Southern Germany

Southern Germany (German: Süddeutschland) is the region in the south of Germany. While there is no specific boundary, it usually includes all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Historically, this corresponds to the stem duchies of Swabia and Bavaria. The Saarland and the southern parts of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are also often included, corresponding to historical Franconia.

Boundaries

Southern Germany roughly corresponds to the area of Germany south of the Speyer line, where Upper German dialects are spoken (shown in green).

Southern Germany contrasts with Northern Germany. The term mostly corresponds to those territories of modern Germany which did not form part of the North German Confederation in the 19th century. The boundary between the spheres of political influence of Prussia (Northern Germany) and Austria (Southern Germany) within the German Confederation (1815–1866) was known as the "Main line" (Mainlinie, after the River Main), Frankfurt am Main being the seat of the federal assembly. The "Main line" did not follow the course of the River Main upstream of Frankfurt, rather corresponding to the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Linguistically, Southern Germany corresponds to the Upper German dialects. Southern Germany is culturally and linguisticallymore similar to German-speaking Switzerland, Austria and German-speaking South Tyrol than to Central and Northern Germany. A jocular term referring to a cultural boundary defining Bavarian culture is Weißwurstäquator, i.e. the "equator" dividing Northern Germany from the homeland of the Weißwurst sausage.

Geography

The River Main, flowing westward, through Upper and Lower Franconia and Southern Hesse, through the city of Frankfurt, into the River Rhine at Mainz, is often cited as a natural border between Southern and Middle Germany while the border west of Mainz is in that respect less clearly determined. The border between the Palatinate and the Rhineland—roughly a line between Bonn and Bingen, in the mountain ranges (Mittelgebirge) of the Westerwald, the Taunus, and the Eifel, along the Rhine and Mosel rivers—is seen as the cultural border between Southern and Western Germany.

Population

Two of the most populous states of Germany, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, are part of Southern Germany; they have a combined population of 23,5 million people. In the broader sense (with Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland), Southern Germany includes roughly 30 million people. Thus, about 40% of the German population and almost 30% of all native speakers of the German language live there.

The region has a Catholic majority, but also a significant Lutheran Protestant population (especially in Northern Württemberg and some parts of Baden and Franconia (Northern Bavaria)), in contrast to the almost entirely Protestant Northern Germany. Due to the immigration of non-Christians, mainly Turks (see Turks in Germany) during the last decades of the 20th century, there is also a small number (roughly 250.000, i.e. 2-3% of the population) of Muslims.

Major cities

Where a city has different names in English and German, the English name is given first.

State capital

Rank	City	Pop. 1950	Pop. 1960	Pop. 1970	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Area [km²]	Density per km²	Growth [%] (2000– 2010)	surpassed 100,000	State (Bundesland)
1.	Munich / München	7005831937000000000831,937	70061101384000000001,101,384	70061311978000000001,311,978	70061298941000000001,298,941	70061229026000000001,229,026	70061210223000000001,210,223	70061353186000000001,353,186	310,69	70034355000000000004,355	11.81	1852	Bavaria
2.	Frankfurt am Main	7005532037000000000532,037	7005675009000000000675,009	7005666179000000000666,179	7005629375000000000629,375	7005644865000000000644,865	7005648550000000000648,550	7005679664000000000679,664	248,31	70032737000000000002,737	4.80	1875	Hesse
3.	Stuttgart	7005496490000000000496,490	7005637366000000000637,366	7005634202000000000634,202	7005580648000000000580,648	7005579988000000000579,988	7005583874000000000583,874	7005606588000000000606,588	207,35	70032925000000000002,925	3.89	1874	Baden-Württemberg
4.	Nuremberg / Nürnberg	7005362459000000000362,459	7005458401000000000458,401	7005478181000000000478,181	7005484405000000000484,405	7005493692000000000493,692	7005488400000000000488,400	7005505664000000000505,664	186,38	70032713000000000002,713	3.53	1881	Bavaria
5.	Mannheim	7005245634000000000245,634	7005311383000000000311,383	7005332378000000000332,378	7005304303000000000304,303	7005310411000000000310,411	7005306729000000000306,729	7005313174000000000313,174	144,96	70032160000000000002,160	2.10	1897	Baden-Württemberg
6.	Karlsruhe	7005198840000000000198,840	7005240450000000000240,450	7005259091000000000259,091	7005271892000000000271,892	7005275061000000000275,061	7005278558000000000278,558	7005294761000000000294,761	173,46	70031699000000000001,699	5.82	1901	Baden-Württemberg
7.	Wiesbaden	7005220741000000000220,741	7005257293000000000257,293	7005250715000000000250,715	7005274464000000000274,464	7005260301000000000260,301	7005270109000000000270,109	7005275976000000000275,976	203,93	70031353000000000001,353	2.17	1905	Hesse
8.	Augsburg	7005185183000000000185,183	7005206422000000000206,422	7005213230000000000213,230	7005248346000000000248,346	7005256877000000000256,877	7005254982000000000254,982	7005264708000000000264,708	146,84	70031803000000000001,803	3.81	1909	Bavaria
9.	Freiburg	7005109717000000000109,717	7005141637000000000141,637	7005163568000000000163,568	7005175106000000000175,106	7005191029000000000191,029	7005205102000000000205,102	7005224191000000000224,191	153,06	70031465000000000001,465	9.31	1934	Baden-Württemberg
10.	Mainz	700488369000000000088,369	7005133089000000000133,089	7005174858000000000174,858	7005187392000000000187,392	7005179486000000000179,486	7005182870000000000182,870	7005199237000000000199,237	97,74	70032038000000000002,038	8.95	1908	Rhineland-Palatinate
Rank	City	Pop. 1950	Pop. 1960	Pop. 1970	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Area [km²]	Density per km²	Growth [%] (2000– 2010)	surpassed 100,000	State (Land)

Characteristics

Economically, Southern Germany is the strongest part of Germany, with Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria powerhouses of manufacturing, especially in the automobile and machinery industry. Furthermore, it is home to some of the country's most prestigious universities (such as the ones in Heidelberg, Munich, Tübingen and Würzburg).

The specific features of the landscape are rolling hills, Mittelgebirge (mid-range mountains). Southern Germany also has a part of the Alps, in the southeast of the region (Allgäu and Bavarian Alps). In the culinary field, both beer and wine are produced in lots of varieties almost everywhere in the region. The regional cuisine consists of stews, sausages, cabbage, noodles and other pasta dishes as well as a variety of cakes and tarts.

See also

• Northern Germany
• Central Germany (geography), Central Germany (cultural area)
• Western Germany, Eastern Germany
• Weißwurstäquator
• Upper German
• Alemannic dialects
• Austro-Bavarian dialects
• Franconian dialect