Nature of Austria: picturesque mountain landscapes. Austria: history, nature, population, economy, foreign economic relations Nature and its protection in Austria communication plan

Nature parks in Austria are quaint landscapes and mystical places, corners with rich history and sources of power. They offer a special kind of sensation.

Biosphere Reserve Grosses Walsertal

Natural park Yocher-Thormoyer

Tree circle of life in heaven

Lower Austria

Jöcher-Thormøyer Nature Park

Nature parks of Tyrol

Etztal

Karwendel is the largest nature reserve in Austria

Nature parks of Styria

Vineland

Nature parks of Salzburg

Riedingtal in Lungau

Carinthia

Nature parks in Vienna

Am Himmel Park

Opening hours.
March - October: Wednesday-Friday from 12:00 to 22:00; Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 11:00 to 22:00; Monday, Tuesday - closed.
November - February: Thursday, Friday from 12:00 to 22:00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 11:00 to 22:00; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - closed.

Go to Heiligenstadt metro station (U4); then take bus 38A towards Cobenzl. There will be an entrance at the intersection of Himmelstraße and Höhenstraße.

Lobau Biosphere Reserve

In the eastern part of the Austrian capital there is biosphere park Lobau. It is part of a protected area national reserve. The branches of the Danube flow through this area of ​​floodplain forests; The forests and vast meadows are home to 130 species of animals and birds, and about 800 varieties of plants grow. This is one of the favorite recreation areas of Viennese residents. You can get here not only by highway, but also by water - along the Danube Canal on a National Park boat from May to October you can get directly from the Old Town to ancient forest. And then go on a free expedition on foot or by bike! Website: wien.gv.at.

Upper Austria

In the south-east of the Mühlviertel region there is the Mühlviertel Nature Park, which until 2005 was called the Rechberg Nature Park (Naturpark Mühlviertel/ Rechberg). This area is interesting for its unique biotopes: swamps, dry and flooded meadows. Unique landscape formations and natural monuments – the so-called “stone giants” – have been preserved here. These are bizarre rock formations and boulders lying in different places in the middle of meadows, bushes and forests.

Through the territory natural park Rechberg you can travel along the marked hiking trails and bicycle tracks. Upon prior request from tourists, thematic excursions and hikes are held here. Website:

Occupied area 83.8 thousand square meters. km; population 8 million people. The capital is Vienna, home to 1.6 million people. The form of government is a federal republic.
Official language: German.
The national composition of Austria is made up of ethnic Austrians - 96%, Croats, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Italians, Serbs, Romanians.
The main religion is Christianity (Catholicism).
The national flag of Austria is a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 2:3, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes - top red, middle white and bottom red.
The flag of Austria was adopted in 1919. Then, in 1933, it was canceled and again restored as a state one in 1945.
In the Republic of Austria, the single-headed black eagle, which served as the country's coat of arms in the 12th-13th centuries, was returned as a coat of arms in 1919. and became a symbol of power (the imperial crown on the eagle was replaced by a tower with three prongs, symbolizing the bourgeoisie, peasantry, workers and artisans). In the eagle's claws there is a sickle and a hammer, also a symbol of the union of peasants and workers. In 1945, a new symbol appeared on the coat of arms of Austria - a broken chain holding the paws of an eagle. This is a memory of the Anschluss ("annexation") of Austria to the German Reich, which took place in 1938.

Geography of Austria

Climate of Austria

Vegetation of Austria

Fauna of Austria

Water resources of Austria

Minerals of Austria

Each country boasts its own flora and fauna, picturesque landscapes and breathtaking views. Austria is a fabulous country where you can relax your soul while traveling by private car or tourist bus.

Most of the country's territory, almost 80%, is occupied by the Alps. Moreover, due to the complex system of mountain ranges and quite excellent weather conditions It is customary to conditionally zone Austria into three regions: central, lower and upper.

Central Austria: varied mountain landscapes

The central part occupies almost 63% of the entire territory of Austria, covering almost the entire south of the country.

The nature of Austria consists of approximately 30 mountain ranges and massifs, which form a complex chain of mountains and valleys, each of which has its own natural and climatic conditions. Some of the mountains are covered with ice even in summer, but there are also many peaks that are completely devoid of snow cover in the warm season.

Numerous mountain rivers, which have the status of some of the cleanest in Europe, originate in the picturesque valleys.

The highest point in Australia is Mount Grossglockner, which has two peaks at the same time: Grossglockner (3798 m) and Krainglockner (3770 m). At the foot of the mountain is the largest Austrian glacier - Pasterze, 9 km long. About 30 local mountains reach a height of 3 thousand meters, and 6 of them reach a height of 3.5 thousand meters.

