Population: 8,300,000 Year of EU entry:1995 Capital city: Vienna Total area: 32382mi² Language: German Political system: Federal Republic
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"Hello kids! My name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but you may call me Wolferl, if you want to. I am Austrian, and I was born in the beautiful city of Salzburg in 1756. I am now twelve years old, and I am a composer. You don’t believe me, you say? Well, in that case I have to tell you that I started to learn how to play the piano when I was only four, and composed my first piece when I was five! Quite astonishing, isn’t it? Believe it or not, I have traveled all over Europe with my father and sister doing concert tours! And just this year I composed an opera for children, if you must know. It is called “Bastien and Bastienne” , and you can actually see it here in Washington D.C! My old friend Steven Scheschareg is going to play the part of Colas, the sorcerer. Two children are going to help him and play “Bastien and Bastienne”. Jerome Barry, the director of the Embassy Series, and another good friend of mine, is giving them lessons right now. You should all come along to see the opera!"
I am sure you have many questions about me and my home country, so don't hesitate to ask me! You just have to shift your mouse on the question and I will answer immediatly!
Now, let me tell you a few more things about Austria!
Compared to the United States, Austria is a tiny country. Now that I think about it, you can compare it to the federal state of Maine in terms of size.
Austria has 8,356,707 inhabitants. In comparison, the United States have 307,088,000 inhabitants. That is 37 times as many as Austria has, can you imagine that? Even New York City has more inhabitants than Austria (8,363,710). Austria has about as many inhabitants as the federal state of New Jersey. So it really is tiny compared to the United States.
Austria is situated in the center of Europe. It shares borders with Germany and the Czech Republic in the north, Slovakia and Hungary in the East, Slovenia and Italy in the north, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the West.
The capital of Austria is called Vienna, and it has 1,6 million inhabitants. The German name is Wien. It is the largest city in Austria, and the 10th largest city in the EU. Vienna’s landmark is St. Stephen's Cathedral. Austrians call the Cathedral “Stephansdom”.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Wiener Schnitzel, or Viennese Schnitzel, which is a very popular dish in Austria. You usually eat it with potatoes, rice or fried potatoes. Austria is also known for its sweet dishes like Apfelstrudel, Sachertorte or Kaiserschmarrn. One thing you might not know is that Austrian bread is completely different from American bread. It is called black bread, and has a hard crust.
Austrian children go to school at eight in the morning, and get home at 12, 1 or 2 o’clock. Lots of children go to a nursery or to their relative’s houses after school, if their parents have to work. For their lunch, they usually bring something to eat from home. This might be a roll with ham or a sandwich, some fruit and something to drink. Some schools have a cafeteria, but usually you don’t get a warm lunch, you can buy snacks or sandwiches there.
In Austria, the national sport isn’t football or baseball, but skiing. Austrians love to ski. There are lots of skiing championships in Austria, and the professional Austrian skiers usually win lots of prizes. Another sport Austrians love is soccer.
The capital of Austria is called Vienna, and it has 1,6 million inhabitants. The German name is Wien. It is the largest city in Austria, and the 10th largest city in the EU. Vienna’s landmark is St. Stephen's Cathedral. Austrians call the Cathedral “Stephansdom”.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Wiener Schnitzel, or Viennese Schnitzel, which is a very popular dish in Austria. You usually eat it with potatoes, rice or fried potatoes. Austria is also known for its sweet dishes like Apfelstrudel, Sachertorte or Kaiserschmarrn. One thing you might not know is that Austrian bread is completely different from American bread. It is called black bread, and has a hard crust.
Austrian children go to school at eight in the morning, and get home at 12, 1 or 2 o’clock. Lots of children go to a nursery or to their relative’s houses after school, if their parents have to work. For their lunch, they usually bring something to eat from home. This might be a roll with ham or a sandwich, some fruit and something to drink. Some schools have a cafeteria, but usually you don’t get a warm lunch, you can buy snacks or sandwiches there.
In Austria, the national sport isn’t football or baseball, but skiing. Austrians love to ski. There are lots of skiing championships in Austria, and the professional Austrian skiers usually win lots of prizes. Another sport Austrians love is soccer.
