Graz ("little castle"), with a population of around 290,000 as of 2008 (of which 252,852 have principal residence status), is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna and the capital of the federal state of Styria.

Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six universities have over 44,000 students. Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Graz was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003.

Geography
The city is situated on the Mur river, in the south east of Austria. It is approximately 200 km southwest of Vienna or 2.5 hours by train / 2 hours by car. The nearest larger urban center is Maribor in Slovenia which is about 50 km away. Graz is the capital and largest city in Styria, a green and heavily forested area.

Climate
Due to its position south east of the Alps, Graz is shielded from the prevailing westerly winds that bring weather fronts in from the North Atlantic to north western and central Europe. Due to this factor the weather in Graz is Mediterranean influenced. Graz therefore has more hours of sunshine per year than Vienna or Salzburg and also less wind or rain. Graz lies in a basin that only opens to the south, causing the climate to be warmer than would be expected at that latitude. Plants are found in Graz that normally grow much further south. However, this milder, less windy climate is detrimental to the air quality in Graz as it makes the city prone to smog in winter. The exhaust fumes of the around 120,000 cars driven into Graz every weekday by people living in the surrounding areas, together with the car journeys made by the inhabitants of Graz itself, are the most significant source of air pollution.

* average temperatures: Graz Airport 8.7°C / Karl-Franzens University 9.4°C
* average rainfall: 818 mm with on average 92 days of rain (Karl Franzens University)
* average hours of sunshine: 1,890 (Karl Franzens University)

Neighbouring municipalities

The following towns and villages border Graz:

* to the North: Gratkorn, Stattegg, Weinitzen
* to the East: Kainbach bei Graz, Hart bei Graz, Raaba
* to the South: Gössendorf, Feldkirchen bei Graz, Seiersberg
* to the West: Attendorf, Thal, Judendorf-Straßengel

Contributed by: [alex]