Jihomoravsky

Jihomoravsky is an agricultural region in the southeastern Czech Republic, bordering Austria and measuring some 5802 square miles in area. Both the hilly uplands and the broad valley of the Morava River are fertile and extensively cultivated, producing wheat, barley, sugar beets, maize, rye, vegetables, cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and poultry. There are also vineyards and the region is known for its wines and for fine plum brandy. There are some small oil and natural gas deposits, as well as deposits of lignite, uranium, kaolin clay, and feldspar, all exploited. The forests provide spruce and oak for timber and papermaking industries. The region has several major cultural and educational centers, archaeological sites, and a large number of natural and manmade lakes. The population is a mixture of Czech and Slovak, and speaks a Czech dialect called Moravian. The 2003 estimated population size was 10,290,000.