Austria - Geography

A landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both 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. The capital is the city of Vienna on the Danube River.

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Cities

• Innesbruck - Innsbruck literally means bridge over the River Inn. The capital of Tyrol is popular with winter tourists as its near many ski areas, and was the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics.
• Klagenfurt - With a population of over 90,000 it is the sixth-largest city in the country. The city is the bishop's seat of the Roman-Catholic diocese of Gurk.
• Graz - The first significant date in Graz’s history is the year 1128, marking the first documented reference to the city.
• Saizburg – Mozart was born here on the 27th of January 1756 in Salzburg. 

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Mountains

Austria is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps. 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 meters (1,640 ft). The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into lowlands and plains in the eastern part of the country.

Regions

Austria can be divided into five areas, the biggest being the Austrian Alps, which constitute 62% of nation's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the Carpathians account for around 12% and 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 Vienna basin comprises the remaining 4%.

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