DALMATIA, dillona'shi-a. The most south ern crownland of Austria, occupying a narrow' strip of land along the Adriatic, and bounded by Croatia on the north and by Bosnia. Herzego vina, and Montenegro on the east (Map: Aus tria. E 5). Its area, including the adjacent isl ands. is 4940 square miles. The eastern part of Dalmatia belongs to the region of the Dinaric Alps, which form a wall on the side of Bosnia, while parallel to the coast rise the mountain chains of Castella, Mosor, and a few others. The coast is well indented and skirted by many isl ands,. The scenery of the Dalmatian coast is famed for its The Gulf of Cattaro is one of the finest harbors in Europe. The mountains are generally composed of lime stone and barren of vegetation. Dalmatia has no navigable rivers of importance. There are a number of lakes which dry up in the summer, and considerable tracts are covered with swamps and morasses. Dalmatia has almost a subtropi cal climate. The summer is exceedingly hot and dry, and snow is rare in winter. The average annual temperature varies between 58° and 62°.
Owing to the frequency of political upheavals in Dalmatia. agriculture has been in a backward state. About one-fifth of the total area is in farms, vineyards, and vegetable and fruit gar dens. The geographical position of the region makes it well adapted to the cultivation of southern fruits. The vine and the olive grow pro fusely on the coast, and considerable quantities of wine are exported. The famous maraschino cordial comes from Dalmatia, where it is made from a cherry (marasca) peculiar to the country. Fishing is one of the chief occupations of Dal matia, employing a considerable portion of the population. Cattle-raising and dairying are also carried on to some extent. The chief mineral prod ucts are lignite, asphalt, and salt, mined on a small scale. Owing to its extensive coast, Dalma tia is an important centre of the Austrian sea trade, and has a well-organized merchant marine. Ship-building is prominent among the industries. The most important ports are Zara, Ragusa, and Spalato. Cereals are imported; oil, fish, meat, and skins are exported. Dalmatia has only about SO miles of railway lines.
Local affairs are under the control of the Diet, consisting of 43 members, of whom 10 are elected by citizens paying a direct annual tax of at least 100 florins, S by the towns, and 20 by the rural communities, and the remaining 5 consi-t of the Roman Catholic archbishop, the Greek Orthodox bishop, and three representatives of the chambers of commerce of Zara, Ragusa, and Spalato. To the Lower House of the Aus
trian Leichsrat Dalmatia sends 11 delegates, of whom two are elected by all the qualified voters. Administratively the erownland is divided into 13 counties. Elementary instruction is given in nearly 400 schools, with an attendance of nearly 40,000. The population in 1900 was 591,597, showing an increase of 12.2 per cent. for the decade. Over 83 per cent. of the people are Roman Catholics and 16 per cent. Greek Ortho dox. The Dahnatians, who constitute five-sixths of the population, are tall and short-headed (height. 1.715 in.; index. 87). They are sup posed to be fundamentally the' modern represen tatives of the ancient Illyrians, subjected by Au gustus and modified afterwards by Mceso-Goths, Avars, and Slays. They are now classed with the Serbo-Croats. These Dalmatian Slays, espe cially those in the interior, often figure under the name of Mo•laks. Italian is largely spoken in the towns. Capital, Zara (q.v.).
In ancient times Dalmatia. was inhabited by the warlike race of the Dalmatii. who for near ly one hundred and fifty years resisted success fully the encroachments of the Romans, but who were finally subdued in the time of Augus tus. After the fall of the Western Empire, Dal matia. which had formed the southern part of the Province of Illyricum. was occupied by the Goths. from whom it was taken by the Byzan tines. Early in the seventh century the Croats and Serbs took possession of the region. About the beginning of the eleventh century King Ladislas of Hungary incorporated a part of Dalmatia with Croatia, while the other part eamo into the possession of the Venetian Republic, the Doge of which had in 997 assumed the title of Duke of Dalmatia. In the south the little re public of Ragusa (q.v.) maintained an independ ent existence. By the Peace of Campo Formio (1797), Dalmatia, with Venice itself, became subject to Austrian rule; and when Austria, in 1805. retroceded it to Napoleon, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. In 1809 it was con stituted part of the dominion of the Illyrian Provinces. Since 1814 Dalmatia has formed part of the Austrian Empire. In 1816 it was made a kingdom. Political revolts have been frequent.
Consult: Jackson, Dalmatia, the Quarnero and Istria, etc. (London, 1893) ; Die hsterreichisch ungarische Monarchic in Wort and Bib!, vol. vii. (Vienna, 1892) ; Yriarte, La Dalmazia (Milan, 187S) ; Royle, Dalmatia (London, 1900).