Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia. Once the center 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 in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy consisting of nine federal states(Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna). The German name Österreich can be translated into English as the "eastern realm", which is derived from the Old German Ostarrîchi. Reich can also mean "empire".
Official websites of the Austrian Tourist Board: http://www.austria.info/;
Austria boasts an incredible wealth of remarkable buildings of great architectural and historic value including churches, monasteries, fortresses, castles, palaces, museums, and burgher houses to name but a few. Austria is also famous for its scenic attractions. Revel in the beauty of snow-capped peaks, roaring waterfalls, secluded nature parks, and emerald-green lakes.
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