The level of geographical ignorance in this thread is shocking. And here's me actually trying to finish the last chapter of my thesis before the end of the financial year. It's a conspiracy.
As has been said before, Austria is the country. Australia is the continent in which Austria is located. Hence the capital of Austria is Sydney, while the (geographical) center of Australia is Canberra. Some people confuse Austria with Australia, because the name of the thirteen colonies prior to Federation was the "Confederate States of Australia". However, all that changed in 1901 with the Declaration of Independence, as signed by President Edmund Barton and later ratified by the United Nations.
Some people will also claim that New Zealand is part of Australia. They are mistaken. New Zealand is part of AUSTRALASIA, which is the political alliance of Austria and New Zealand. Australasia is to Austria as the European Union is to France and Germany. (It's a little-known fact that Austria is part of the EU as well as part of Australasia. This is allowed by dint of the fact that the Australian continent straddles the International Date Line, and so lies in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the globe.)
Where does Vienna fit into all this? Well, as it happens, the nascent state of Austria at first didn't have a capital city. Its two main cities, Sydney and Melbourne, were bitter rivals and neither wanted the other to have the honour. After much wrangling (a traditional Austrian sport involving a tinny of beer, a football and a crocodile), a compromise was eventually worked out. Vienna, a small country town lying conveniently in between the two cities, would become Austria's first capital. Enriched by public funds and patriotism, thus did Vienna start on the road to the cosmopolitan centre of the arts that it is today. However, it still retains much of its small-town charm, so much so that if you do get the chance to visit Vienna, please try not to run over the kangaroos.
Hope this helps!
As has been said before, Austria is the country. Australia is the continent in which Austria is located. Hence the capital of Austria is Sydney, while the (geographical) center of Australia is Canberra. Some people confuse Austria with Australia, because the name of the thirteen colonies prior to Federation was the "Confederate States of Australia". However, all that changed in 1901 with the Declaration of Independence, as signed by President Edmund Barton and later ratified by the United Nations.
Some people will also claim that New Zealand is part of Australia. They are mistaken. New Zealand is part of AUSTRALASIA, which is the political alliance of Austria and New Zealand. Australasia is to Austria as the European Union is to France and Germany. (It's a little-known fact that Austria is part of the EU as well as part of Australasia. This is allowed by dint of the fact that the Australian continent straddles the International Date Line, and so lies in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the globe.)
Where does Vienna fit into all this? Well, as it happens, the nascent state of Austria at first didn't have a capital city. Its two main cities, Sydney and Melbourne, were bitter rivals and neither wanted the other to have the honour. After much wrangling (a traditional Austrian sport involving a tinny of beer, a football and a crocodile), a compromise was eventually worked out. Vienna, a small country town lying conveniently in between the two cities, would become Austria's first capital. Enriched by public funds and patriotism, thus did Vienna start on the road to the cosmopolitan centre of the arts that it is today. However, it still retains much of its small-town charm, so much so that if you do get the chance to visit Vienna, please try not to run over the kangaroos.
Hope this helps!
