Austria
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[wm_text_block]Capital | Vienna |
Currency | Euro (€) |
Population | 8,572,895 (2014 est.) |
Electricity | 230V/50Hz (European plug) |
Country code | +43 |
Time zone | UTC +1 |
Emergencies | dial 112 |
Tourism information | austria.info |
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Culture
Austria is a federation. Each of its nine federal states has a unique and distinct culture.
Austrians aren’t easy to categorize. In fact, the main reason Austrians stand out from their European neighbours is that they don’t stand out from the rest for anything in particular. Austrians are moderate in their outlook and behaviour. Being at Europe’s crossroads, their culture is influenced from several sides. The stereotype of the yodelling, thigh slapping, beer-swilling xenophobe may apply to a few individuals but it certainly doesn’t apply to the majority of Austrians.
The average Austrian on the street is likely to be friendly yet somewhat reserved and formal, softly spoken and well mannered, law abiding, socially conservative, rooted, family oriented, conformist and somewhat nepotistic, a Catholic at heart, not particularly religious but a follower of tradition, well educated if not as cosmopolitan as his/her European cousins, cynical, and equipped with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor.
Language
The national official language of Austria is German which, in its national standard variety, known as Austrian (Standard) German (Österreichisches (Hoch)deutsch) is generally identical to the German used in Germany, with some significant vocabulary differences (many of which concern kitchen language or the home) and a rather distinct accent. Most Austriacisms are loanwords from Austro-Bavarian, even though languages of the neighbouring countries have influenced as well. Other languages have some official status in different localities (e.g., Slovenian in Carinthia, Burgenland Croatian and Hungarian in Burgenland).
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