Austria is located within Central Europe and is completely landlocked. It is an elongated landmass and has many bordering nations including Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Liechtenstein and Switzerland to the west, Italy to the southwest, Slovenia to the south and Hungary and Slovakia to the east. The total land area is 82,738 sq km with a further 1120 sq km of water. The terrain of Austria is mountainous in the westand and the highest point is Grossglockner at a height of 3,798m. The eastern regions nearing Hungary and Slovakia are comprised of flat to gently sloping plains. The Danube winds east from Vienna into Hungary. The western alpine region of Austria is home to some incredible snow capped mountains, ideal for skiing during wintertime. In the spring, the glaciers melt, giving way to lush alpine valleys and green meadows where colourful wild flowers bloom and the tinkle of a goat's neck bell clinks in the distance. Yodelling is a well-practised, time-honoured tradition that has been carried down from generation to generation. In the valleys this sound can carry over great distance.

The capital of Austria is Vienna and is home to the Austrian parliament and administrative division. From Vienna there are good onward road and rail networks to Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. The population of Austria is 8,169,929 and is largely represented by a Germanic mix of people. The main religion is Roman Catholicism. The official language is German although English is widely spoken. Austria's national currency is the Euro.

Austria is a member of the EU and enjoys a similar wealthy market economy and high standard of living to neighbouring Germany. Industries include construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment and tourism. 67% of the national workforce is service-based although 4% work within agriculture and forestry. The agriculture produce of Austria includes grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit and dairy products. Austria's transport network consists of 6095.2 km of railways and 133,361 km of highways.

The climate of Austria is temperate. The hottest months are from May to September. The cold winters of Austria are well served by snow, especially in the alpine elevations. Summer brings with it much rain and the Danube River occasionally bursts its banks as was the case in the summer of 2002, when the eastern extremes of Austria experienced much flooding. The Austrian Alps are often subject to Avalanches during wintertime.