Austria

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Country Name

Austria or The Republic of Austria.

Location

Austria is a landlocked country in the middle of Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany in the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland, and Liechtenstein to the west.

Capital

Vienna.

Reason for Naming

The name Austria derives from the German word Österreich, meaning "eastern realm" in Old High German.

Flag

The Austrian flag is considered to be one of the oldest flags as the first use of the current flag design was in 1230, and the current Flag was adopted in 1918.

This flag consists of three horizontal stripes of red and white, the top and bottom stripes are red, while the center stripe is white. It is thought that these colors are so significant to Austria because of the legend of Duke Leopold V. As the legend goes, the duke was fighting at the Siege of Acre when his coat was drenched in blood.

His clothing underneath was unstained, and this resulted in the color combination of red, white, and red again. It is said that after seeing this, Duke Leopold V adopted the colors for his banner.

* Flag Facts:

- The flag of Austria, The flag of Latvia, and the flag of Lebanon are similar to each other they are all formed of three horizontal stripes of red, white, and red, Lebanon flag is the only one that has a symbol in the center of the flag.

Language

Austrian German is Austria's official language and is spoken by most of the population. It is almost identical to the German used in Germany but with some vocabulary, differences. English is the second language in the education system and is widely used. Other local languages include Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, and Polish.

Religion

Austria is home to many religions. The Christian religion is the official religion of the Republic of Austria, Roman Catholicism is the oldest and most predominant religious faith in Austria with 61% of the total population identifying with the faith. The Eastern Orthodox faith constitutes 6% of the total population, and it came as a result of the South Slavic from the Balkans coming to Austria. The Serbs are the largest group of Orthodox Christians in the region. The atheist population in Austria stands at approximately 12% of the country’s population. Also, there is a small group of Muslims who adheres to Sunni Islam. Other minority religious groups in the country are Buddhist and Jewish.

Currency

Euro (€) (EUR).

Time Zone

+01:00 GMT.

+02:00 GMT. (Summer Time)

Government Regime

Federal parliamentary republic.

Climate

Austria has a remarkable climate, with four seasons clearly different. Temperatures during the summer season range between 15 degrees (night) and 27 degrees (day). The weather is relatively mild during the spring and autumn, and the winter is ideal. For skiing.

In Austria, there are three types of climate: - the continental climate of the narrow plain region of Vienna, similar to that of East-central Europe, with cold winters and warm to hot summers, sometimes sultry; - the climate of the other major cities (Salzburg, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck), located at a higher altitude, with cold winters and fairly warm summers, which in summer receive a good amount of thunderstorms; - finally, the Alpine climate of the mountainous regions, which are freezing and snowy in winter, while in summer they are cooler, and experience a lot of thunderstorms in the afternoon. In comparison with its Alpine "twin" country, Switzerland, Austria has a colder climate in winter, both because of the greater distance from the Atlantic Ocean and the proximity to the Russian plains.

The best times to visit Vienna and the other major cities in Austria are late spring and early autumn, especially the months of May, June, and September.

International Phone Code

+43

Internet Code

.at

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