Austria Country & Tourist Information

Location
Central Europe.

Area
83,858 sq km (32,378 sq miles).

Population
8.2 million (UN estimate 2006).

Population Density
97.8 per sq km.

Capital
Vienna (Wien).
Population:  2.26 million (UN, 2005).

Government
Federal Republic.

Language
German is the official language. Regional dialects are pronounced and within the different regions of the country one will encounter marked variations from Hochdeutsch, ie ‘standard’ German. There are Croatian and Slovene-speaking minorities in the Burgenland and southern Carinthia respectively.

Religion
78% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant, 5% Muslim, 12% other religious sects.

Time
GMT + 1.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin European plugs are standard.

Head of Government
Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer since 2007.

Head of State
President Heinz Fischer since 2004.

Telephone
Country code: 43. Call boxes are grey and found in all areas. International calls can be made from payphones with four coin slots. Trunk calls within Austria and to 40 countries are cheaper Mon-Fri 1800-0800 and approximately 35% cheaper at the weekend (from 1300 Saturday to 0800 Monday).

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet
Available throughout Austria. There are many Internet cafes.

Media
Austria’s public broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk, has long dominated the airwaves, but now faces growing competition from private broadcasters, particularly in Vienna. This is a relatively new phenomenon to Austria. Some German cable or satellite channels deliebrately tailor their content for Austrian audiences. The print market is mainly privately owned and fiercely competitive and popular.


Post
Letters up to 20g and postcards within Europe are sent by airmail. Letters within Europe take two to four days, and to the USA four to six days. Post boxes are yellow or orange; red stripes mean that the box is also emptied weekends and bank holidays.

Post office hours: generally Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1800, and Sat various hours, but main post offices and those at major railway stations are open for 24 hours, seven days a week, including public holidays. Monetary transactions in all post offices permitted Mon to Fri until 1700, Sat 0800-1000.

Press
• Newspapers are in German.
• The Wiener Zeitung, established in 1703, is the oldest newspaper in the world.
• The national daily with the largest circulation is the Neue Kronenzeitung, followed by Der Kurier, Der Standard and Die Presse.
• English-language newspapers and magazines are also widely available, particularly in the big cities and tourist resorts.

Radio
• There are a number of both public and commercial radio stations.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
6-9 Apr Easter. 
1 May National Holiday.
17 May Ascension Day.
27 May Whit Sunday.
7 Jun Corpus Christi.
15 Aug Assumption.
26 Oct National Day.
1 Nov All Saints’ Day.
8 Dec Immaculate Conception.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany. 
21-24 Mar Easter. 
1 May National Holiday.
1 May Ascension Day.
11 May Whit Sunday.
22 Jun Corpus Christi.
15 Aug Assumption.
26 Oct National Day.
1 Nov All Saints’ Day.
8 Dec Immaculate Conception.
Dec 25-26 Christmas.

Contact Information:

Austrian Embassy in the UK
18 Belgrave Mews West, London SW1X 8HU, UK
Tel: (020) 7245 6689 or 7344 3250 or (09065) 508 961 (24-hour visa information).
Website: www.bmaa.gv.at/london
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 (personal callers); 0900-1645 (telephone enquiries); 0900-1200 (visa section); 1400-1600 (telephone visa enquiries).

Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO) in the UK
9-11 Richmond Buildings, Dean Street, London W1D 38F, UK
Tel: (020) 7440 3830 or (0845) 101 1818 (holiday information and brochure request line).
Website: www.austria.info/uk
No personal callers.

Embassy of the Republic of Austria in the USA
3524 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 895 6700 or 895 6711 (consular section).
Website: www.austria.org

Austrian Tourist Office (ATO) in the USA
120 West 45th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10036, USA
Tel: (212) 944 6880.
Website: www.austria.info/us


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