NationMaster - Encyclopedia: States of Austria

Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder (singular Land). Since Land is also the German word for "country", the term Bundesländer ("Federal States"; singular Bundesland) is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms. In English, the term (Bundes)land is commonly rendered as "state" or "province". The Constitution of Austria or sterreichisches Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz (B-VG) is one of the chartas governing political life in the Republic of Austria. ... The Leopoldine Wing of Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna: home to the offices of the Federal President. ... Heinz Fischer (born 9 October 1938) is the federal president of Austria. ... The Austrian Federal Government (German: ) is the Austrian cabinet. ... The Chancellor of Austria (in German: Bundeskanzler) is the head of government in Austria. ... Alfred Gusenbauer (born February 8, 1960) has been the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) since 2000. ... In Austrian politics, the Vice Chancellor (Vizekanzler) is a member of the federal government acting as a deputy to the Federal Chancellor. ... Wilhelm Molterer (born 14 May 1955 in Steyr) is an Austrian politician, (Ã–VP) Vice Chancellor of Austria and Minister of Finance and acting head of the conservative Austrian Peoples Party. ... The Austrian parliament consists of two chambers, the Nationalrat (national council) and the Bundesrat (federal council). ... The Federal Assembly of Austria or Österreichische Bundesversammlung is a federal-level deliberative body consisting of the members of the two houses of the Austrian parliament, the National Council and the Federal Council, in joint session. ... The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is one of the two separate councils of parliament of Austria. ... The National Council or Nationalrat is one of the two houses of the Federal Assembly, the bicameral federal parliament of the Federal Republic of Austria. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... Elections in Austria gives information on election and election results in Austria. ... Election posters of the BZÃ– and the Ã–VP parties The 2006 general election for the National Council in Austria was held on 1 October 2006. ... The election for the National Council of 24 November 2002 took place prematurely, only three years after the last elections. ... In Austria, the legislative election of October 3, 1999 (elections for the National Council of Austria) caused a major upheaval in the political landscape. ... Presidential elections were held in Austria on 25 April 2004. ... The Austrian presidential election of 1998 was won by the incumbent president Thomas Klestil, who sought reelection as an independent candidate. ... Six political parties are represented in the eight Austrian states as well as in Viennas municipal council. ... The 1955 Austrian State Treaty ended the four-power occupation and recognized Austria as an independent and sovereign state. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... A map displaying todays federations. ... The term state may refer to: a sovereign political entity, see state unitary state nation state a non-sovereign political entity, see state (non-sovereign). ... The Constitution of Austria or sterreichisches Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz (B-VG) is one of the chartas governing political life in the Republic of Austria. ...

Federalism and state responsibilities

Each Austrian state has an elected legislature, the Landtag, a state government, the Landesregierung, and a governor, the Landeshauptmann. Elections are held every five years (six years in Upper Austria). The state constitution, among other things, determines how the seats in the state government are assigned to political parties, with most states having a system of proportional representation based on the number of delegates in the Landtag in place. The Landeshauptmann is always elected by the Landtag, meaning that it may be necessary to form a coalition in order to secure the election of a particular candidate. A legislature is a type of deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... A Landtag (Diet) is a representative assembly, with some legislative authority, of a political entity called Land (i. ... Landeshauptmann (literally country captain or state captain) is the German title of the governor of a state of Austria or of the Italian province of Bolzano (South Tyrol). ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ...

However, Austrian federalism is usually considered largely notional, as the states are granted comparatively little actual legislative autonomy. On one hand, federal legislature takes precedence over state legislature in most matters of practical importance, including, but not limited to, criminal law, civil law, corporate law, most other aspects of economic law, education, academia, welfare, telecommunications, and the health care system. On the other hand, Austria's states have no stand-alone judiciary, the federal constitution defining jurisdiction to be exclusively federal matter. A map displaying todays federations. ... A legislature is a type of deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box: In law, the judiciary or judicial is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ...

This is largely due to historic reasons, as central power during the time of the empire was largely concentrated in Vienna. This historical development is in stark contrast to developments in Germany.

However, the state governor (Landeshauptmann) is also in charge of the administration of much of federal administrative law within the respective state, which makes this post an important political position. Furthermore, state competences include zoning laws, planning issues and public procurement on the regional level, which adds considerable weight to state politics. As a practical matter, there have been cases where states have been able to block projects endorsed by the federal government, as in the case of a railway tunnel that was to be built below the Semmering. Landeshauptmann (literally country captain or state captain) is the German title of the governor of a state of Austria or of the Italian province of Bolzano (South Tyrol). ... The Semmering is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria between which it forms a natural border. ...

Still, Austrian Länder are formally and practically endowed with a much smaller degree of statehood than American or even German states are. Even so, Austrians tend to passionately identify with their respective Land and often defend what little independent governance their states have. It is not unheard of for Austrians to consider themselves, for instance, Tyrolean first, Austrian second. it is a wounderfl country. Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as LÃ¤nder (singular Land). ... Tyrol (German: , Czech: ) is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. ...

