BANAT. This name, which means "frontier province," was given to a region south-east of the present Hungarian frontiers which was enclosed by the Danube on the south, the Maros on the north, the Theiss on the west and the Transylvanian Alps on the east. It has ceased to exist now as a unity within these boundaries since nearly a third of the original province (namely that part of it on the west between the Theiss and the city of Temesvar) has by the Peace Treaties been given to Jugoslavia. The remainder lies in Rumania.
In the ninth and tenth centuries the Banat was occupied by the invading Magyars who in the 13th century were largely displaced by the Tatar invasions. In the 14th century great bodies of Ser bian refugees settled in the part of it now incorporated in Jugo slavia. They were the result of the defeat of the Serbs at the battle of Kosovopolye. These refugees were granted charters by successive kings of Hungary which had now weathered the Tatar storms. In 1552 during the great campaign of Suliman the Mag nificent, the whole of the Banat fell into Turkish hands, and only in 1718 after the peace of Passarowitz did it come into the Habs burg empire. During the Turkish occupation it had fallen from being one of the most fertile provinces of Hungary into complete neglect. Count Claudius Mercy, who was its governor in 1720, commenced a scheme of reclamation which laid the basis of its subsequent prosperity. Under Maria Theresa immigrants from western Europe were encouraged and a fine body of colonists came from the Rhine provinces, from Bavaria and from Alsace. This stock remains the most prosperous and industrious element in the province and jealously retains its nationality. French and German are still the languages of the northern and north-western part of the province. In 1779 the province was incorporated with Hungary, but in 1849 it was made an Austrian Crown land. In 186o it reverted again to Hungary. The German inhabitants are peaceable and have no particular preference either for Hungary or for Rumania. Commercially the change of suzerainty has left them unhappily placed since Budapest, which was their chief mar ket, is no longer accessible. They now have to sell their produce to the towns of Transylvania which are not such good markets.
The means of communication in their province are good since both the Maros and the Theiss are navigable while much traffic passes along the Danube. One main railway line only passes through the province, namely that from Orsova to Temesvar and Szegedin. Wine and corn constitute the principal produce and to bacco is grown. Tin, lead and zinc are found. In the mountainous region on the east of the province, which is largely populated by Rumanians, there are important coal mines at Anina and in the Szekul valley which produce coal that resembles Welsh coal. Iron and steel works have developed in the coal regions. Timber is also produced in large quantities in the eastern regions, and the gen eral prosperity of the whole province is remarkable. It escaped most of the ravages of the war and is now peaceably adjusting itself to its new conditions.