About Austria:

Vienna, Salzburg, so many destinations that evoke refinement and luxury of the court of Habsburg made famous from the series of films " Sissi Empress ". Still today, Austria remains very much influenced by its past and shows its visitors its big cities in this small country with their palaces and enchanted theatres where all the European aristocrats of the XVIII and XIX centuries came together.

Situated in the heart of the Alps, Austria is a country that has many mountain peaks! In addition to its cultural treasures, Austria offers kilometres of snowy trails that allow for the practice of all winter sports. In the summer you can profit from the mountains by mountain biking, riding a horse or even just going by foot. Another essential aspect of Austria is its central geographical position, which acts as a line between Central Europe and Western Europe, between the bohemian and classical culture.

Choosing Austria for one’s studies is choosing an environment with so many aspects: Germanic culture, large open space and all of Europe at your feet! In addition, due to the quality of its prestigious higher education establishments, Austria gives the advantage of benefiting from a high academic standard. So the genius of Mozart and Freud, or the success of Schwarzenegger are all examples of possibilities which one can follow in Austria, why not take the adventure?!

Population: 8,131,000 in 2000.
Capital: Vienna, 1,64 million inhabitants.
Principal cities: Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Villach, Wels, Steyr, Sankt Polten.
Principal university cities : Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Graz, Klagenfurt, Leoben, Innsbruk.
Official language : German.
Student population : 210,000
Foreign student population : around 21,000.
National currency:Euro,(1-Euro=1.45$,1Euro=65Indian Rupees)

Climate and seasons: The temperatures depend on the altitude rather than the latitude. In the winter it can be very cold, and it snows almost systematically throughout the majority of the country and the barometer often hits -10 C. Precipitation is fairly frequent but there can be sun in Austria (however be careful because altitude makes it easier to get sun burns). In the summer, the temperatures are very agreeable and enables you to take advantage of the parks in the cities or the countryside.

Distances:Austria is a country with modest proportions. If it was not so well equipped with motorways and trains it could be difficult to travel around because it is very mountainous (more than 3700 metres of peaks).