States
A federal republic, Austria is divided into nine states, (German: Bundesländer), as shown in the table below. These states are divided into districts (Bezirke) and cities (Statutarstädte). Districts are subdivided into municipalities (Gemeinden). Cities have the competencies otherwise granted to both districts and municipalities. The states are not mere administrative divisions, but have some distinct legislative authority separate from the federal government.
| State (Bundesland) | Capital | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Burgenland | Eisenstadt | 280,350 |
| Kärnten (Carinthia) | Klagenfurt | 560,753 |
| Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) | St. Pölten | 1,588,545 |
| Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) | Linz | 1,405,986 |
| Salzburg | Salzburg | 529,085 |
| Steiermark (Styria) | Graz | 1,203,986 |
| Tirol (Tyrol) | Innsbruck | 698,472 |
| Vorarlberg | Bregenz | 364,611 |
| Wien (Vienna) | Wien (Vienna) | 1,660,534 |
Seven of Austria's nine states have long historical traditions predating the establishment of the Republic of Austria in 1918: Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The provinces of Burgenland and Vienna were established after World War I.
Most of Burgenland had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, but it had a predominantly German-speaking population and hence became Austrian. Administrative and ideological reasons played a role in the establishment of Vienna as an independent province. Vienna, historically the capital of Lower Austria, was a socialist stronghold, whereas Lower Austria was conservative, and both socialists and conservatives wanted to consolidate their influence in their respective provinces. Each province has a provincial capital with the exception of Vienna, which is a province in its own right in addition to being the federal capital. In Vienna, the City Council and the mayor function as a provincial parliament and provincial governor, respectively.
