TRAN'SYLVA'NIA (Hung. Erdely, from erdo, forest. the name corresponding to the Latin, Transilrania, beyond the forest; Ger. Siebenbiir gen). A former grand duchy and crownland of Austria. since 1867 an integral part of the lands of the Hungarian crown. It occupies the south eastern corner of the Hungarian Kingdom, and is bounded by Rumania on the east and south. Area, 21,518 square miles (Map: Hungary, H 3). It is inclosed on the east and south by the great range of the Carpathian Mountains, which bends round at a right angle, the part extending east and west being known as the Transylvanian Alps. The interior is crossed by numerous spurs of the border chains, and has an elevated surface. Some of the valleys are remarkably fertile. The chief river, the Maros, an affluent of the Theiss, crosses the country from northeast to southwest. The southern part is traversed by the Aluta, an af fluent of the Danube, which breaks through the Transylvanian Alps in the Red Tower Pass, while the northern part is drained by the Szamos, an affluent of the Theiss. Transylvania has a number of small mountain lakes and is rich in mineral springs. The region is famous for its scenery, and the mixture of nationalities, with the various costumes, adds greatly to its pic turesqueness. The climate is generally mild in the interior, especially along the rivers, while in the mountain regions the winters arc long and severe. In spite of its mountainous surface, Transylvania has a very productive soil. The chief crops are wheat, barley, rye, oats, flax, tobacco, and some industrial plants. Fruits and especially grapes are cultivated extensively.
Stock-breeding is favored by the abundance of meadow land, and is carried on on a large scale. The local breed of horses is superior and many are exported. Wool is an important product. The mineral products in 1000 included 2260 kilograms of gold. 2574 kilograms of silver, and nearly 1,000,000 tons of coal. The total value of the mineral output was over $7,000,000, of which salt alone amounted to over $2,000,000. Wild game still abounds in the mountains and large forests, including bears, wolves, foxes, and boars. Transylvania is well provided with transporta tion facilities. The population was 2,251.216 in 1800 and 2.456,838 in 1900. About 56 per cent. of the inhabitants are Wallachs (Humans), about 33 per cent. Magyars (Hungarians) and Szeklers (close kin to the Magyars), and about 9 per cent. Germans. The Germans represent mainly de scendants of colonists brought into the country from the region of the Lower Rhine by King Gejza II. of Hungary about the middle of the twelfth century. They dwell mainly in the south ern part of the country, the district inhabited by them being known as Saxon Land. Their chief town is Hermannstadt. The great bulk of the inhabitants of Transylvania belong to the peas ant class. The nobility and gentry are Magyars. Of the population 30 per cent. are Greek Ortho dox, 28 per cent. Greek Catholic, 24 per cent. Protestant, 13 per cent. Roman Catholic, per cent. Unitarians (Transylvania having be come the cradle of modern Unitarianism in the sixteenth century), and 2 per cent. Jewish.