The term
Southern Germany () is used to describe a region in the south of
Germany. There is no specific boundary to the region, but it usually includes all of
Bavaria and
Baden-Württemberg, and the southern part of
Hesse. The
Saarland and
Rhineland-Palatinate are also often included.
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.
Natural and cultural borders
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...
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