The nature of Austria in the southern part is characterized by dense coniferous forests, picturesque beautiful valleys and crystal clear waters.

Upper Austria: a tourist paradise

Upper Austria consists of Alpine and Carpathian foothills with moderate high peaks mountains (up to 2.5 thousand meters). Austria's nature in this area is made up of mixed spruce, oak and beech forests that extend throughout the northwestern territory of the country. frame the Danube valley, gradually uniting with the Northern limestone Alps, forming a single vast resort area, famous for its natural beauties. Karst areas and healthy mineral springs make this region of Austria even more popular. The most picturesque alpine meadows, framed by glaciers, beautiful forests mixed type and rivers at the foot of the mountains - all this is the nature of Austria, which is very difficult to briefly describe.

There are many mountain rivers and beautiful lakes in Upper Austria. Together with the Austrian Granite-Gneiss Plateau and the Bohemian Massif, this part of Austria occupies approximately 25% of the total territory.

Lower Austria: the best agronomic area

Lower Austria accounts for about 12% total area country, almost all of this territory belongs to the so-called Pannonia (Danube Valley), which is also known as the Vienna Basin. It is not for nothing that the lower part of Austria has such a name, since it is truly the lowest part of the country, the lowest point of which is located only 115 meters above sea level. In this part of the country there is Lake Neusiedler See, which is also a biosphere reserve and popular place rest local residents and tourists. In this place, the nature of Austria is picturesque in its own way.

Lower Austria is the most suitable and popular area for agricultural work.

What is remarkable about the nature of Austria

One of the main advantages of the country is the presence of areas of natural complex untouched by human hands. Thanks to this, local ecosystems were formed on them, which are inhabited by animals and plants that are not numerous in terms of species diversity, but have remained virtually unchanged since the Neolithic era.

Country Austria: nature and its protection

Despite the ever-growing popularity of the tourism sector, Austrians carefully protect not only protected areas, but also resort areas of their country. The Austrian government allocates colossal budgets to maintain the natural balance and protect flora and fauna. “The nature of Austria and its protection” is a constant topic that is often raised in research centers and in circles of activists for the preservation of the ecosystem.

Approximately 3% of the country's area is occupied by protected lands, on which 7 national parks are located:

• Hohe Tauern.
• Nockberge.
• Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel.
• Donau-Auen.
• Kalkalpen.
• Tayatal.
• Gezoise.

Ordinary residents of the country also pay great attention to the nature of Austria and its protection, observing established laws. Thus, they maintain such a valuable natural eco-balance, and this, you see, is worthy of respect!

Almost 80% of Austria's territory is occupied by the Alps and their foothills. Moreover, due to the complex system of mountain ranges and their rather different natural conditions It is customary to distinguish three areas.

The Central Eastern Alps (about 62.8% of the country's territory) form a powerful mountain "tongue", stretching far to the east from the main massif of the Alps and occupying almost the entire south of the country. This is a vast mountainous country consisting of approximately 30 separate massifs and ridges (Northern Limestone, Albul, Gurktal, Carnian, Kitzbühl, Lechtal, Noria, Plessur, Tuk, Stubai, Zillertal, Ötztal and other Alps, Karawanke massifs, High and Low Tauern, Retikon, Silvretta, Samnaun, Ferval, Hochschwab and others), forming a complex network of mountains and valleys - each with its own natural and climatic conditions. Some of the mountains are covered with glaciers (on Großglockner, for example, there is one of the largest ice massifs on the mainland - Pasterze), but there are also many peaks that are completely devoid of snow cover in the summer. And in the deep valleys flow numerous mountain rivers, considered one of the cleanest in Europe.

The highest point is Mount Grossglockner (3797 m) in the Hohe Tauern range, with more than 30 local mountains exceeding three thousand meters, and six of them - 3500 meters. These are the edges of dense coniferous forests, picturesque alpine meadows and high mountain heaths, forming a very recognizable picture. At the same time, even despite the popularity of mountainous regions as resort area, in Austria the plant and fauna, so many of the original inhabitants of the Alps continue to live here.

The Alpine and Carpathian foothills are relatively low (up to 2500 m) areas of the outlying mountains, overgrown with spruce and oak-beech forests. Framing the Danube valley, they almost merge with the Northern Limestone Alps (Waldviertel, Wienerwald, Dachstein, Mühlviertel and others massifs) in the north and Tauern in the south, forming one vast resort area, famous for its natural beauty, abundance of karst areas and mineral springs. There are also many rivers here, but the main glory of the region is the most beautiful mountain lakes, especially numerous in the area historical region Salzkammergut. Together with the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald), the Bohemian Massif and the Austrian granite-gneiss plateau, these midlands occupy about 25.8% of the country's territory.

