LEMBERG (Polish, Lwow), a province of Poland bounded on the west by Cracow, on the north by Lublin, on the east by Tarnpol provinces and on the south by the province of Stanis lawow and the Carpathians, the ancient frontier of Poland and Slovakia. Area, 27,024 sq.km. The province comprises the hilly country leading up to the Low Beskids, the valley of the San, and the highlands of Rortocze in the north-east linking the plateau of Lublin with that of Podolia. It is drained by the San and its tributaries and the upper waters of the Dniester. Pop. (1931) 3,043,705; in 1921 56.6% were Poles, 35.8% Ruthenians and 7% Jews. By religion 46.5% were Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Uniates, and 11.5% Jews. Ethnographically, the province is the meeting place of Poles and Russians. Originally part of the principality of Halicz, it was annexed to Poland in 1349 and remained part of Poland till the first partition when it was annexed to Austria as the province of Galicia.
The chief occupation of the people is agriculture. Wheat, rye, barley and oats are grown. Very important is the production of beetroot for sugar, while maize is grown in some districts. The export of agricultural products to western Europe was very important after the occupation of Dantzig, the centre of the trade being Jaroslaw on the San. Industry is mainly based on agri
cultural products, but the main economic importance of the province rests on the oilfields of Boryslaw. The town of Lem berg formerly held a leading position in the trade of Europe with the East. As the capital of Galicia under Austria it continued to flourish, but the artificial severance of relations with the rest of Poland through the connection with Austria made trade stag nate in the 19th century. The province contains 28 districts, 2,203 rural communes and 6o towns, the most important being Lemberg, Przemysl, Drohobycz, Rzeszow, Jaroslaw, Sambor and Sanok. The province was one of the chief military areas dur ing the World War and suffered greatly. The battle of Rawa Ruska and the siege of Przemysl were the most important mili tary operations in the province. The peasants have shown a great talent for economic co-operation and political organization and have played an important part in the new political life of Poland.