Carinthia (German: Kärnten, Slovene: Koroška) is the southernmost Austrian state or Bundesland. Situated within the Eastern Alps, it is known for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German, while Carinthian Slovene dialects are spoken by a small minority in the area.
With 9.536 km², Carinthia is the fifth-largest Austrian state by area, and has a population of 564.513. Its capital is Klagenfurt am Wörthersee.
Carinthia’s main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry, and agriculture. Major sights include the cities of Klagenfurt and Villach and medieval towns like Friesach or Gmünd. Carinthia features numerous monasteries and churches such as the Romanesque Gurk Cathedral or Maria Saal in the Zollfeld plain, the abbeys of St. Paul’s, Ossiach, Millstatt, and Viktring as well as castles and palaces like large-scale Hochosterwitz, Griffen, or Porcia.
Scenic highlights are the main bathing lakes Wörthersee, Millstätter See, Ossiacher See and Faaker See as well as a variety of smaller lakes and ponds.
In winter, Carinthia offers ski resorts such as Nassfeld near Hermagor, Gerlitzen mountain, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Flattach, and Heiligenblut at Austria’s highest mountain Grossglockner, as well as Hohe Tauern and Nock Mountains national parks for all kind of alpine sports and mountaineering.
(Source: Wikipedia)