Austrians are a Germanic nation and ethnic group, native to modern Austria and South Tyrol, that share a common Austrian culture, Austrian descent and Austrian history. The English term Austrians was applied to the population of Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, it referred to the citizens of the Empire of Austria (1804–1867), and from 1867 until 1918 to the citizens of Cisleithania. In the closest sense, the term Austria originally referred to the historical March of Austria, corresponding roughly to the Vienna Basin in what is today Lower Austria.

Quotes

• Austria's two achievements were to have persuaded the world that Hitler was German and that Beethoven was Viennese.
  • Christopher Hitchens, "The 2,000-Year-Old Panic" (March 2008), The Atlantic

• Austrians have a wonderful sense of humor, Germans, not so much.
  • Christoph Waltz, as quoted in "'Austrians have humour, Germans not so much'" (28 February 2013), The Local

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Austrians on Wikipedia