Top 10 Austria Facts

Austria Fun Facts

A huge part of Austria’s prominence is because of its geographic position. It even shares its borders with about eight other beautiful countries, which are the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Liechtenstein and Switzerland to the west, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, and Italy and Slovenia to the south. It is a very lovely country, and you’ll surely want to visit it after reading some fun facts about Austria.

Quick Facts

Total estimated population:  8,700,471 (January, 2016)

Capital city: Vienna

Largest city: Vienna

What are people from Austria called: Austrians

Official language: German

Currency: Euro

Religion: Roman Catholic (around 74% of the population)

Independence day: 26^th October, 1955

Main exports: Machine, engine and pumps, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and paper

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Austria

Here are ten fun facts about Austria:

1. Austria has the highest standard of living in the world, and its capital Vienna is said to be one of the most livable cities in the world.
2. If you love to see palaces, Vienna is the place to be. It is filled with the world’s most beautiful castles that will make you awe-struck during your journey to this city. Palaces including the Hofburg, Schonbrunn, and Belvedere will surely amaze you.
3. The Austrian flag dates back to 1191, making it one of the first and oldest national flags of the world. There is a legend about how it got its color. It says that the Duke Leopold V got blood all over his tunic during a battle, so when he unfastened his sash from the tunic, a white band appeared, giving the idea of the Austrian flag.
4. Austria has a countless number of famous personalities such as Ferdinand Porsche, who was the founder of Porsche. Did you know that Adolph Hitler was an Austrian and not German?
5. Apart from them, Austria is also home to many famous scientists and classical music composers. Some of the scientists include Christian Doppler, Ernst Mach, and the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Whereas some of the classical music composers are Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and everyone’s favorite Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Even the famous German composer Beethoven has spent a significant amount of time in Austria.
6. When it comes to winning the Nobel Prize, European countries never ceased to amaze us. Just like Austria, it has achieved about 19 Nobel Prizes up till now and stands right behind Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Scandinavian countries.
7. If you want to see one of the biggest emeralds of the world, you have to make a trip to Vienna. It has an emerald of about 2860 karats on display in the Imperial Treasury.
8. Vienna’s Central Cemetery has about 2.5 million graves, which is even more than the city’s total population, which is about 1.7 million.
9. Austria’s ice cave Eisriesenwelt, a German word which translates to “World of the Ice Giants,” is the world’s largest ice cave.
10. Austria is also the birthplace of Pez, a unique tablet-shaped candy that was invented in 1927 and has become a global product.

Did you enjoy reading these cool facts about Austria? Feel free to share it with your fellow austrians!

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