Austria Natural Environment

The country is located in Central Europe, at about 47°N and about 13°E.  The total area is 83,858 sq km.  It shares borders with Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

The maximum distance between the eastern and western ends of the country measures about 600 km, whereas the maximum distance between the northern and southern ends is about 280 km.

The Alps cover 62 percent of the total area, with three major ranges, the Northern, Southern and the Central running from the west to the east.  The Central Alps are the largest and highest of the three.  The country has many Alpine passes and valleys.  The east and north are mostly flat land or gentle slopes.  The Danube, which has its water source in southwestern Germany, runs through it before emptying into the Black Sea.  Human habitation is largely found along the Danube and in the lowlands or hilly regions around the Alps.

About ten percent of the land of Austria is barren because of the extremely mountainous terrain.  About forty percent is forested mainly in the Alpine regions.  The arable lands are mainly in the east and southeast along the Danube Valley.  Grasslands are found in high altitudes and many of them are used as pastures.

Austria is within a temperate climatic and has four seasons.  However there are regional variations as the country has a diverse terrain and a wide east-west expanse; and the weather is tempered by the presence of the Alps.

In the east, the climate is subject to continental influence – low precipitation, hot summers but only moderately cold winters.  In the Alpine Region, there is generally high precipitation, short summers and long winters.  In the west, the climate is influenced by the Atlantic air from the Gulf Stream, resulting in mild air and precipitation.

The south and southeast are influenced by the continental and Mediterranean systems, resulting in fewer clouds and warmer air.

Occasionally, a warm air mass called fohn in Austria would come from the African Sahara, sometimes raising the temperature by 10°C or more in a short time.  This could thaw the snow on the mountains and cause avalanches.