SILESIA, formerly a province of the Austrian monarchy, from 1918-38 a part of Czechoslovakia, covering an area of 1,708 sq.mi., stretched along the north-eastern flank of the Jesenik (or Gesenke) mountains across the lowland of the Upper Oder to the northern slopes of the Jablunkovske hory. A tongue of Mora via along the right bank of the Oder almost cut it into two parts. In the valley and to the south-east, the fertile soil offers great scope to agriculture.
There, cereals, fruit, and poultry are the principal products, whereas in the more mountainous region forestry, dairy-farming, and sheep breeding together with the growth of fodder plants are typical.
But Silesia is chiefly noted for its mineral wealth, consisting of coal, iron-ore, lead, marble, and slate. The foundation of its great and varied industrial activity was the coal of the basin of Mahrisch-Ostrau, which was the largest field in Czechoslovakia, giving a rich coking variety much of which goes to the large iron and steel foundries of Witkowitz nearby.
In 1921 the population numbered 672,286, of whom 39.3% were German, 13.5% Poles, and 46.3% Czechoslovaks. A part of the former Austrian province of Silesia had been given to Poland with the principal town of Teschen (q.v.).
Czechoslovak Silesia was not maintained as a separate province, but was joined with Moravia (q.v.) into one administrative unit. As a result of the Four-Power Conference at Munich on Sept. 29, 1938, the larger part of Czechoslovak Silesia was ceded to Ger many.
On Nov. 1, 1938, a frontier agreement was signed between Czechoslovakia and Poland according to which 419 sq.mi. of former Czechoslovak Silesia with a population of 241,698, was ceded to Poland.
The principal cities of Czechoslovak Silesia were Opava (Trop pau) with 36,o83 inhabitants and Krnov (Jagerndorf) with 23,465 inhabitants. Both are important centres for the manufacture of agricultural machinery and textiles, and were ceded in Oct. 1938' to Germany. (H. Ko.)