| Destination: AUSTRIA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Things To Know The Land The Habsburg Legacy Crossroads of Europe Proud Traditions Environmental Issues Sauerkraut and Strudel Summer and Winter The Last of the Knights |
Crossroads of Europe At the end of World War II, Austria was divided into four zones of occupation, with the Allied powers occupying most of the western half. With economic aid provided by the Marshall Plan after World War II, this area was able to industrialize more efficiently than the Soviet-occupied zone, and the east-west divide continued even after the Second Republic was founded in 1955 and independence was regained. Present-day Austria shares a boundary with eight other European countries: Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Its 8 million inhabitants live in nine provinces, each with its own very distinctive characteristics. More than half the working population is employed in the service sector: education, tourism, administration and health. Traditional agriculture only continues thanks to large subsidies, and now employs less than 10 percent of the workforce. The vast majority of Austrians speak German or a German dialect. Austria was only slightly affected by the Protestant Reformation and is still a deeply Catholic country. Its glorious baroque churches are packed for Sunday Mass. |
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