Styria was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, and a crownland of Austria-Hungary until it dissolved in 1918. It is often called 'green mark' because half of the total area is covered with forests and one quarter with meadows, grasslands, vineyards and orchards.

Styria bordered on Carniola, Carinthia, Transmuraland, Croatia and Hungary. It is currently divided into an upper and a lower part, where Upper Styria is a federal state of Austria, and the Lower Styria is an informal province in Slovenia.