SILESIA, the name of a district in the East of Europe, the greater part of which is included in the German Reich and is known as German Silesia. A smaller part, called Austrian Silesia, was included in the empire of Austria Hungary.
German Silesia, a province of Prussia, is bounded by Branden burg, Grenzmarke, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the republic and province of Saxony. Besides the bulk of the old duchy of it includes the countship of Glatz, a fragment of the Neumark and part of Upper Lusatia, taken\ from the kingdom of Saxon); 'For the abbreviation, cf. Lucas, Prisca (—Priscilla), Sopater (=Sosipater).
in 1815. The province, which has an area of 14,022 sq.m. and is the largest in Prussia, is divided into three governmental dis tricts, those of Liegnitz and Breslau comprising lower Silesia, and of Oppeln taking in the greater part of mountainous Silesia. By the Treaty of Versailles it was decreed that 122 sq.m. of terri tory in Upper Silesia, with a population of 48,446, should be ceded to Czechoslovakia. In nearly all the other districts of Upper Silesia it was ordained that a plebiscite should be taken as to whether they should remain German or become Polish. The plebiscite was taken in 1921, and, though the total majority was for Germany, many districts had Polish majorities; this led to difficulties and the question was referred to a commission of the council of the League of Nations. According to the findings of this commission 1,241 sq.m., with a population of 892,457, were assigned to Poland. The new boundary cut across a homogeneous industrial area, and, in order to alleviate economic distress, cer tain stipulations were made whereby the internal commerce of the area could be carried on very much as before. In 1925 the population of Lower Silesia was 3,204,427, of Upper Silesia, 1, 480,925, giving a density per sq.m. of 326 and 419 respectively. In Lower Silesia two-thirds of the population is Protestant, in Upper Silesia the great majority is Roman Catholic.
Physiographically the province falls into three parts. Along its south-western border we have the Sudetic range, its ridge pre senting an almost unbroken line, everywhere over 1,500 ft. high,
and rising to over 5,000 ft. in the Riesen Gebirge. This range is composed of Archaean and Primary rocks, the latter of which have, in places, coal-bearing strata. The south-eastern and eastern boundaries are drawn along the Tarnowitz Plateau and its north westward extension; this plateau is formed of secondary rocks, but in the south there are carboniferous outcrops. Between these two sets of heights lies Silesia proper, a depression watered by the Oder and its tributaries, and covered with recent deposits, among which fairly large stretches of loess are notable. The average January temperature is about 3o° F; July 7o° F, but the figures vary greatly at different altitudes. On the lowlands the annual rainfall is just over 20 in., but it is much higher on the hills.
The mines and the good agricultural land attracted German settlers up the Oder in the middle ages, and the land became essentially German, but there are traces of the older Wendish population still to be found among the inhabitants. In the plain, especially on the loess, there is rich agricultural land, and the chief crops are wheat, oats, hops, sugar-beet and fruit. To the north of the Oder the land is poorer, heath and scrubby pine woods, and here the potato, rye and flax are the agricultural staples. The same is true of the Lusatian region. In earlier times Silesia was famed for its sheep, and wool, flax and an abundance of water led to the establishment of a textile industry. Later cotton was introduced and water-power was replaced by steam produced by coal from the neighbouring mines. At and Schweidnitz woollens are manufactured, at Hirschberg and Neu stadt linen, at Glatz and Reichenbach cotton, and at Schmiede berg carpets and plush. Several of these towns also manufacture glass and porcelain. At Waldenburg coal is mined, and there are ironworks; the manufacture of machinery is carried on in many Silesian towns.