Austria comprises of 9 states, namely Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna. Due to the Alps influence, Austria is largely mountainous. Austria is amongst the richest countries in the world and back till the 1980’s most industries and trade was nationalized but now that’s changing a little bit with private investors doing their bit. As part of the European Union it’s a trade stronghold. There’s a large German influence here, alongside the traditional Hungarian touch and Czech, Jewish, Italian and Bavarian presence can be felt from time to time. Tourists can enjoy snowboarding and skiing because of the Alpine conditions.