Austria is situated in Central Europe covering the Eastern Alps and the Danube Region. Austria has a land surface of 83,858 square kilometres (32,369 square miles). Given its location at the heart of Europe, Austria has been a cross-roads of travel routes between the major European economic and cultural regions. Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine independent federal states: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vienna and Vorarlberg.