The entire northern part of Austria from west to east is crossed by the Danube Valley (about 11.3% of the country's territory), traditionally called Pannonia (after the historical Roman province) or the Vienna Basin. This is truly the lowest part of the country - the lowest point lies at the edge of the water of Lake Neusiedler See (115 m above sea level) on the border with Hungary. And the wide and fertile plain serves as a traditional agricultural area and one of the main transport arteries - the Danube is the only navigable river in the country.

Almost half of Austria's territory is covered by forests. In the valleys and along the perimeter of agricultural areas, up to an altitude of 1200 m, dense spruce forests predominate, replaced higher by larch and stone pine, whose thickets rise to heights of about 2400 m. Above, picturesque alpine meadows begin, especially colorful framed by numerous mountain lakes and glaciers, and from At altitudes of more than 3000 meters, meadows gradually give way to mountain wastelands and snowfields. As a result, a fairly typical for the Alpine belt was formed on the territory of the country. natural complex, but has suffered quite little from human activity and is even more interesting. At the same time, mountain spurs, narrow valleys (often practically isolated) and numerous tributaries form many “local” ecosystems, not very rich in the species diversity of plants and animals, but which have changed little since the Neolithic.

Austria (officially the Republic of Austria) is a federal inland German-speaking state in Central Europe. The territory area is 83,871 km2, which is comparable to the territory of Serbia. The shape of Austria is somewhat reminiscent of the muzzle of a seahorse - the narrow western part is the nose, and the widened eastern part is the head itself. This state includes 9 federal units - states: Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Voralberg, Carinthia and Vienna. Each of the lands has its own administrative and economic center, that is, a separate capital. It doesn’t make much sense to talk about each of the Austrian provinces separately - most of the lands are almost absolutely identical in nature and are divided only by the political motives of the authorities of the Republic of Austria. Thus, when talking about the living and inanimate nature of Austria, it is not always necessary to take into account a specific land, so the story will most often be conducted without indicating this province.

Climatic conditions of Austria

The climate in the Republic of Austria on the plains is temperate continental, but the temperature drops sharply with increasing altitude. Winters are warm (about two degrees Celsius below zero), while summers, on the contrary, are quite cool and, importantly, not at all stuffy or dry (about 25 degrees Celsius). Humidity is neither high nor low - the most common for such climate zone. There are very few winds and they are extremely weak, almost imperceptible - numerous mountain ranges, penetrating most of Austria like veins, very well protect all local residents and guests of the state from the slightest breath. Precipitation is moderate, from 0.5 to 3 meters per year. Thus, in the opinion of many Russian residents, this is an almost ideal climate - the most neutral and regulated.

Geology and seismology

Despite the huge number mountain ranges and ridges, not a single volcano has been discovered in Austria, but there are really a lot of mountains there. Most high mountain is Mount Großglockner or, in German, simply Glockner. This is located in the north of Austria and rises 3798 meters above sea level. Just a few meters behind it is Mount Kleinglockner (3770 meters above the sea). By the way, it is located on the same massif very close to the first one. The Wildspitze peak (3768 m) takes an honorable third place, just a couple of meters lower than the previous one. There are quite a few points in Austria above 3000 meters, they all have fairly small intervals in altitude, so everything you need to know about Austria is mountain peaks there really is a lot.

