Jenna Matson
Austria
Austria is located in the southern hemisphere. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as “Down Under.” This country is about 32,377 square miles, and is bordered by Czech Republic, German, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Austria consists of 9 independent federal states. These states are Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and Vienna their capital. Austria is covered with many high mountains, because of the Alps. It is so high up that only 32% of Austria is below 1,640 feet. Its highest point is 12,461 feet! In the summer, the average temperature is 68 degree Fahrenheit. In the winter, the average temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. So as you can tell, Austria is a colder country.
Approximately 8.4 million people live in Austria. 1.6 million people live in it’s capital Vienna. Most of the people who live there speak German and Austro-Bavarian, which is a language that originated from German. Some other languages they speak are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian, and Slovene. Approximately 47% of Austrians are Roman Catholic, 5% are Protestant, and the other percent belong to other faiths.
I bet you didn’t know this, but Austria is one of the richest countries in the world! Their currency is the euro, which was adopted in 1999, so pretty recently. Austria has a well-developed economy as well as a very high standard of the living. Here’s a fun fact, up to 70% of Austria’s energy comes from renewable sources, like water. Austria kind of depends on Germany. Most of their exports like paper, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel are exported to Germany. Only 15% of their exported goods go overseas.
Tourism is one of Austria’s main ways to make money, so here are some of the best tourist spots! Schonbrunn Palace is the most visited tourist attraction. It was birthplace of Franz Josef, an Emperor. It was also a summer home for the Hapsburg family. Also attached to the Schonbrunn is one of the world’s oldest and largest zoo! Don’t worry though, they have modernized it! Another tourist attraction is the Swarovski Crystal World. It is a theme-park, which showcases the crystal jewellery of Swarovski. There are many more beautiful places in Austria, which are best to visit during the summer.
I think that Austria sounds like a great place to visit, and I hope to go there someday.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria
http://www.austria.info/us/about-austria/trade-industry-1140668.html
Comments
Good job and beautiful pictures!