MORAVIA (German,. Miihrea), Austria Hungary, a western province and crownland bounded north by Prussia, northeast by Galicia, east and southeast by Hungary, south by Hun gary and Austria and west by Bohemia; area, 8,584 square miles. Moravia proper consists of a large basin surrounded by mountains, on the north the Sudetes, on the east the Carpathians and on the west a low range of hills which gradually ascends toward the north until it unites with the Sudetes and open only on the south, at a central point, toward which all its slopes converge and all its drainage is carried. Its climate is milder and more genial than that of most European countries under the same latitude, the mean at Briinn being 48° F. Mo ravia belongs to the basin of the Danube, all the smaller streams falling into the March or Morava, a tributary of the Danube. About 55 per cent of the land is arable and 27 per cent is occupied by forests. The minerals are of considerable importance and include silver, lelid, copper, iron, coal, graphite, etc. The soil is generally fertile and all the ordinary cereal, leguminous and root crops are raised in abun dance. Flax of excellent quality is extensively grown in several districts and fruit is so abundant that many parts of the country have the appearance of one great orchard; but the favorite culture is that of the vine, for which both the soil and exposure of the province are admirably adapted. The pastures, in general excellent, occupy a large extent of surface. The rearing of cattle, nevertheless, gets compara tively little attention and is not sufficient to meet the home demand. Sheep, on the other hand, are reared in abundance and are of good quality. They have been much improved by judicious crossing with the merino and furnish a wool, to the excellence of which the woolen manufactures of the country owe their pros perity. The horses, too, are of .a strong, hardy, active breed and are much used in the Austrian service for heavy cavalry. Manufactures have made great progress and in all the great branches of industry— in iron and ironmon gery, leather, linen, cotton and woolen tissues, particularly the last — Moravia takes prece dence of most of the provinces of the empire.
Other manufactures deserving of notice silk, glass, paper, potash, tobacco and beet-root sugar. The trade in most of these articles is of considerable importance. The waterways are unimportant. About 71 per cent of the in habitants are of Slavonian extraction and 28 per cent Germans, the latter found mostly in the towns and on the borders. The language chiefly spoken and called Moravian is merely a Slavic dialect; German, however, is gener ally understood by all classes. The religion al most universally professed is Roman Catholic (97 per cent) and 2 per cent are Jews. Ele mentary education is generally diffused and numerous gymnasia furnish education of a very superior order. There are theological colleges at Olmiitz and Briinn, the latter city the capi tal of the province (pop. 125,737). Moravia was anciently inhabited by the Marcomanni and Quadi, afterward by the Rugii, and still later by the Longobardi. It was finally occu pied by a colony of Slays, who took the name of Moravians from the river Morava. In 1029 Moravia was united to the kingdom of Bohe mia, with which it had the same constitution, administration and laws. In 1197 it was erected into a margraviate, with a separate court and a separate administration. With Bohemia it passed to the house of Austria in 1527. In 1849 it was separated from Bohemia and erected into a distinct province. Moravia subsequently sent 49 members to the Austrian House of Deputies and the provincial diet was composed of 151 members, the majority elected by nation alities German and Bohemian. Proportional representation was introduced in 1905. Pop. 2,622,271. For later history and the political position since 1919 see WAR, EUROPEAN : PEACE TREATY. Consult Monroe, W. S., 'Bohemia and the Czechs, together with an Account of Moravia and Silesia) (Boston 1910).