Land and Population

Vienna (elevation 156m) occupies an area of 415 sq km in the Danube Valley, the most fertile land in Austria. More than 700 hectares are under vineyard cultivation in the Vienna region, and nearly 90% of the wine produced is white. The largest wine-growing area is Stammersdorf in the northeast of the city.

To the west and north of the city are the rolling hills of the Wienerwald, the hill much-loved Vienna Woods. These are the only hiranges to speak of and the rest of the city is relatively flat. The Danube divides the city into two unequal parts, with the old city and nearly all the tourist sights to the west of the river. The Danube Canal branches off from the main  river and winds a sinewy course south, forming one of the borders of the historic centre, the 1st district (Innere Stadt). The long, thin Donauinsel (Danube Island), which splits the Danube in two as it courses though Vienna, is a recreaction area populated with beaches, playgrounds and pathways. Just to the east of the island is a loop of  water called the Alte Donau (Old Danube), known for its beaches and water sports in summer and its ice skating in winter.

Almost half the city is given over to green places, more than any other European capital. major parks include the Prater, a massive belt of green just to the southeast of the Innere Stadt, and Lainzer Tiergarten, a forested area home to wild animals and enthusiastic walkers in the far western reaches of the city.

German is the official language of Austria, but each region has a distinct dialect. The Viennese dialect has many similarities to High German, but also many differences. It is slower and more relaxed than its High German counterpart (it has all qualities of a lazy drawl), but it is also more charming. The Viennese love to sprinkle their dialect with lively, evocative words and expressions that are often gobbledegook to other native German speakers. It's also peppered with French words, such as Melange and Tottoir a hangover from the days when Maria Theresia encouraged her court to throw a bit of French into the conversation.

Within Vienna itself there exists a further dialect, Tiefwienerisch: a thick, sometimes unintelligible dialect that slowly oozes out between the lips, weighed down with expressive sayings that would make your mother blush. This is the language of the working class, but the non-working-class folk of the city just love it and use it at every opportunity.