South Moravia Region - Jihomoravský kraj
Brno, the second largest city in the CR with one third of regional population, is the administrative centre of South Moravia Region (www.kr-jihomoravsky.cz). The Region consists of 7 districts - Blansko, Brno-city, Brno-hinterland, Břeclav, Hodonín, Vyškov and Znojmo.
South Moravia Region is situated at the border between Czech Highlands and the Carpathian system. Its profile gradually falls towards the east and south from the edges of Czech and Moravian Highlands into the Dyjskosvratecký and Dolnomoravský basins, belonging to Czech most fertile areas. The main water management axis is created by the Morava with its tributaries the Dyje together with the Jihlava and Svratka.
Fertile black and brown soils in combination with warm climate in both the valleys provide very good conditions for intensive agriculture. Lack of precipitations in some areas is compensated by irrigation. Apart from wheat, sugar beet and brewing barley, the region excels in growing the thermophylous fruit, vegetables and vine. There are numerous sugar refineries, fruit and vegetable canneries, and well-known wine-producing plants in Mikulov and Znojmo.
The Podyjí protected landscape area and national park is situated between Znojmo and Vranov nad Dyjí along the state border with Austria. The Podyjí national park is the smallest park in the CR - 63 km2; the area of its buffer zone equals 29 km2. On 1/1/2000, the Thayatal national park was established along the Austrian right-hand bank of the Dyje, creating thus a unique cross-border area of European importance.
The Moravský kras protected landscape area north of Brno includes a well-known Devonian limestone carst.
The Pálava protected landscape area was established in 1976. It is situated in the southernmost part of Moravia between the Dyje and Czech-Austrian border. The natural and cultural singularity of the whole area is widely appreciated; it is a candidate for membership in the UNESCO biosphere reserve network following the recommendation of the Czechoslovak Committee of the Man and Biosphere Programme in 1986.
Bílé Karpaty, another protected landscape area, was included in the UNESCO biosphere reserve network in 1996.
With a view to tourism, the whole area of South Moravia Region belongs to the South Moravia tourist marketing region.
Municipalities in Znojmo, Břeclav and Hodonín districts are associated in the Pomoraví Euroregion, where they participate in cross-border cooperation with the adjacent areas of Austria and Slovakia.
