Being located in the Alps, Austria is generally a country of high Alpine mountain chains. These ranges occupy most of its area, which are supplemented by the Danube Valley and western extensions of the Pannonian Plain on the northern and eastern part of the country respectively.
The highest elevated ranges within the Alps is the Hohe Tauern (High Tauern), with the Großglockner reaching almost the 4000 meters height. East of the Hohe Tauern lie the chains of the Niedere Tauern (Lower Tauern) with considerable lower altitudes. The ranges of Ötztal Alps, Carnic Alps and the Karawanken mark the southern borders with Italy and Slovenia, and the Bavarian Alps is shared by Germany on the northern regions of the western narrow part of the country.
The most dominant river of Austria is the Danube, which is also the second longest one in Europe. It collects the water coming from the northern and eastern slopes of the Alps, through its southern tributaries, for example the Enns, Inn or Leitha. The Mur and Drava in the south also feed the Danube after flowing through Slovenia and Hungary. The most notable and biggest lake of Austria is Lake Neusiedl which is shared by Hungary on the eastern border.
