SEVEROMORAVSK

also called Severn Morava, English Northern Moravia kraj (region), northeastern Czech Republic. It is bordered by Jihomoravsk kraj to the south, Vchodocesk kraj to the west, Poland to the north, and Slovakia to the east. The Hrub Jesenk mountains dominate the northern part of Severomoravsk kraj, while the Orlice (Orlick) mountains occupy the northwestern part and the Beskid Mountains range along the eastern border with Slovakia. The Oder (Odra) River flowing north and the Morava and Becva rivers flowing south are the main drainage systems; their valleys constitute the lowland areas, of which the fertile plain formed by the confluence of the Morava and the Becva is the largest. Sugar beets, wheat, barley, potatoes, oats, animal fodder, and rapeseed are cultivated in the valleys. Hops are grown around Brodek u Prerova in the southern plain. Cattle, pigs, and poultry are the principal livestock. Fruit, primarily apples, pears, and plums, is grown along the lower hills around Ostrava, Prerov, Olomouc, and umperk. The Czech Republic's largest bituminous coalfield, discovered in 1767, extends along the Oder River valley from the Polish frontier south to tramberk and Frentt pod Radhotem; Ostrava, Severomoravsk kraj's capital, Karvin, Havrov, and Frdek-Mstek are its major mining centres. Natural-gas deposits occur in the same area. To the northwest, at Mount Zlat, copper, lead, and zinc are mined, and graphite at Mal Vrbno. Limestone, gypsum, and granite are quarried around Vpenn, Opava, Nov Jicn, Hranice-Cernotn, Prerov, Predmost, ternberk, Vitoov, and Sneznk. Almost two-fifths of Severomoravsk kraj is forested; spruce, beech, oak, maple, and ash supply major sawmilling and paper-milling centres at Vratimov, Frdek-Mstek, ternberk, Olany, Jindrichov, Vrbno pod Pradedem, Krnov, and Zimrovice. Ostrava is the Czech Republic's second-largest industrial centre after Prague. The iron- and steelworks, founded 1830, are the largest in the country and sprawl across Ostrava and the neighbouring cities of Trinec, Frdek-Mstek, and Nov Bohumn. Ostrava also has machinery and appliance industries; chemicals, electronics, transport-equipment, cement, leather, clothing, dairy, meat-packing, milling and baking plants; and a brewery. Other industrial towns include Koprivnice, an automotive centre; Studnka, building railway cars; Odry, producing synthetic rubber; Vsetn, with machinery, electronics, and glass factories; Prerov, which produces cement-plant equipment, chemicals, leather goods, textiles, processed meat, and beer; Olomouc, with machinery, chemicals, clothing, and food-processing industries; and Opava, manufacturing chemicals, machinery, textiles and clothing, and food products. Winter sports and hiking in the Beskid and Jesenk mountains draw large numbers of tourists, as do the mineral-water spas, of which the best known are Lzne Jesenk, Doln Lpov, and Karlova Studnka. Ostrava is Severomoravsk kraj's cultural centre; it has an orchestra and resident opera, ballet, and theatre companies. The Technical University of Ostrava was founded in 1716. A teachers college, a municipal museum, and a winter sports stadium are also located in the city. Sigmund Freud was born (1856) in nearby Prbor. There are regional museums at Olomouc, Litovel, Roznov pod Radhotem, and Valaske Mezirci. Opava, northwest of Ostrava, is the cultural centre of a portion of Silesia lying within the kraj. The population of Frdek-Mstek okres (district) is as much as one-fourth Polish. Bruntal and Opava okresy (districts) have a German minority population, and the kraj also has a Slovak minority. Area 4,273 square miles (11,067 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 1,964,288.