World Factbook
Austria
Republik Oesterreich
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
82,445 sq km
water
1,426 sq km
total
83,871 sq km
Climate
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
Terrain
mostly mountains (Alps) in the west and south; mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern margins
Land use
other
20.9% (2023 est.)
forest
47.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
31.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 16% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 14.7% (2023 est.)
Location
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point
Grossglockner 3,798 m
mean elevation
910 m
Irrigated land
382 sq km (2016)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
2,524 km
border countries
Czech Republic 402 km; Germany 801 km; Hungary 321 km; Italy 404 km; Liechtenstein 34 km; Slovakia 105 km; Slovenia 299 km; Switzerland 158 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Geography - note
note 1 : 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 note 2 : the world's largest and longest ice cave system at 42 km (26 mi) is the Eisriesenwelt (Ice Giants World) inside the Hochkogel mountain near Werfen, about 40 km south of Salzburg; ice caves are bedrock caves that contain year-round ice formations; they differ from glacial caves, which are transient and are formed by melting ice and flowing water within and under glaciers
Natural resources
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Area - comparative
about the size of South Carolina; slightly more than two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania
Geographic coordinates
47 20 N, 13 20 E
Population distribution
the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two thirds of the populace lives in urban areas
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Constance (shared with Switzerland and Germany) - 540 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Donau (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth