Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate is a state in western Germany. It is landlocked and covers an area of 19,846 km², with about 4.05 million people living there. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous state in Germany. The capital and largest city is Mainz. Other important cities include Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Koblenz, Trier, Kaiserslautern, Worms, and Neuwied.

The state is bordered by North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Baden-Württemberg, and Hesse, as well as the countries of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Rhineland-Palatinate was created in 1946 after World War II. It was formed from parts of the old states of Prussia, Hesse, and Bavaria under the control of the French military. In 1949, it became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The state is well known for its beautiful landscapes, many historic castles, and the Palatinate region, which is famous for its winegrowing.

History

The state of Rhineland-Palatinate was created shortly after the Second World War on August 30, 1946. It was formed from parts of several older areas, including the southern part of the Prussian Rhine Province, Rhenish Hesse, western Nassau, and Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate. The area has a long history, with control by the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire, and it saw fighting in both the First and Second World Wars.

After the war, the area became part of the French Zone of Occupation. It was officially established as a state on August 30, 1946, by the French military government. The first elections for the state parliament were held in 1947, and the capital was later moved to Mainz in 1950. Over time, the people of Rhineland-Palatinate began to feel more connected to each other, even though the state was created from many different regions.

Geography

Rhineland-Palatinate is a state in western Germany that borders France, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Inside Germany, it is next to Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Saarland. It is the ninth-largest state by size.

The land has many forests, covering 42% of its area, making it one of the greenest states. Important rivers include the Rhine and the Moselle. The area has different climates: cooler, wetter weather in the north and warmer, milder weather in the south where special plants like palm trees and olive trees can grow. The forests are home to some pests that can harm plants and soil.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate is a state in western Germany with its own government and leaders. Like other German states, it has a system of laws and leaders who help manage the lives of the people who live there. This includes making decisions about schools, roads, and many other important things for the community.

Administrative divisions

Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 24 districts (Landkreise) and 12 independent cities (Kreisfreie Städte).

Districts

Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany:

1. Ahrweiler (AW)
2. Altenkirchen (Westerwald) (AK)
3. Alzey-Worms (AZ)
4. Bad Dürkheim (DÜW)
5. Bad Kreuznach (KH)
6. Bernkastel-Wittlich (WIL, BKS)
7. Birkenfeld (BIR)
8. Cochem-Zell (COC, ZEL)
9. Donnersbergkreis (KIB, ROK)
10. Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm (BIT, PRÜ)
11. Germersheim (GER)
12. Kaiserslautern (KL)
13. Kusel (KUS)
14. Mainz-Bingen (MZ, BIN)
15. Mayen-Koblenz (MYK, MY)
16. Neuwied (NR)
17. Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (SIM, GOA)
18. Rhein-Lahn-Kreis (EMS, DIZ, GOH)
19. Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis (RP)
20. Südliche Weinstraße (SÜW)
21. Südwestpfalz (PS, ZW)
22. Trier-Saarburg (TR, SAB)
23. Vulkaneifel (DAU)
24. Westerwaldkreis (WW)

Independent cities

Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany:

1. Frankenthal (Pfalz) (FT)
2. Kaiserslautern (KL)
3. Koblenz (KO)
4. Landau in der Pfalz (LD)
5. Ludwigshafen am Rhein (LU)
6. Mainz (MZ)
7. Neustadt an der Weinstraße (NW)
8. Pirmasens (PS)
9. Speyer (SP)
10. Trier (TR)
11. Worms (WO)
12. Zweibrücken (ZW)

Demographics

Largest cities

Main article: List of cities in Rhineland-Palatinate by population

The following table shows the ten largest cities of Rhineland-Palatinate:

Vital statistics

• Births from January–August 2016 increased to 24,871.
• Births from January–August 2017 decreased to 24,784.
• Deaths from January–August 2016 were 30,572.
• Deaths from January–August 2017 were 32,167.
• Natural growth from January–August 2016 was -5,701.
• Natural growth from January–August 2017 was -7,383.

Religion

In 2018, 40.3% of the people in this area belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and 26.8% to the Protestant Church in Germany. About 32.9% followed other beliefs or had none. Muslims made up 5.0% of the total.

Jewish culture

The league of ShUM-cities in this area included the Jewish communities of Mainz, Speyer, and Worms. These cities were important centers for Jewish life during medieval times. Today, about 20,000 Jews (0.5% of the population) live in the state.

Economy

The economy of Rhineland-Palatinate was worth about 147 billion euros in 2018. This made up around 4.4% of all of Germany's economy. For each person, the value created was about 33,100 euros, which is a bit more than the average in Europe.

The state is very good at selling things to other countries, with about half of what it makes being sold outside. Important jobs come from growing wine, making chemicals and medicines, and building car parts. Small and medium-sized businesses are very important to the economy. The biggest company is BASF, based in Ludwigshafen.

Rhineland-Palatinate grows the most wine in Germany. It has six main wine areas where most of Germany's wine grapes are grown. There are about 13,000 wine makers who help Germany sell much of its wine around the world.

The unemployment rate in October 2018 was 4.4%, which is lower than the rest of Germany.

Transport

Air

Rhineland-Palatinate has an airport called Hahn Airport in Lautzenhausen. This airport offers flights to some places in Europe with low cost airlines. However, many people in the state prefer to use bigger airports like Frankfurt Airport, Luxembourg Airport, Saarbrücken Airport, and Cologne Bonn Airport for traveling inside Germany and around the world.