Countries

Austria

A landlocked Alpine republic of about 9.2 million people, Austria was the core of the Habsburg empire until 1918. Mozart, Haydn and Schubert were all born on its soil, Vienna hosts one of the UN's four main offices, and the country has been neutral since 1955.

The village of Hallstatt on the shore of Lake Hallstatt, with its church spire and wooden houses beneath steep Alpine peaks

Hallstatt, Upper Austria

Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0

Legend says Duke Leopold V's white tunic was soaked in blood at the 1191 Siege of Acre, except under his belt. The colors appear on a ducal seal from 1230, making it one of the oldest national flags.

How it has changed

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