Rhineland-Palatinate

(rīn`lănd pəlăt`ĭnĭt'), Ger. Rheinland-Pfalz, state (1994 pop. 3,926,000), 7,658 sq mi (19,834 sq km), W Germany. Mainz is the capital. The state was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Rhenish PalatinatePalatinate
, Ger. Pfalz, two regions of Germany. They are related historically, but not geographically. The Rhenish or Lower Palatinate (Ger.
..... Click the link for more information. , Rhenish Hesse, the southern portion of the former Rhine ProvinceRhine Province,
Ger. Rheinprovinz, former province of Prussia, W Germany. The province was also known as Rhenish Prussia and as the Rhineland. The northern section of the former province (which contained part of the industrial Ruhr district) is now included in the state
..... Click the link for more information. of Prussia (including Koblenz and Trier), and a small part of the former Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. Rhineland-Palatinate borders on France and the Saarland in the south, on Luxembourg and Belgium in the west, on the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen in the north, and on the German states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg in the east. It is drained by the Rhine and Moselle (Mosel) rivers and includes the Hunsrück and Eifel ranges and other divisions of the Rhenish Slate Mts. The majority of the working population is employed in industry, which is centered in Ludwigshafen, Pirmasens, Kaiserslautern, and Zweibrücken. There are major chemical and engineering industries in these and other cities. Grain, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit, and tobacco are grown in the fertile Rhine plain. The portion of the region's population engaged in small-scale agriculture is steadily declining as large-scale farming increases. Some of the most successful German vineyards are found in the Moselle and Rhine valleys in Rhineland-Palatinate; these include the celebrated stretch of vineyards, known as the Weinstrasse, that runs parallel to the Rhine. Bad Ems and Bad Kreuznach are noted spas. Although the state has as yet little historic unity, it does include the historic centers of Mainz, Speyer, Trier, and Worms.

Rhineland-Palatinate

(also Rheinland-Pfalz), a state in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in the basin of the Rhine, Mosel, and Lahn rivers. Area, 19,800 sq km; population, 3,698,300 (1973; 67.6 percent urban). The capital is Mainz.

The economy of Rhineland-Palatinate is industrial and agricultural. In 1972, industry (including construction) employed 42.9 percent of the work force, and agriculture and forestry, 11.5 percent. Small deposits of petroleum and natural gas are exploited. The percentage of the industrial work force by industry is the following: chemicals, 18.5 percent (principal center, Ludwigshafen); general machine building, 11.4 percent (centers, Kaiserslautern and Frankenthal); footwear, 8.6 percent (principal center, Pirmasens; accounting for one-fourth of the FRG’s footwear production); food, 5.8 percent (principal center, Mainz); and automotive, 4.6 percent (centers, Kaiserslautern and Worth). Construction materials are also produced in the state.

Rhineland-Palatinate is noted for having a high proportion of small- and medium-sized peasant landholdings. In 1973 more than 70 percent of all farms had less than 10 hectares of land, constituting approximately 30 percent of all the agricultural land in the state. The main branch of agriculture is livestock raising (swine and dairy cattle). Grain (mainly wheat), potatoes, and industrial crops (sugar beets, tobacco) are cultivated. Rhineland-Palatinate is an important viticulture and wine-making region. Grapes are grown primarily in the Rhine, Mosel, Ahr, and Nahe valleys; the harvest accounts for approximately three-quarters of the FRG’s total grape yield. Mainz is the state’s major wine-making center. Forests cover 37.9 percent of the state.

The Rhine and Mosel rivers are navigable. The state’s main ports are Ludwigshafen, Neuwied, Andernach, Mainz, and Koblenz.