Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and it serves as the country's primary city. It has an estimated population of around 1.7 million people. The metropolitan area, where Vienna belongs to, has an estimate population of 2.3 million. It is the largest city in the republic and is also the cultural, political, and economic capital. The city also has the 10th largest population in the European Union.

In 2008, the Mercer Human Resources Consulting has ranked Vienna as having the 2nd city with the highest quality of living. The city was also ranked first (in a tie with Vancouver) as the city with the highest quality of living by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2005. Other than that, the city is also the home of several important International Organizations such as OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and the United Nations. Vienna is also listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.