Silesia (; ; ; ; Silesian German: "Schläsing"; Silesian: "Ślůnsk" ; ; ; ) is a region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is about , and its population about 8,000,000. Silesia is located along the Oder River. It consists of Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia. 

The region is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław. The biggest metropolitan area is the Upper Silesian metropolitan area, the centre of which is Katowice. Parts of the Czech city of Ostrava fall within the borders of Silesia. 

Silesia's borders and national affiliation have changed over time, both when it was a hereditary possession of noble houses and after the rise of modern nation-states. The first known states to hold power there were probably those of Greater Moravia at the end of the 9th century and Bohemia early in the 10th century. In the 10th century, Silesia was incorporated into the early Polish state, and after its division in the 12th century became a Piast duchy. In the 14th century, it became a constituent part of the Bohemian Crown Lands under the Holy Roman Empire, which passed to the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in 1526.
What is the German name for Silesia?
Silesian German: "Schläsing"