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Compare Austria (2008) - Western Sahara (2008)

Compare Austria (2008) z Western Sahara (2008)

 Austria (2008)Western Sahara (2008)
 AustriaWestern Sahara
Administrative divisions 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna) none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure 0-14 years: 15.1% (male 633,375/female 603,459)


15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,781,291/female 2,749,539)


65 years and over: 17.5% (male 585,747/female 846,372) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 55 (2007) 9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 25


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 15 (2007)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 26 (2007)
total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 83,870 sq km


land: 82,444 sq km


water: 1,426 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maine about the size of Colorado
Background 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. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic Monetary Union in 1999. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008.
Birth rate 8.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $176.4 billion


expenditures: $178.3 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital name: Vienna


geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 1,110 km
Constitution 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place -
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Austria


conventional short form: Austria


local long form: Republik Oesterreich


local short form: Oesterreich
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Death rate 9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA
Debt - external $752.5 billion (30 June 2007) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott KILNER


embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0


FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
none
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY


chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035


telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
none
Disputes - international in 2006, Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in a parliamentary motion threatening international legal action Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
Economic aid - donor ODA, $681 million (2004) -
Economic aid - recipient - $NA
Economy - overview Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms; however, lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in 2006 and 2007. Boosted by strong exports, growth nevertheless reached 3.3% in both 2006 and 2007, although the economy may slow in 2008 because of the strong euro, high oil prices, and problems in international financial markets. To meet increased competition - especially from new EU members and Central European countries - Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
Electricity - consumption 60.25 billion kWh (2005 est.) 79.05 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 17.73 billion kWh (2005 est.) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 20.4 billion kWh (2005 est.) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 61.02 billion kWh (2005 est.) 85 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m


highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census) Arab, Berber
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004)


head of government: Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe) (since 11 January 2007); Vice Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERER (OeVP) (since 11 January 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%


note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
none
Exports 34,680 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs phosphates 62%
Exports - partners Germany 30.2%, Italy 9%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 4.7% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.6%


industry: 30.4%


services: 67.3% (2007 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate 3.3% (2007 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 47 20 N, 13 20 E 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Heliports 1 (2007) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.3%


highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs -
Imports 157,500 bbl/day (2005) 1,698 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Germany 45.5%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Independence 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) -
Industrial production growth rate 2.5% (2007 est.) NA%
Industries construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate total: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.56 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.9% (2007 est.) NA%
International organization participation ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional members), AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC none
Irrigated land 40 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof -
Labor force 3.56 million (2007 est.) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 3%


industry: 27%


services: 70% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries total: 2,562 km


border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 16.59%


permanent crops: 0.85%


other: 82.56% (2005)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene,official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census) Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction -
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to its population; to serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next scheduled for the fall of 2010)


election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%, other 4.2%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 79.21 years


male: 76.32 years


female: 82.26 years (2007 est.)
total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: NA


female: NA
NA
Location Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Merchant marine total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,705 GRT/40,627 DWT


by type: cargo 5, container 2


foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)


registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 2) (2007)
-
Military branches Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.9% (2005 est.) -
National holiday National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality -
Nationality noun: Austrian(s)


adjective: Austrian
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards landslides; avalanches; earthquakes hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate 1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Pipelines gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2007) -
Political parties and leaders Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Peter WESTENTHALER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] -
Political pressure groups and leaders Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights none
Population 8,199,783 (July 2007 est.) 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 5.9% (2004) NA%
Population growth rate 0.077% (2007 est.) NA
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 6,383 km


standard gauge: 5,924 km 1.435-m gauge (3,772 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 371 km 1.000-m gauge; 88 km 0.760-m gauge (25 km electrified) (2006)
-
Religions Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census) Muslim
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.012 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.692 male(s)/female


total population: 0.953 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
NA
Suffrage 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007 none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system general assessment: highly developed and efficient


domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership elipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available


international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)
general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 3.564 million (2006) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 9.255 million (2006) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) NA
Terrain in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 1.37 children born/woman (2007 est.) NA
Unemployment rate 4.3% (2007 est.) NA%
Waterways 358 km (2007) -
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