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        Even though Austria is not the largest country in Europe, most of us
      
      
        are familiar with the symphonies of Haydn, Mahler, Mozart and
      
      
        Schoenberg, the mountain scenery, catchy songs from the
      
      
        
          Sound of
        
      
      
        
          Music
        
      
      
        and the name of Sigmund Freud. Austria is a tranquil yet modern
      
      
        country with GDP per capita ranked 15th in the world according to the
      
      
        United Nations. Innsbruck, the internationally famous winter sport
      
      
        centre, has held Winter Olympics twice in 1964 and 1976. Its capital,
      
      
        Vienna, is one of the top destinations along the middle Europe travel
      
      
        route, due to its rich culture and efficient connections with other major
      
      
        European cities. Visitors can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the
      
      
        Alps and snow and skiing in winter - at a relatively lower cost compared
      
      
        with Switzerland – at small towns like Schladming or Kitzbühel.
      
      
        Austria at a glance
      
      
        Size: 83,855 square kilometres
      
      
        Population: 8.4 million
      
      
        Official language: German
      
      
        Currency: Euro
      
      
        GDP in 2012: €309,901 million
      
      
        GDP per capita in 2012: €36,600