Moravia, << moh RAY vee uh, >> is a geographic region of the Czech Republic. The region covers about 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) and has a population of about 4 million. Brno is the largest city of Moravia and the second largest of the Czech Republic. Only Prague has more people. Moravia’s name in the Czech language is Morava.
Moravia lies in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The region slopes southwest from the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains to the Morava River. The Morava empties into the Danube River, one of the chief waterways of Europe.
Flat, fertile farmland makes up most of Moravia. The principal crops of the region include barley, corn, flax, oats, rye, sugar beets, and wheat. Many farmers also raise beef and dairy cattle.
The Czech Republic’s largest coal mines and an important industrial district are located around the city of Ostrava, in northern Moravia. The Ostrava area has large steelworks and other heavy industries. Moravian factories also produce chemicals, leather goods, machinery, shoes, textiles, and tractors.
Almost all the people of Moravia are Czechs, a Slavic people who speak the Czech language. Many Moravians belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Moravia has several universities.
After the A.D. 400’s, Slavic tribes settled in Moravia. During the 800’s, these tribes united with other Slavic tribes and formed the Great Moravian Empire, which included a large part of central Europe. Beginning in the late 800’s, the Magyars (Hungarians) invaded the Great Moravian Empire, and in time they destroyed it.
In the early 900’s, Moravia became part of the territory ruled by the Duke of Bohemia. In 1526, Bohemia and Moravia came under the rule of the Habsburg family of Austria (see Habsburg, House of ). The Habsburgs ruled the Czechs for almost 400 years.
In October 1918, shortly before World War I ended, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was established, with Moravia as one of its provinces. During World War II (1939-1945), German troops occupied Czechoslovakia. The Germans set up Moravia and Bohemia as a single protectorate within Germany. This protectorate was dissolved after Soviet and United States forces drove the German troops from Czechoslovakia in 1945. In 1949, Czechoslovakia replaced its provinces, including Moravia, with smaller administrative units. In 1993, the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia were created to replace Czechoslovakia. Moravia became part of the Czech Republic.
