I.

Introduction

Vienna (German, Wien, ancient Vindobona), city in north-east Austria, capital and largest city of the country, coextensive with Vienna Province (Bundesland), located on both banks of the River Danube, with the foothills of the Eastern Alps on the west and the plains of the Danube Basin to the east. The city lies about 200 m (650 ft) above sea level and has a continental climate, with a mean annual temperature of 10.6° C (51° F) and an average annual rainfall of 686 mm (27 in). Vienna was for many centuries the political and economic centre of the Austrian Empire and between 1867 and 1918 the capital of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Following World War I, with Austria greatly reduced in size, the city found itself with a suddenly limited role, and its importance declined. At the end of World War II, Vienna was heavily damaged, but after the signing of the State Treaty in 1955 guaranteeing neutrality for Austria, it again resumed considerable importance as a commercial and transport centre. Today the city dominates the economic and cultural life of Austria and contains about one-fifth of the country's population. Population 1,651,437 (2006 estimate).