No country, no continent, no sea, mountain or river is restricted to itself in the influence which it either exercises or receives.

The history of Austria cannot be understood merely from Austrian ground.

Austrian territory is part of the Mediterranean hinterland, and therefore has been linked historically with Rome, Italy, and the Adriatic.

It is a part of the upper Danube Valley and therefore shares much of its history with Bavaria and Germany, while the lower Danube has linked it with the Black Sea, Greece, the Russian steppes, and Asia.

The Asiatic Hungarians have pushed forward their ethnic boundary nearly to Vienna.