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AUSTRIA’S GEOGRAPHY & LANDSCAPE

Alpine Plants Alpine plants grow in an alpine climate and therefore are suited to the mountainous regions of Austria. While hardy, they usually have very beautiful flowers. Over thousands of years, they have

evolved to cope with the extreme cold, heat, and dryness of the mountain peaks. Alpines consist of many different species, including: perennial grasses, sedges, forbs, cushion plants, mosses, and lichens. Austria’s national flower, edelweiss (above right), is an alpine belonging to the daisy family.

Many types of plants grow only on the mountains, some of which are alpine plants. Although they only bloom for a short period, the sight of them is beautiful. In order to survive at very high altitudes, they have adapted over time to cope with the conditions. Austrians have set aside 3 percent of their country for parks. These preserves protect unique and endangered plants that cannot be found anywhere else. The national parks include rain forests, as well as virgin forests, that have grown for thousands of years, untouched by human activity. Wildlife The animals that live in Austria are more or less native to all of Europe. They include deer, marmot, fox, badger, and marten. The Alpine regions have different species of wildlife, such as chamois—which is like a cross between a goat and an antelope—groundhog, eagle, and mountain jackdaw.

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