Kärnten Postcodes: 8820 to 9873

Carinthia is the southernmost state or country in Austria. Located in the Eastern Alps, it is famous for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carinthian Slovene dialects, forms of a South Slavic language that dominated the southeastern part of the region until the first half of the 20th century, are now spoken by a small minority in the region.

Carinthia's main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. Multinational companies Philips, Infineon Technologies and Siemens have major operations there.

The settlement history of Carinthia dates back to the Paleolithic era. Archaeological finds of stone artifacts found in a stalactite cave near Griffen are more than 30,000 years old; Larger settlements in the Lavanttal, Maria Saal and Villach areas have been documented from 3000 BC.

Remains of a prehistoric hilltop home settlement were discovered at Lake Keutschach, which is today part of the Prehistoric mass housing around the Alps World Heritage Site. Skeletal finds from 2000 BC indicate a permanent population, and intensive arable farming, as well as trade in salt and Mediterranean produce, were already common during the Urnfield and Hallstatt culture periods. Hallstatt burial sites were discovered near Dellach, Rosegg, and on the Gracarca mountain southeast of Lake Klopein.