Austria is a small country in the centre of Europe, well known for its music and beautiful nature. However, Austria is also a modern industrialized country with metallurgical industry, motor industry, machines, textiles, oil and chemical industry and food industry. The capital Vienna is an economic centre of middle Europe with increasing importance. Vienna is the political, cultural and economic centre of the country and has about 1.6 million inhabitants. Vienna is the third seat of the United Nations and also of other international institutions (OPEC, European Patent Office, etc.).

Once the centre 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.

Under the rule of the mighty Habsburgs, Austria was the dominant political force in Central Europe. Today it may be politically reconciled to being a minor player in the European Union but it has few peers as a year-round holiday destination, with plenty of winter sports in the Schwarzenegger-sized Alps, some of the most impressive and overblown architecture in Europe and an unrivalled musical tradition that even The Sound of Music couldn't sully.

Major Tourist Cities/Areas Information:
	Salzburg
	Vienna