Geography

The biggest part of the land in the states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna, and Burgenland are situated in the Danube valley and thus consist almost completely of accessible and easily arable terrain. The other five states, in contrast, are located in the Alps and thus comparatively unsuitable for agriculture. Their terrain is also relatively unfavourable to heavy industry and long-distance trade. Accordingly, the population of what now is the Republic of Austria has been concentrated in the former four states since prehistoric times. Austria's most densely populated state is the city state of Vienna, the heart of what is Austria's only metropolitan area. Lower Austria only ranks fourth with regard to population density even though containing Vienna's suburbs; this is due to large areas of land predominantly agricultural. The alpine state of Tyrol, the less alpine but geographically secluded state of Carinthia, and the definitely not alpine but near-exclusively agricultural state of Burgenland are Austria's least densely populated states. The alpine state of Vorarlberg is an anomaly. This article is about a city that serves as a center of government and politics. ... Image File history File links The_States_of_Austria_Numbered. ... Burgenland (Hungarian VÃ¡rvidÃ©k, ÅrvidÃ©k or FelsÅ‘Å‘rvidÃ©k, Croatian GradiÅ¡Ä‡e, Slovenian GradiÅ¡Äansko) is the easternmost state or Land of Austria. ... Eisenstadt (Hungarian Kismarton, Croatian Å½eljezno) is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. ... Carinthia (German: KÃ¤rnten, Italian: Carinzia, Slovenian: KoroÅ¡ka) is an Austrian state or Land, located in the south of Austria. ... Klagenfurt, (Slovenian Celovec) is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia, in Austria, on the Glan river. ... Map of Lower Austria showing districts and the four quarters (Waldviertel in green, Weinviertel in red, Mostviertel in yellow and Industrieviertel in blue) Lower Austria (de: NiederÃ¶sterreich) is one of the nine states or BundeslÃ¤nder in Austria. ... St. ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... Map of Austria, locating Linz Linz is a city and Statutarstadt in northeast Austria, on the Danube river. ... jgcfgdcfrtsrtfyguhjihgftrde Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,154 kmÂ², located adjacent to the German border. ... is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. ... Styria redirects here. ... The Grazer SchloÃŸberg Clock Tower Graz [graËts] (Slovenian: Gradec IPA: /gra. ... Tyrol (German: , Czech: ) is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. ... Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. ... Vorarlberg is the westernmost state (Land) of Austria. ... Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The Danube (ancient Danuvius, Iranian *dÄnu, meaning river or stream, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river in the European Union and Europes second longest river. ... The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... Metropolitan area in Western Tokyo as seen from Tokyo Tower A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or...

State populations and capitals

The following ranked list of Austrian states cites official Statistik Austria population estimates from October 1, 2006 [1]: October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The population figures cited are generally assumed to be accurate to within five percent and to remain so until the next census, scheduled for 2011. Areas are given in square kilometres, population density is expressed in inhabitants per square kilometre. For the purpose of the above list, a "city" is a community defined to be a city by Austrian law; a "town" is a community not defined to be a city. Many of Austria's "cities" have population figures on the order of ten thousand inhabitants; some are even smaller. Population density by country, 2006 Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Map of Lower Austria showing districts and the four quarters (Waldviertel in green, Weinviertel in red, Mostviertel in yellow and Industrieviertel in blue) Lower Austria (de: NiederÃ¶sterreich) is one of the nine states or BundeslÃ¤nder in Austria. ... The title of this article contains the character Ã¶. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Sankt Poelten. ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... Map of Austria, locating Linz Linz is a city and Statutarstadt in northeast Austria, on the Danube river. ... Styria redirects here. ... The Grazer SchloÃŸberg Clock Tower Graz [graËts] (Slovenian: Gradec IPA: /gra. ... Tyrol (German: , Czech: ) is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. ... Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. ... Carinthia (German: KÃ¤rnten, Italian: Carinzia, Slovenian: KoroÅ¡ka) is an Austrian state or Land, located in the south of Austria. ... Klagenfurt, (Slovenian Celovec) is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia, in Austria, on the Glan river. ... jgcfgdcfrtsrtfyguhjihgftrde Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,154 kmÂ², located adjacent to the German border. ... is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. ... Vorarlberg is the westernmost state (Land) of Austria. ... Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. ... Burgenland (Hungarian VÃ¡rvidÃ©k, ÅrvidÃ©k or FelsÅ‘Å‘rvidÃ©k, Croatian GradiÅ¡Ä‡e, Slovenian GradiÅ¡Äansko) is the easternmost state or Land of Austria. ... Eisenstadt (Hungarian Kismarton, Croatian Å½eljezno) is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. ... 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ...

Historical development

In terms of boundaries, the state of Salzburg is equivalent to the former Austro-Hungarian Duchy of Salzburg, where Austria-Hungary was the wide-stretching multinational empire from whose German-speaking kernel the Republic of Austria emerged when the empire was torn apart by nationalist and republicanist forces near the end of World War I. The states of Upper Austria and Lower Austria are mostly equivalent to what formerly were the two semi-autonomous halves of the Archduchy of Austria, a principality which formed the empire's historic heartland and which had to cede significant tracts of land to Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of the empire's dissolution. Similarly, the state of Carinthia descends from the Duchy of Carinthia, the state of Styria descends from the Duchy of Styria, and the state of Tyrol descends from the Princely County of Tyrol; these provinces had to cede territories to Italy and Yugoslavia when Austria emerged in its present form. Also, the state of Vorarlberg had been a part of the County of Tyrol up until 1918. The city state of Vienna was a part of Lower Austria up until 1921. The state of Burgenland is a more or less artificially agglutinated entity consisting of four German-speaking districts of Hungary that were ceded to Austria in 1920-1921. Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Scholars debate about what exactly constitutes an empire (from the Latin imperium, denoting military command within the ancient Roman government). ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... EugÃ¨ne Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, with an emphasis on liberty, rule by the people, and the civic virtue practiced by citizens. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð° in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ...

Contents

Federalism and state responsibilities

Geography

State populations and capitals

Historical development

See also

Contents

Federalism and state responsibilities GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Geography

State populations and capitals

Historical development

See also

Federalism and state responsibilities