LOWER AUSTRIA, or A ("STRIA BELOW THE EN NS. An archduchy and crownland of Austria, occupying the eastern part of the original Arch duchy of Austria—the nucleus of the Austro Hunga via n monarchy ( Nap A ust ria 1 unga , D I. It is hounded by Bohemia :Ind Moravia on the north, by Hungary on the east. by Styria (the Semmering Alps) on the south. and by Upper Austria and 13ohemia on the west. Area. 765t sqnn re miles. Capital. Vienna. Lower Austria is divided by the Danube. which traverses the distriet from west to east. The southern part belong,s, to the region of the Alps and slopeR toward the Danube. The northern part is le s mountainous and partakes of the character of the Bohemian and Moravian mountain systems. The southern portion abounds in picturesque river valleys. the tributaries of the Danube in the irownland are the Enns. Traisen. and Kamp. The March and the Leitha form part of the eastern border. There are numerous moun tain lakes and mineral springs. The climate is generally moderate and agreeable. The crown land has a large percentage of productive land and yields considerable quantities of cereals and fruit. The forest area is three times greater
than the meadow area, and lumber is a large item of trade. The mineral resources are unimportant. The chief mineral obtained is coal. Wild game figures rather conspicuously in the items of trade.
Lower Austria is a great industrial district. Vienna is of course the great centre of this activity. In the northern part of the crownland the house industry still prevails to a eousidera ble extent.
The Diet is composed of 78 members. includ ing the Archbishop of Vienna. the Bishop of Sankt Pifften, and the rector of the University of Vienna. The term of the elected members is six years. In the Lower house of Austria, the crown land is represented by 46 delegates. The popu lation, in 1900, was 3,086,382, showing an in crease of 16 per cent. for the decade. the largest increase of any Austrian erownland. The in habitants are chiefly German Catholics. See AUSTRIA-HUNGARY; VIENNA.