an ancient Roman province on the N.E. shore of the Adriatic, forming part of the country known as Illyricum. It was bounded N. by Liburnia, E. by the Savus (the Sare), a southern tributary of the Danube, S. by the Montes Babii and the Hadriatic, and W. by the Hadriatic. The limits of Dalmatia varied in ancient times. Originally they comprehended only the country lying between the rivers Titurus and Naron, though they were afterwards widely extended. When the country had thus attained its maximum of superficial area, it was erected by the inhabitants into a republic, a form of government that lasted till the country was subdued and made a Roman province by Dalmaia. Tiberius. The interior of the country is for the most part rugged and hilly, in some places even mountainous. Along the sea-shore the coast is flat and swampy, and almost uninhabitable. The soil of Dalmatia, though not the best, is far from being bad; but as the original inhabitants were rude and predatory, and utterly neglected agriculture, it never reared sufficient corn to maintain its own population. The vine and olive thrive everywhere, especially on the northern slopes of the hills. The mineral resources of the country, which were afterwards so successfully worked by the Romans, were unknown to the original inhabitants. It was in the year 180 B.C. that the Dalmatians, separating themselves from the other Illyrians, abolished the regal form of government, established a republic, and selected Dalminium as their capital. From this town they took the name by which they are known in history. In 156 B.C. Dalmatia was for the first time attacked by the Romans. Within the next hundred years it was invaded by that people three times, sometimes successfully, sometimes with loss and disgrace to the assailants. The country was not made a Roman province till in A.D. 9 it was overrun and completely subdued by Tiberius. Under the empire Dalmatia was renowned as the native country of Diocletian. It was to Salona, the new capital of Dalmatia, that that emperor retired after resigning the purple. When Arcadius and Honorius divided the empire of Rome between them, Dalmatia fell to the lot of Arcadius. After a time it fell into the hands of Odoacer, from whom it was taken by Theodoric. At the beginning of the next century we find it in the possession of Justinian. Not long afterwards the Ostrogoths made themselves masters of it, and were in turn expelled by Belisarius. In the seventh century the Serbs were driven out by the Slaves. By this latter people Dalmatia was retained as a separate and independent kingdom, till in 1005 it was overrun by Ladislans, and the Magyars annexed to Hungary the whole country except the maritime towns. One portion of the country became so identified with Hungary, that it lost its own name altogether, as did also another part, which was incorporated with Turkey. By the treaty of Campo Formio, the Austrians got possession of that part of Dalmatia which had belonged to the Venetian republic. In 1805 it was seized by Bonaparte, who remained master of it till his downfall in 1814. Since that date the Austrian supremacy in Dalmatia has never been questioned.

Dalmatia, as it now exists, is the most southerly dependency of the Austrian crown. Its area, exclusive of the islands off the coast which belong to it, is about 6000 square miles. Its present population is about 394,000. It is divided into Old and New Dalmatia; the former of which, for political and governmental purposes, is subdivided into the circles of Zara and Spalatro, and the latter into those of Ragusa and Cattaro. The mountain ranges which intersect Dalmatia, with a single exception, spurs of the Dinaric Alps. Dinara, the loftiest of these summits, is nearly 6000 feet high; and Biokovo, the next in height, is upwards of 5500 feet. Of the rivers in the province the most important is the Narenta (Naro), the Cetina (Nestus or Titirus), the Kerka (Titius), noted for its waterfalls and the wild magnificence of its scenery, and the Zrmanja (Tedanus); all which streams, with others of minor importance, flow into the Adriatic from east to west.

The general character of the Dalmatian soil in modern as in ancient times is not very favourable to agriculture. The summer heat is too great, and the want of water too general; yet both climate and soil are well adapted for the olive and the vine. Large quantities of olive oil are consumed by the natives, yet there is annually a surplus of about 20,000 barrels, which is exported. About 8,000,000 gallons of wine of good quality are annually made, of which one-eighth is reserved for home consumption, while the remainder is exported. The fruits of the country constitute one of its most valuable productions. Of these the most important are figs, of which a million of pounds are annually exported, besides large quantities of almonds, raisins, dates, oranges, &c. Of corn only enough is grown to serve the inhabitants for six or eight months of the year; the deficiency being supplied from Hungary and Turkey. The sardine and tunny fisheries give employment to nearly 10,000 persons. The rearing of cattle is as backward as the husbandry; the breeds found in the country being both small in size and few in number.

The manufactures of Dalmatia are conducted on so small a scale as to be scarcely worth mentioning. The most important of these is the distillation of spirits and liqueurs, of which Maraschino is the most famous and the best. (See Austria.) The total annual value of exports is estimated at about half a million of pounds sterling, and of imports about four-fifths of that sum.

The chief towns of Dalmatia are Spalatro, Ragusa, Lara Cattaro, and Curzula, the most important of which will be found described under their respective heads.

When Dalmatia was subject to Napoleon at the beginning of the present century, it gave the title of duke to Marshal Soult, while the adjoining republic of Ragusa gave a similar title to Marshal Marmont.