partnership for Peace program and pledge to adhere to the EU's foreign policy center, actively promote the European integration process, speed up the adjustment of its neutral policy especially with the Western military organization; and develop close relations with the countries of Eastern Europe. Austria shall also give more attention to the development of relations with Asian countries outside the European Union.