Have you ever seen the movie, The Sound of Music? In this movie, the Von Trapp family fled from Austria to Switzerland during World War II. The movie is based on a true story and the country of Austria was invaded by Hitler’s armies during the war. Austria was made part of Germany from 1938 to 1945. Today, it is free again.
Austria was once one of the most powerful countries in the world. Vienna is a sophisticated, beautiful city. Here, musicians, such as Beethoven and Mozart, played before royal audiences and the emperor. Beethoven was actually German not Austrian.
Austria is still a beautiful country. The Alps have some of the best skiing in the world. People also visit Austria to see its museums and buildings. There are many farms and dairies here too.
Fun Facts about Austria for Kids
- Vienna is the capital city of Austria.
- Austria has 31,942 square miles of land.
- Alexander Van der Bellen is the President of Austria (data 2018).
- 8,751,820 people live in Austria (data 2018).
- German is the official language.
- 83 percent of people are Christian.
- Austria has a multiparty democracy.
- Austria uses the Euro as currency.
- 99 percent of adults here can read.
- People in Austria can expect to live 80.65 years.
- Austria is a landlocked country (no coastline), it shares borders with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
- Grossglockner at 3,798 m is the highest mountain in Austria, situated in the Alps.
- Austria is a member of the European Union since 1995.
- Ice hockey and alpine skiing are very popular sports. Austrians also enjoy all winter sports and football.
- Mozart, Strauss and Shubert where all from Austria (all very famous musicians).
- Austria is home to the very famous clock museum (Vienna Clock Museum). It has over 1400 clocks on display.
- Tourism is one of the largest industries in Austria.
Austria Vocabulary
- Powerful: strong
- Sophisticated: fancy, elegant
- Emperor: royal ruler
- Currency: money
All About Austria Video for Kids
This is the best video we found for kids to learn about Austria:
This is a video documentary about the sites, history and culture of Austria.
Austria Q&A
Question: How do people in the mountains live?
Answer: Previously, people built houses with steep roofs so the snow would melt quickly. Cows and other farm animals lived in the basement. The family lived on the middle floor and the hay was stored in the attic. During the deepest part of winter, a farmer could take care of his animals without leaving his home.
Map of Austria
Here’s a map of the country of Austria and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Austria! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Austria, as though you are actually there!
Enjoyed the Geography for Kids all about Austria info? Take the FREE & fun Austria quiz and download FREE Austria worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
