Salzburg and its countryside



Salzburg and its Countryside
Historically Salzburg is one of Austria’s youngest lands and is located at a "crossroads" between east and west, north and south. All interior transport routes towards the two western lands (Tyrol and Vorarlberg) lead through Salzburg. This gives more importance to the land than its physical land area within Austria (7,154.2 square kilometres, only 8.5 per cent of the country) and population figures (2003: approx. 522,500; 6.4 per cent) would normally indicate. Despite its small dimensions, Salzburg offers a multiplicity of character and a great variety of landscapes. As regards the surface area, Salzburg is considered a mountainous region. The populated areas are nevertheless in a non-alpine region, as a considerable number of inhabitants live in the central part, around the city of Salzburg. It is also there, in the Salzburg basin that the two main natural lines meet, the Salzach valley and the Saalach valley. The capital of the land borders the Alps and is the only major Austrian city to be located right at an international border. It is shaped by the mountains which dominate the city: Mönchsberg, Festungsberg, Kapuzinerberg and Rainberg. Further away, the Gaisberg and Untersberg also contribute to the impressive scenery of the city. The great Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of the famous landmarks of the city. All of the five districts of the land - Flachgau, Tennengau, Lungau, Pongau and Pinzgau - have their own characteristic landscape, and their inhabitants, culture and traditions have special distinctive features.
One third of the land is covered with forests Land Salzburg shows great varieties in the local vegetation because of its geographical, geological and climatic situation. In the alpine region, the vertical order of vegetation areas is characteristic: forested up to about 2000 metres, pasture areas up to 2800 metres and then barren alpine land. About 35 per cent of the land is covered with forests. In addition to their economic importance they also play a special role in the mountains for the preservation of the alpine region as protection against land erosion and flooding.
Bibliography: Guido Müller: Salzburg und seine Landesnatur (Salzburg and its Countryside). Internal: Roland Floimair (editor). Daten und Fakten (Data and Facts). Salzburg Land, collection of the Regional Press Office (1995). Christian Salletmaier: Geographie, Skriptum 1994 (Geography, 1994 Scripts). Salzburg’s Position in Austria.