Austria (; ), officially the
Republic of Austria (, ), is a
federal republic and a
landlocked country of over 8.66 million people in
Central Europe. It is bordered by the
Czech Republic and
Germany to the north,
Hungary and
Slovakia to the east,
Slovenia and
Italy to the south, and
Switzerland and
Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers . Austria's terrain is highly mountainous, lying within the
Alps; only 32% of the country is below , and its highest point is . The majority of the population speak local
Bavarian dialects of
German as their native language, and
Austrian German in its standard form is the country's
official language. Other local official languages are
Hungarian,
Burgenland Croatian, and
Slovene.