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See also:GALICIA (Ger. Galizien; Pol. See also:Halicz) , a crownland of See also:Austria, bounded E. and N. by See also:Russia, S. by See also:Bukovina and See also:Hungary, and W. by See also:Austrian and Prussian See also:Silesia. It has an See also:area of 30,299 sq. m., and is the largest Austrian See also:province. It comprises the old kingdoms of Galicia and Lodomeria, the duchies of Auschwitz and Zator, and the See also:grand duchy of See also:Cracow. Galicia lies on the See also:northern slopes of the Carpathians, which with their offshoots See also:cover about a third of the whole area of the See also:country. The See also:surface gradually sinks down by undulating terraces to the valleys of the See also:Vistula and See also:Dniester. To the N. and E. of these See also:rivers Galicia forms a continuation of the See also:great plains of Russia, intersected only by a few hills, which descend from the plateaus of See also:Poland and See also:Podolia, and which attain in some places an See also:altitude of 1300 to 1500 ft. The Carpathians, which, extending in the See also:form of an arc, form the boundary between Galicia and Hungary, are divided into the See also:West and the See also:East Beskides, which are separated by the northern ramifications of the See also:massif of the Tatra. The highest peaks are the Babia G6ra (5650 ft.), the Wolowiec (6773 ft.) and the Cserna G6ra (6505 ft.). The See also:principal passes are those of Zdjar over the Tatra, and of Dukla, Vereczke Korosmezo or Delatyn in the East Beskides. The See also:river Vistula, which becomes navigable at Cracow, and forms afterwards the See also:north-western frontier of Galicia, receives the Sola, the Skawa, the Raba, the Dunajec with its affluents the Poprad and the Biala, the Wisloka, the See also:San and the See also:Bug. The Dniester, which rises in the Carpathians, within the territory of Galicia, becomes navigable at Sambor, and receives oil the right the Stryj, the Swica, the Lomnica and the Bystrzyca, and on the See also:left the See also:Lipa, the Strypa, the Sereth and the Zbrucz, the boundary river towards Russia. The Pruth, which also rises in the Carpathians, within the territory of Galicia, traverses its See also:south-eastern corner and receives the Czeremosz, the boundary river towards Bukovina. There are few lakes in the country except See also:mountain tarns; but considerable morasses exist about the Upper Dneister, the Vistula and the San, while the ponds or dams in the Podolian valleys are estimated to cover an area of over 200 sq. m. The most frequented See also:mineral springs are the alkaline springs at Szczawnica and Krynica, the See also:sulphur springs at Krzesowice, Szklo and Lubian, and the See also:iodine springs at Iwonicz. Exposed to the See also:cold northern and north-eastern winds, and shut out by the Carpathians from the warm southerly winds, Galicia has the severest See also:climate in Austria. It has See also:long winters, with an abundant snowfall, See also:short and wet springs, hot summers and long and steady autumns. The mean See also:annual temperature at See also:Lemberg is 46.2° F., and at See also:Tarnopol only 43° F. at Of the See also:total area 48.45% is occupied by arable See also:land, 11.16% by meadows, 9.19% by pastures, 1.39% by gardens and 25.76% by forests. The See also:soil is generally fertile, but See also:agriculture is still backward. The, principal products are See also:barley, oats, See also:rye, See also:wheat, See also:maize and leguminous See also:plants. Galicia has the largest area under potatoes and legumes in the whole of Austria, and See also:hemp, See also:flax, See also:tobacco and hops are of considerable importance. The principal mineral products are See also:salt, See also:coal and See also:petroleum. Salt is extracted at See also:Wieliczka, Bochnia, Bolechow, DoIina, Kalusz and Kosow. Coals are found in the Cracow See also:district at Jaworzno, at Siersza near Trzebinia and at Dabrowa. Some of the richest petroleum See also:fields in See also:Europe are spread in the region of the Carpathians, and are worked at Boryslaw and Schodnica near Drohobycz, Bobrka and Potok near Krosno, Sloboda-Rungurska near See also:Kolomea, &c. Great quantities of ozocerite are also extracted in the petroliferous region of the Carpathians. Other mineral products, are See also:zinc, extracted at Trzebionka and Wodna in the Cracow region, amounting to 40% of the total zinc See also:production in Austria, See also:iron ore, See also:marble and various stones for construction. The sulphur mines of Swoszowice near Cracow, which had been worked since 1598, were abandoned in 1$84. The manufacturing See also:industries of Galicia are not highly See also:developed. The first See also:place is occupied by the distiller'es, whose output amounts to nearly 40% of the total production of See also:spirits in Austria. Then follow the petroleum refineries and kindred industries, saw-See also:mills and the fabrication of various See also:wood articles, See also:paper and milling. The See also:sugar factory at Tlumacz and the tobacco factory at Winniki are amongst the largest establishments of their See also:kind in Austria. See also:Cloth manufacture is concentrated at Biala, while the See also:weaving of See also:linen and of woollens is pursued as a See also:household See also:industry, the former in the Carpathian region, the latter in eastern Galicia. The See also:commerce, which is mainly in the hands of the See also:Jews, is very active, and the transit See also:trade to Russia and to the East is also of considerable importance. Galicia had in 1900 a See also:population of 7,295,538, which is See also:equivalent to 241 inhabitants per sq. m. The two principal nationalities are the Poles (45%) and the Ruthenians (42%), the former predominating in the west and in the big towns, and the latter in the east. The Poles who inhabit the Carpathians are distinguished as Goralians (from gory, mountain), and those of the See also:lower regions as Mazures and Cracoviaks. The Ruthenian highlanders See also:bear the name of Huzulians. The Poles are mostly See also:Roman Catholics, the Ruthenians are See also:Greek Catholics, and there are over 770,000 Jews, and about 2500 Armenians, who are Catholics and stand under the See also:jurisdiction of an Armenian See also:archbishop at Lemberg.
The Roman See also:Catholic See also: Polish assistance, however, enabled Vladimir, the former possessor, to expel Andreas, and in 1198 Roman, See also:prince of Lodomeria. made himself See also:master of Galicia also. On his See also:death in 1205 the struggle between Poland and Hungary for supremacy in the country was resumed; but in 1215 it was arranged that See also:Daniel (1205-1264), son of Roman, should be invested with Lodomeria, and See also:Coloman, son of the Hungarian king, with Galicia. Coloman, however, was expelled by Mstislav of See also:Novgorod; and in his turn Andreas, Mstislav's nominee, was expelled by Daniel of Lodomeria, a powerful prince, who by a flexible policy succeeded in maintaining his position. Though in 1235 he had recognized the overlordship of Hungary, yet, when he found himself hard pressed by the Mongolian See also:general See also:Batu, he called in the assistance of See also:Innocent IV., and accepted the See also:crown of Galicia from the hands of a papal See also:legate; and again, when Innocent disappointed his expectation, he returned to his former connexion with the Greek Church. On the 'extinction of his See also:line in 1340 Casimir III. of Poland incorporated Galicia and Lemberg; on Casimir's death in 1370 See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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