BOHEMIA consists in the main of an ancient block of Archaean age, though Silurian rocks cover a wide extent of country between Pilsen and Prague. To the west and north of these Silurian rocks is a dis trict in which the Coal Measures were deposited in a great inland lake, while in the north and north-east of Bohemia, where the ancient massif fractured and sank to a lower level, there is a large area of Cretaceous rock, in which many of the river valleys are covered with Tertiary and Quaternary material. The Mittelgebirge in the north are of volcanic origin. The mountains surrounding Bohemia, though they frequently form a serious barrier to com munications, do not rise to any great height, the average elevation of the Bohmerwald, on the south-west, being about 4,000 feet, and of the Erzgebirge, on the north-west, about 2,500 feet. On the north-east are the Sudetes, the northern part of which is known as the Riesengebirge. To the south of these latter mountains lies the coal basin of Waldenburg, which extends into Silesia. On the south-east towards Moravia there is no mountain range, and the two countries are separated by a line of uplands which nowhere forms a well-defined boundary.
Climatic conditions are, on the whole, favourable to agriculture.
Especially is this the case in the north, where the elevation is lower than in the south. There is sufficient heat in summer to ripen maize and the vine, and, although the winters are cold, they are not prolonged. The rainfall varies from 20 inches, and even less in some parts of the interior, to 40 inches and more on the mountains of the north-west and south-west.
Over one-half of the surface consists of arable land. In the south, the soils upon the rocks are generally poor and infertile, and it is interesting to note that Budweis, the only large town of the region, besides being at the meeting place of several important lines of communication, is situated where Tertiary materials have been deposited in a basin on the older rock. Except in such favoured localities rye is the prevailing crop ; grazing is an important pursuit, and much of the land is still forested. In the north, on the other hand, there is much fertile soil, especially in those river valleys which are covered with recent alluvium, and which contain such districts as the "Golden Road," near Koniggratz, and the " Garden of Bohemia," near Leitmeritz ; and in the volcanic areas where there are fruitful tracts of country, such as that one known as " Paradise " in the Mittelgebirge, near Teplitz. These alluvial and volcanic soils are famed for their crops of hops and sugar beet, although both are also grown within the Cretaceous area. Bohemia produces more than half the sugar manufactured within the empire, and exports a considerable amount. The chief collecting centre is Aussig, on the Elbe, whence the sugar can be sent by water to Hamburg. In the country round Saaz, fifty miles north-east of Karlsbad, is grown more than half the hop crop of Austria-Hungary. Wheat is cultivated chiefly on the Cretaceous soils, and the yield per acre is high, averaging from 28 to 30 bushels. Potatoes, which form the staple food of the inhabitants, are extensively grown on all kinds of soil.
The mineral wealth of the country is extensive. Coal is obtained at Kladno and Schlan, to the north-west, and at Rakonitz to the west, of Prague, and in the country about Pilsen. Iron ore occurs
in the Palaeozoic rocks between Prague and Pilsen, and is mined at Krugnahora and at NuCic. Lignite is found along the site of ancient swamps which stretched from Aussig to the Eger. Over 40 per cent. of the lignite mined is exported, large quantities going to Germany, partly by water.
Bohemia is the most important industrial region in Austria Hungary. The proximity of coal and iron ore has led to the develop ment of iron foundries at Kladno and Konigshof, and industrial and agricultural machinery is manufactured at Pilsen and Prague not far off, as well as at Reichenberg which is the centre of the textile region. Brewing is carried on at Pilsen and in other districts where barley and hops are both grown. Bohemia contains over half the spindles of the whole empire (estimated at 4,600,000), and these are found chiefly in the valley of the Upper Elbe in the north-east of the country, where water-power can be obtained from the Sudetic mountains. Reichenberg is engaged in spinning and weaving cotton goods ; woollens are also manufactured there, and linens at Trautenau and Rumburg. Glass is made at Haida and Steinschonau in the north of the country, where quartz can be obtained from the sandstone and fuel from the forest. Karlsbad is the centre of the porcelain industry, as kaolin is found in the granitic hills in the neighbourhood. Paper mills are mostly situated near the mountains, where water-power is available.
MORAVIA.—The greater part of Moravia falls within the drainage area of the March. The west and north-west of the country belong to the Bohemian massif, but are overlaid in many places by recent alluvium. To the east of this region, and in the north of the country, there are areas of Palaeozoic rocks, some of which contain iron and others coal. In the south-east, Moravia has a lower elevation and consists in the main of Tertiary and Quaternary materials. On the Archaean uplands the climate is similar to that of southern Bohemia, and, as the soil is poor, potatoes and flax are the chief crops ; but in the south-east, where climatic conditions are less forbidding and the soil more fertile, cereals, especially barley, and sugar beet are grown. As in Bohemia, considerable care is devoted to the scientific improvement of existing breeds of cattle and sheep.
The mineral wealth of Moravia renders it one of the industrial regions of the empire. Coal and lignite are both obtained in a long narrow strip of country running north and south to the west of Briinn, coal at Lesitz and Ratiskowitz, and lignite at Rossitz and Oslawan. The chief coal-producing region is, however, in the north-east, around Witkowitz and Mahrisch-Ostrau, where the Silesian coal basin of Prussia extends into Moravia. Iron ore is mined at Blansko, Adamsthal, Rossitz, and Stefanau, in the Lower Palaeozoic rocks near Briinn, in the Carpathians near Witkowitz, and at Zoptau in the north. Iron foundries have been established at Stefanau and Rossitz, at Witkowitz and at ZOptau. Agri cultural and industrial machinery is manufactured at Briinn, Blansko, and Adamsthal. The textile industries are situated upon the coalfields, the manufacture of linen being carried on at Mistek, and that of cotton at Sternberg.