Austria's water resources

Since Austria is landlocked, that is, surrounded on all sides by land, in its possessions and free access The only water bodies are rivers and lakes. The most large lake in Austria, Lake Constance (Konstantinsky) is considered, whose area is 538.5 km and the maximum recorded depth is 254 meters. It is located right on that very “nose of the seahorse,” that is, in the southwest of the republic. It is interesting that when calling this lake, they mean three different bodies of water at once - the Upper and Lower lakes and the Rhine River, which connects them to each other. This entire “structure” is located on the territory of three large European states: Germany, Switzerland and Austria, therefore, Austria does not own the entire lake, but only a small part of it. Nevertheless, this does not prevent it from annually attracting tens and hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to see the unique lake, as if assembled from a nature constructor. The second largest lake is Lake Neusiedler See, located in the east of the republic, and, again, does not belong only to it. But now Austria has most of it (a little more than 75%), and shares the rest with one of the Hungarian counties bordering the republic. The area is 156.9 km2, and the greatest depth is only two meters, which is extremely unusual for lakes of such a large size. By the way, it is the fourth largest in area in all of Central Europe. Unlike the previous one, only freshwater lake Constance, Neusiedler See is a little salty. This is the westernmost lake with this degree of salinity in all of Europe. These are the most interesting lakes Austria out of 44 existing ones. The area of ​​most of them does not exceed even one square kilometer and does not stand out among four dozen others. But there is certainly something to be said about the rivers of the states. Although there are a little less than a dozen of them, they can surprise many. Most long river, passing through the territory of the Republic of Austria, is the Danube River, known to everyone. It has a huge number of tributaries. The second most popular river, which has already been mentioned earlier, is the Rhine. It is famous precisely because it is a kind of “conductor” from one lake to another. Another very small river (only 34 km long) is the Vena River. It is not difficult to guess that its fame is not due to its size, but to its location in the capital. This river can be compared with the Moscow River - in this case the situation is absolutely identical. In the collection of interesting Austrian rivers, you should definitely add the Gail River, which, like Vienna, has become recognizable not because of its size (a modest 122 kilometers), but because it is one of the few rivers passing exclusively through the territory inland republic.

Flora of Austria

Austria is located in the Alpine region, known for its coniferous and deciduous forests. Mysterious forest slopes of high wild powerful mountains - a picture typical of many mountainous regions of the Central and Western Europe. Basically, all the plants of Austria are no different from the flora of any other point in Central Europe, so going into detail about the most ordinary, unremarkable vegetation does not make much sense. But there is still something in Austrian nature that distinguishes it from any other place - these are the well-known, literally legendary alpine meadows - synonymous with fresh grass, happy alpine cows, the freshest milk, the smell of freshly cut grass... The Alpine belt extends from 2500 to 3000 meters above the level of the World Ocean, beyond this altitude, the meadows lose their exceptional and unique “charm”, because in our time alpine meadows are practically a single brand, business card quality product. Little known fact— in the subalpine and alpine belt there are a lot of swamps and gradually swampy areas. After a mark of three kilometers above sea level, the alpine strip gradually turns into snowy peaks, constantly icy and windy, where every small rustle can easily cause a long series of snow avalanches, some of which have already claimed the lives of brave climbers and mountain conquerors.

Austrian fauna

Although the diversity of the Austrian fauna is difficult to envy, it contains many interesting species of animals that live in the mountains. Some of the most common species of animals are the red fox, lynx and other wild animals of the cat family, deer, yaks and bulls, cows, chamois antelopes and mountain goats. Many of them spend summer time, grazing in alpine meadows, and in winter they move to the lower, therefore warmer and “well-fed” zone. In winter, in the forest zone you can find a lot more food than at the same time in the alpine zone, and vice versa. The steppe regions were confidently “captured” various types birds, of which there are more than 400 species throughout Austria - herons live near the lakes, hawks and eagles build their nests on rocky mountain cliffs. True, of these 400 species, about one and a half dozen have not been encountered by scientists since the fifties of the last century, which makes one think about such a terrible thing as the complete extinction of these species. But, moving away from the sad, it is important to note interesting fact about the Pannonian Plain (Middle Danube Lowland) - it is this lowland, more than any other place on the territory of Austria, that is inhabited by birds, which seem to be attracted to it by internal instincts.

Ecology in Austria

Throughout its rather long history of existence, Austria has never experienced significant environmental problems. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth talking about its development, ups and downs, and the situation at the present moment. It cannot be said that alpine meadows and coniferous forests on steep mountain slopes are pristine and untouched by man, no, but it can definitely be said that deforestation and the development of natural areas by anthropogenic complexes are negligible compared to the territory under special exclusive control. For any harm caused to nature specific person or a group of people, caused without the written consent of the authorities (which is obtained individuals almost impossible) you can easily end up in jail or at least have to pay a fine that will be noticeable to anyone, even the thickest wallet. Even in a state where the legislative bodies are very concerned about the nature and environmental well-being of their state, there are problems with this very ecology. Although they are not as deplorable and serious as in many other cities and countries, they are still quite unpleasant. Austria has quite polluted air compared to the rest of Europe; here it is dirtier than even in Russian Federation. Serious measures are now being taken to clean the air in the Republic of Austria and, it is worth noting, that the fight against pollution is working well. As for the protection of individual species, in each of the federal states there are at least two national parks, on the territory of each of which it is prohibited to kill and harm animals and plants, as well as any actions dangerous to nature (for example, lighting fires). In all other respects, such parks are no different from ordinary ones, but they bring much more benefits.