Southern Germany

Southern Germany (German: Süddeutschland) as a region has no exact boundary, but is generally taken to include the areas where Upper German dialects are spoken. This corresponds roughly to the historical stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia, or in a modern context to the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg within the Federal Republic of Germany (to the exclusion of the areas of the modern states of Austria and Switzerland). Sometimes also included are the Saarland and the southern parts of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate often are included as well, corresponding to historical Franconia.

Boundaries

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

Southern Germany primarily 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 nineteenth century.

Between Northern and Southern Germany is the loosely defined area known as Central Germany (Mitteldeutschland), roughly corresponding to the areal of Central German dialects (Franconia, Thuringia, Saxony).

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, however, it corresponded rather, to the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Linguistically, Southern Germany corresponds to the Upper German dialects. Southern Germany is culturally and linguistically more 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, often is 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 twentieth 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	7005831937000000000♠831,937	7006110138400000000♠1,101,384	7006131197800000000♠1,311,978	7006129894100000000♠1,298,941	7006122902600000000♠1,229,026	7006121022300000000♠1,210,223	7006135318600000000♠1,353,186	310,69	7003435500000000000♠4,355	11.81	1852	Bavaria
2.	Frankfurt am Main	7005532037000000000♠532,037	7005675009000000000♠675,009	7005666179000000000♠666,179	7005629375000000000♠629,375	7005644865000000000♠644,865	7005648550000000000♠648,550	7005679664000000000♠679,664	248,31	7003273700000000000♠2,737	4.80	1875	Hesse
3.	Stuttgart	7005496490000000000♠496,490	7005637366000000000♠637,366	7005634202000000000♠634,202	7005580648000000000♠580,648	7005579988000000000♠579,988	7005583874000000000♠583,874	7005606588000000000♠606,588	207,35	7003292500000000000♠2,925	3.89	1874	Baden-Württemberg
4.	Nuremberg / Nürnberg	7005362459000000000♠362,459	7005458401000000000♠458,401	7005478181000000000♠478,181	7005484405000000000♠484,405	7005493692000000000♠493,692	7005488400000000000♠488,400	7005505664000000000♠505,664	186,38	7003271300000000000♠2,713	3.53	1881	Bavaria
5.	Mannheim	7005245634000000000♠245,634	7005311383000000000♠311,383	7005332378000000000♠332,378	7005304303000000000♠304,303	7005310411000000000♠310,411	7005306729000000000♠306,729	7005313174000000000♠313,174	144,96	7003216000000000000♠2,160	2.10	1897	Baden-Württemberg
6.	Karlsruhe	7005198840000000000♠198,840	7005240450000000000♠240,450	7005259091000000000♠259,091	7005271892000000000♠271,892	7005275061000000000♠275,061	7005278558000000000♠278,558	7005294761000000000♠294,761	173,46	7003169900000000000♠1,699	5.82	1901	Baden-Württemberg
7.	Wiesbaden	7005220741000000000♠220,741	7005257293000000000♠257,293	7005250715000000000♠250,715	7005274464000000000♠274,464	7005260301000000000♠260,301	7005270109000000000♠270,109	7005275976000000000♠275,976	203,93	7003135300000000000♠1,353	2.17	1905	Hesse
8.	Augsburg	7005185183000000000♠185,183	7005206422000000000♠206,422	7005213230000000000♠213,230	7005248346000000000♠248,346	7005256877000000000♠256,877	7005254982000000000♠254,982	7005264708000000000♠264,708	146,84	7003180300000000000♠1,803	3.81	1909	Bavaria
9.	Freiburg	7005109717000000000♠109,717	7005141637000000000♠141,637	7005163568000000000♠163,568	7005175106000000000♠175,106	7005191029000000000♠191,029	7005205102000000000♠205,102	7005224191000000000♠224,191	153,06	7003146500000000000♠1,465	9.31	1934	Baden-Württemberg
10.	Mainz	7004883690000000000♠88,369	7005133089000000000♠133,089	7005174858000000000♠174,858	7005187392000000000♠187,392	7005179486000000000♠179,486	7005182870000000000♠182,870	7005199237000000000♠199,237	97,74	7003203800000000000♠2,038	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 the 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 holiday cookies, cakes, and tarts.

References

Handbook for Travellers in Southern Germany: Being a Guide to Wuertemberg, Bavaria, Austria, Tyrol, Salzburg, Styria, &c., the Austrian and Bavarian Alps, and the Danube from Ulm to the Black Sea, Murray's foreign handbooks, 1871

Coordinates: 49°N 10°E / 49°N 10°E / 49; 10

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