Banat
Banat (UK: /ˈbænɪt, ˈbɑːn-/ BAN-it, BAHN-, US: /bəˈnɑːt, bɑː-/ bə-NAHT, bah-;[1][2] Hungarian: Bánság; Serbian: Банат, romanized: Banat) is a geographical and historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central and Eastern Europe. It is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of Timiș, Caraș-Severin, Arad south of the Mureș river, and the western part of Mehedinți); the western part of Banat is in northeastern Serbia (mostly included in Vojvodina, except for a small part included in the Belgrade Region); and a small northern part lies within southeastern Hungary (Csongrád-Csanád County).
For other uses, see Banat (disambiguation), Banate (disambiguation), and Ban (title).
The region's historical ethnic diversity was severely affected by the events of World War II. Today, Banat is mostly populated by ethnic Romanians, Serbs and Hungarians, but small populations of other ethnic groups also live in the region. Nearly all are citizens of either Serbia, Romania or Hungary.
Ancient Indo-European peoples in Banat
Ancient Roman cities in Banat
Symbols[edit]
The traditional heraldic symbol of Banat is a lion, which is nowadays present in both the coat of arms of Romania and the coat of arms of Vojvodina. It is assumed that the Banat lion has its origin in the Cuman lion.[32]
The current coat of arms of the Romanian Banat was designed in 1921, after the union of the Banat with the Kingdom of Romania, by the heraldist József Sebestyén by combining some elements from the coats of arms of Temes and Krassó counties from 1779 to represent the "Romanian Banat of Severin".[32] It consists of a red shield in which is represented a golden lion rampant emerging from a golden bridge with two arched openings, built of carved stone, over an azure river. According to its author, "the lion is the old (Cuman) element, the bridge is the new element, Trajan's Bridge over the Danube".[32] The coat of arms from 1921 was modified in 1992 by adding a sabre in the right paw,[33] recalling the backsword of Pál Kinizsi, count of Temes.
Serbs use the seal of the Velika Kikinda District of 1774 to represent Banat.[32] It also features a golden lion rampant with a sabre in the right paw and a severed Turkish head in the left one.