Austria's Neighbors: Eight Countries, Not Just Hungary, Germany & Poland

Austria is a landlocked Central European country sharing borders with eight nations—not three. The complete list, clockwise from north:

1. Czech Republic (466 km)
2. Germany (801 km – longest border)
3. Slovakia (105 km – shortest border)
4. Hungary (331 km)
5. Slovenia (299 km)
6. Italy (404 km)
7. Switzerland (158 km)
8. Liechtenstein (34 km)

Total land border: ~2,598 km (1,614 mi).

Geographic Context

• Austria lies in the Eastern Alps (62% mountainous) and the Danube Basin (Vienna Basin, Tulln Basin).
• The Danube flows east across northern Austria (Vienna, Linz) → Slovakia → Hungary.
• No border with Poland (separated by Czech Republic/Slovakia).

Historical Border Evolution

• 1918: Austria-Hungary dissolves; new borders drawn (Treaty of Saint-Germain).
• 1938–45: Anschluss – Austria annexed into Nazi Germany; borders erased.
• 1955: Austrian State Treaty restores sovereignty; current borders confirmed.
• 1990s–2000s: Neighbors join EU (Austria 1995); Schengen eliminates border controls (except Liechtenstein, non-EU but Schengen).

Austria's eight neighbors reflect its historic role as a Central European crossroads—imperial capital, Cold War neutral, now EU/NATO partner (via PfP) bridging Alpine, Danubian, and Balkan regions.