Geography
Austria is mainly a mountainous country with a central location on the map of Europe. Covering a total land area of 83,859-kilometer square, it is surrounded by countries on all sides - Hungary to the East, Italy and Slovenia to the South, Switzerland to the West, and the Czech Republic and Germany to the North.
The capital, Vienna, is situated in the northeastern region of Austria. Other large cities are Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck.
The two best-known features of the Austrian landscape are the Alps and the Danube. The Alps cover 62 percent of the country's total area. Three major Alpine ranges--the Northern Alps, Central Alps, and Southern Alps--run west to east through Austria. The Danube basin is another important part of the Geography of Austria covering 28% of the land area. The Danube River originates in southwest Germany, and flows through the Austrian mainland before emptying into the Black Sea. It is perhaps the only major European river that has an eastward flow.
Another significant region of Austria is the Bohemian Forest. In reality, it is a range of mountain made up of hard granites, continuously swept by very strong winds. Located in the northern parts of River Danube, these forests include the remaining ten percent of Austria.
|
