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 in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
National Flag descritption:
The Austria flag is a red and white bi-color that was first adopted in 1918. There was no national Austrian flag from 1938 to 1945 after the German annexation. The flag was reintroduced in 1945.
Religious Adherents [Link]
Christian 82.3%
Non-religious 13.0%
Muslim 3.0%
Atheist 1.4%
Buddhist 0.1%
Jewish 0.1%
Neo-religions 0.1%