SILESIA (German, Schlesien), a ter ritory of Central Europe, formerly di vided politically between Prussia and Austria. Prussian Silesia, the largest of the Prussian provinces, was bounded E. by Posen and Poland, S. by the Austrian territories, W. and N. by Saxony and Brandenburg; area, 15,566 square miles. The province is intersected by branches of the Sudetic mountains in the S., but is level toward Brandenburg and Posen, and though in parts marshy and sandy is yet fertile. The principal river is the Oder. Silesia produces corn, beet-root, flax, madder, hemp, hops, tobacco, fruits, and tolerable wines. The mountainous parts yield timber and afford good pas turage and meadow land. Minerals in clude iron, copper, lead, silver, coal, sul phur, etc., and there are mineral waters in several places. Linen, lace, cotton, and woolen goods, and leather, glass, earthen ware and iron ware are the chief manu factures. Silesia was divided into three governments—Breslau, Liegnitz, and Op peln. Breslau is the capital. By a pleb iscite held in March, 1921, a majority of the people of Upper Silesia elected to remain German, rather than join Poland.
Silesia was annexed to Poland in the beginning of the 10th century. In 1163
it became independent, and was governed by three dukes of the royal house of Piast. At the beginning of the 14th century 17 independent dukes reigned in Silesia at one time, and ruined the country by their feuds. In order to escape the grasp of Poland it acknowledged the sovereignty of the Bohemian kings. In 1675 the ducal line of Piast became extinct, and the country was incorporated in the Austrian dominions. In 1740 Frederick II. of Prus sia laid claim to part of Silesia (based on old agreements to which effect had never been given), and in 1763, at the close of the Seven Years' War, a great part of Silesia was ceded to Prussia. Pop. about 5,225,900. By the Peace Treaty of 1919, Czecho-Slovakia obtained 1,996 square miles of Prussian and Austrian Silesia with a population of 608,128.
On October 20, 1921, the Council of the League of Nations defined the Upper Si lesian boundary. Germany retained the north and west, but Poland, in the coun try around Kattowitz and Rybnick, got an important part of the mining district.