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Austria
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Austria
Map of Austria |
Population: 8 million
Capital: Vienna
Offisial language: German
Major ethnic groups: German 98%, Croatian, Slovene, other (includes
Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma)
Background: Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian
Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation
by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country
"permanently neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality,
once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called
into question since the Soviet collapse and Austria's increasingly prominent
role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the European
Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999.
(Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Austria
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Czech Republic
Map of Czech Republic |
Population: 10 million
Capital: Prague
Offisial language: Czech
Major ethnic groups: Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%,
Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other
0.5% (March 1991)
Background: After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Czech Republic
Artists of Czeck Republic:
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Germany
Map of Germany |
Population: 82 million
Capital: Berlin
Offisial language: German
Major ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1%
(made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Background: As Western Europe's richest and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries formed a common European currency, the euro. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Germany
Artists from Germany
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Hungary
Map of Hungary |
Population: 10 million
Capital: Budapest
Offisial language: Hungarian
Major ethnic groups: Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%,
Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7%
Background: Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed in World War I. It fell under communist rule following World War II. A revolt in 1956 and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact was met with massive military intervention by Moscow. In the more open GORBACHEV years, Hungary led the movement to dissolve the Warsaw Pact and steadily shifted toward multiparty democracy and a market-oriented economy. Following the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Hungary developed close political and economic ties to Western Europe. It joined NATO in 1999 and is a frontrunner in a future expansion of the EU. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Hungary
Artists of Hungary:
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Liechtenstein
Map of Liechtenstein |
Population: 32.000
Capital: Vaduz
Offisial language: German
Major ethnic groups: Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and
other 12.5%
Background: The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to conclude a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral) the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Liechtenstein
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Poland
Map of Poland |
Population: 38,5 million
Capital: Warsaw
Offisial language: Polish
Major ethnic groups: Polish 103.6%, German 1.3%, Ukrainian 0.6%,
Byelorussian 0.5% (1990 est.)
Background: Poland gained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite country following the war, but one that was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of an independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. Complete freedom came with the implosion of the USSR in 1991. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, boosting hopes for early acceptance to the EU. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Poland
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Slovakia
Map of Slovakia |
Population: 5,5 million
Capital: Bratislava
Offisial language: Slovak
Major ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Gypsy 1.6%
(the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which
is about 500,000), Czech, Moravian, Silesian 1.1%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian
0.6%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.2% (1996)
Background: In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs
to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia
became a communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence
collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks
and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia
has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a
modern market economy.
(Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Slovakia
Artists of Slovakia:
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Switzerland
Map of Switzerland |
Population: 7 million
Capital: Bern
Offisial language: German (official) 63.7%, French (official)
19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%
Major ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch
1%, other 6%
Background: Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, may be rendering obsolete the country's concern for neutrality. (Source: WorldFactbook 2000 CIA)
More Background: BBC Country profile: Switzerland
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