CULTURAL EXPLORATION

Joanie PaskertSociology Pd 7

AUSTRIA

Republik Osterreich

LOCATION & CAPITAL Location:

Central Europe (north of Italy & Slovania)

Specifically: 47 20 N, 13 20 E

Capital: Vienna Total area: 83,871 sq

km Aka slightly smaller than

Maine.

FLAG & LANGUAGES

In 1191, during a battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic was soaked with blood but when taking his belt off revealed a single white stripe, hence the flags design.

Official language: German – 88.6%

Minority languages: Turkish – 2.3% Serbian – 2.2% Croatian – 1.6% Other – 5.3%

POPULATION & RELIEGION Population:

8,219,743 Ethnic Groups:

Austrian – 91.1% Yugoslavs – 4%

Croations Slovenes Serbs Bosniak

Turks – 1.6% German – 0.9% Unknown – 2.4%

Religion: Roman Catholic –

73.6% Protestant – 4.7% Muslim – 4.2% Unknown – 2% None – 12%

SUBCULTURES Three important factors in determining which

subculture a person belongs in is: Geographic location (rural/urban) Socioeconomic status Professional occupation

CUSTOMS Family forms the basis of Austrian social structure.

Weekends are spent doing family activities. Large family dinners, especially on Sunday’s.

Homes are always tidy. Only close friends and family come into your home.

Sidewalks & lawns always kept up with. Appearance means a lot.

Always dressed up in public. Informal wear is still conservative, not skimpy.

ECONOMY Its economy includes:

Large service sector Sound industrial sector Small but highly developed agricultural sector

Unemployment Rate: 5.4% Population in Poverty: 6% In 2008, the international financial crisis took a toll

on Austrian banks largest banks whose extensive operations in central, eastern, and southeastern Europe faced large losses.

HISTORY Present day Austria can be traced all the way back to prehistoric times

The Danube River valley was populated as far back as the Paleolithic Ages. Celtic people lived in Austria from prehistory until the Roman Catholics took

over in the first century of BC. By the second century, Slavs, Germans, Huns, and Bohemians began raiding the area.

Christianity was established the official religion at this point of time. In the seventeenth century, Austria was the foremost German state and a major

European power. During the French Revolution when Napoleon rose to power, he declared war on

Austria in 1792. The congress created the German Confederation, a union of thirty-nine small German states

with Austria in permanent control of the presidency. Austria also regained much of the territory it had lost to Napoleon.

On 12 November 1918, at the end of WWI and after the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire after the assassination of its heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a new German Austrian state—known as the First Republic—was established.

It was only about one-fourth the size of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During WWII, Nazi troops occupied the area and annexed it as part of

Germany. After the War, Allied forces continued to occupy their land until 1955 when the State

Treaty was put into place.

AUSTRIA’S NAME

Austrians call their country Osterreich (eastern empire).

The name dates to about C.E. 800, when Charlemagne, emperor of the Germanic Franks, took control of the region, naming it Eastern March because it was meant to stem invasions by marauders from the east. (A march is a protective zone set up to defend a border area.)

In the tenth century, German king Otto I named it Ostarichi (eastern kingdom), from which the modern German name, Osterreich, derives.

The Latin name, Austria, had appeared by the twelfth century.

CURRENT CONFLICTS Austrian Airline’s have lost a large sum of money.

The Airline will be also spending a large amount in order to officially fix structural issues to moderate it for good.

LIKES & DISLIKES I like that the

country is very family oriented and it has beautiful views.

I dislike that war was a huge and constant part of Austria’s history.

I wouldn’t want to live in Austria because of how often it is involved in war. It would make me feel uneasy and I would probably be on edge all of the time.

QATAR

Al-Thaqafa Al-Emaratiya

LOCATION & CAPITAL Location: In the middle

east in the peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Specifically: 25 30 N, 51

15 E Total Area: 11,586 sq km

Slightly smaller than Conneticut

Capital: Doha

s

LANGUAGE & FLAG Official Language:

Arabic English is commonly

used as a second language.

Others: Hindi Urdu Farsi Filipino

Marron: blood shed for the country.

