Carinthia

Federal state of alpine southeast Austria, bordering Italy and Slovenia in the south; area 9,533 sq km/3,681 sq mi; population (2001 est) 561,100. Its capital is Klagenfurt.

Physical The province has mainly Alpine scenery; in the north is the Hohe Tauern, including the Grossglockner (3,797 m/12,457 ft), the highest peak in Austria); the south consists mainly of the Carnic and Karawanken Alps.The River Drau crosses the province from east to west. The River Gail flows east and north to join the Drau near the town of Villach, which is also the largest rail and road junction in the eastern Alps. There are nearly 200 lakes, of which the largest are the Wörther, Millstatter, Ossiacher, and Weissen.

Economy The chief occupations are stock-raising, forestry, and mining (iron, lead, and zinc). There are metallurgical, textile, and chemical industries, silicon chips are manufactured, and there is a large hydroelectric plant known as the Glockner-Kaprun situated on the divide between the Drau and Kaprun rivers. The state has an active tourist trade, most notably the so-called ‘Carinthian Riviera’ around the Wörther See.

History In Roman times Carinthia formed part of the province of Noricum; its inhabitants, the Carni, were overwhelmed by the Slavs in the 6th century. During the 8th century it was colonized by the Bavarians, who assimilated the Slav population. It became an independent duchy from 976 and a crown land of Austria in 1335, under the rulership of the Habsburg empire until 1918. After World War I small portions of it were ceded to Italy and Yugoslavia (see St Germain-en-Laye, Treaty of).