Dalmatia

Dalmatia was one of the most desolate regions in the Austrian Empire at this time. Its population was still smaller than it had been in the days of ancient Rome.

Dalmatia was the most desolate province in the Austrian Empire, bar none—not even the newly conquered mountains in the east were as bad.

It covered 13,000 square kilometers and had a population of fewer than 100,000. In ancient Roman times, the local population had once numbered several hundred thousand, but no one had imagined that would be the region's peak.

For the thousand years that followed, Dalmatia was constantly plagued by war. Conquerors came and went in turn, and war, massacre, and famine became almost commonplace.

(In 2023, the population was about 730,000.)

Dalmatia's literacy rate ranked second to last in the country, while its tax contribution ranked dead last.

But that didn't mean the land was worthless. In fact, Dalmatia had a precious coastline and relatively fertile soil; otherwise, it could never have supported so many people in ancient Roman times.

The local climate was warm, with plenty of sunshine, making it ideal for cash crops such as olives, grapes, and tobacco. But the locals preferred hunting and raising sheep, since such assets were easy to move.

The Austrian Empire had once tried to develop the region using Slovenes and Croats, but they were relatively backward peoples to begin with, and their methods of development amounted to herding sheep and raising donkeys. Decades passed, and nothing came of it.

Franz thought the Poles could be put to work developing the region. After all, people from other parts of Austria had little desire to live in this desolate land.

Once the locals saw these outsiders making money, they would probably follow suit. With the Austrian government stepping in where needed,