White: Peace Nine points: Qatar being

the 9th member of the “Reconciled Emrites

POPULATION & RELIGION

Religion: Muslim 77.5% Christian 8.5% other 14%

Population: 1,951,591 Fewer than 200 people

are living with HIV/AIDS Ethnic Groups:

Arab 40% Indian 18% Pakistani 18% Iranian 10% Other 14%

About two-thirds of the immigrants are Asians, mainly from India, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

SUBCULTURES The cities have a multiethnic composition, with segregated

housing areas for nationals and the immigrants. Housing is subdivided further according to class, social power, ethnicity, and nationality.

They are socially divided into two categories: The nationals ( Al-Muwateneen )

The foreign immigrants ( Al-Wafedeen ) “the incomers”

Four different classes: The ruling sheikhly families The merchant class (al-tujjar) The new middle class The Low income groups

CUSTOMS Marriage:

Arranged marriages were only aloud for a long time but then they backed off and gave them more choice.

The strongly discourage marriage to nonnationals. If a man does marry a national, he will receive $19,000

from the marriage fund. The men are legally allowed to have up to 4 wives but

many have 1. Having a large family is encouraged by the

State Policy suggesting 6-8 children. Women are gaining more importance as a mother

and main person in charge at home.

MORE CUSTOMS The Islamic greeting is “al-salam alaykom”

and men follow this with a quick nose-to-nose touch while shaking hands. Women greet by kissing each other’s cheeks.

In America we use the terms mister and misses but here, it is known to say "father or mother of (oldest son)." Young men are expected to listen and talk seldom

around elders. Men hang out in majlis while women

entertain each other at home.

ECONOMY Qatar’s economy has been prospering in

recent years. In 2010, they increased oil prices In 2011, they invested in the gas sector which has

benefitted them. Unemployment Rate:

0.4%

HISTORY In the 1760s, members of the Al-Khalifa of the Utub tribe migrated to Qatar from

Kuwait and central Arabia and established a pearling and commercial base in Zubarah in the north.

From there the Al-Khalifa expanded their territory by occupying Bahrain, which they have ruled ever since.

In 1867, Britain recognized Mohammad bin Thani as the representative of the Qatari people.

In 1916, Abdullah bin Qasim Al-Thani entered an agreement with Britain that effectively established the Al-Thani as the ruling family (still currently ruling).

That agreement provided for British protection and special rights for British subjects and ensured that Britain would have a say in Qatar's foreign relations. The increase in state income from oil concessions strengthened the Al-Thani's position.

When Britain announced its intention to withdraw from the region, Qatar considered joining a federation with Bahrain and the seven Trucial States. However, agreement could not be reached on the terms of federation, and Qatar adopted a constitution declaring independence in 1971.

The constitution states that the ruler will always be chosen from the Al-Thani family and will be assisted by a council of ministers and a consultative council. The consultative council was never elected; instead, there is an advisory council appointed by the ruler.

Despite periodic protests against the concentration of power and occasional disputes within the ruling family, the Al-Thani's size, wealth, and policies have maintained a stable regime.

CONFLICTS It is said that Qatar is ordering the

construction of 4 more nuclear power plants. It is not a conflict of their own, but Qatar is

using their influence in Libya politically.

QATAR’S FUTURE GOALS The first is to identify and discuss issues and

challenges related to achieving the environmental goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030, reports the paper.

The second objective is to provide ideas and a framework to Qatar’s second Human Development Report, which GSDP is preparing in partnership with United Nations Development Program. The seminar will concentrate on the themes such as:

Qatar’s sustainable development challenges Marine environment Water security Climate change and their human development issues.

LIKES & DISLIKES I like the innovative

mind set of Qatar. They are striving to keep up and lead in technology which is important in today’s world.

I’m not sure if I’m a big fan of them making more nuclear power plants.

I don’t think I would want to live permanently in Qatar, but I would like to visit there at least once and see the views and architectural differences.

WHERE I WANT TO LIVE After getting to know the diverse cultures of

Qatar and Austria, I think I would much rather visit these countries instead of living there. After doing all of the research you realize how well we do have it here in America and how we take for granted the unlimited amount of opportunities available to us every single day. I would like to stay in America but maybe live in

London and/or Australia for a period of time to gain more experience and appreciation for the different ways of life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-fac

tbook/geos/au.html http://countrystudies.us/austria/117.htm https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-fac

tbook/geos/qa.html http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-Arab-Emira

tes.html http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Qatar.html http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/L

ibya-Conflict-Spotlights-Qatars-Growing-Influence-119777944.html

http://www.greenprophet.com/2009/01/qatar-environment/