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Hesse [a] or Hessia [b] ( German: Hessen [ˈhɛsn̩] ⓘ ), officially the State of Hesse (German: Land Hessen ), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Darmstadt and Kassel.
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- Geography
Hessen, Land (state) in the west-central part of Germany. Hessen is bounded by the states of Lower Saxony to the north, Thuringia to the east, Bavaria to the southeast, Baden-Württemberg to the south, Rhineland-Palatinate to the west, and North Rhine–Westphalia to the northwest. Its capital is Wiesbaden. Area 8,152 square miles (21,114 square km). ...
Hessen lies between the Upper Rhine Plateau to the west and the Thuringian Forest to the east and consists mainly of richly wooded uplands. The Hessen Central Uplands contain the conical masses of the volcanic Vogels Mountains (Vogelsberg), which are the largest continuous basalt area in Europe, covering some 950 square miles (2,460 square km). The Rhön, in eastern Hessen, is a mountainous mass rising to the Wasser Peak (3,117 feet [950 metres]), Hessen’s highest mountain. The Spessart Forest and the Odenwald both belong in part to Hessian territory. The northern part of Hessen is drained by the northward-flowing Fulda River and its tributary the Eder. Near Münden the Fulda unites with the Werra River to form the Weser. Most of the rest of the state is drained westward by rivers that are tributaries of the Main and Rhine rivers. Beeches and conifers cover the highlands, and cultivated land lies on the limestone uplands and on the loess soils of the river lowlands.
The largest cities are Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Kassel, Darmstadt, and Offenbach am Main. The majority of the population is Protestant, and most of the remainder is Roman Catholic.
The state is well wooded, and small-scale farming is still widespread, although much marginal farmland has been abandoned. Wheat is the most widely grown crop, followed by potatoes and sugar beets. Poultry, pigs, and cattle are the chief livestock. Southwestern Hessen is primarily industrial, but it is also an area of intensive agriculture. The plains along the Rhine and Main rivers are a mosaic of vineyards, orchards, and fields of grain, potatoes, and tobacco. The surrounding hills have a three-year rotation of rye, oats, and potatoes, and livestock farms focus on the production of butter and cheese. Market gardening is especially important near the cities.
The state’s mineral resources are quite limited. There are some low-grade iron ores, of little economic significance, in the Taunus Mountains, salt mines near Fulda, and small brown-coal deposits near Frankfurt am Main and Kassel. The Werra valley in Kassel is the site of Germany’s largest potash fields.
The state’s industries depend on the Rhine waterway and its extensions up the Main and Neckar. The Rhine-Main area, centred on Frankfurt am Main, Mainz, and Wiesbaden, is one of the great industrial regions of Germany. Kassel, Offenbach, Wiesbaden, and Darmstadt are other large manufacturing centres. Quality steel is produced in Wetzlar. Vehicles, machinery, chemicals, electrical goods, scientific instruments, and textiles are among the products of these and other towns. New industries have developed since World War II, stimulated by the arrival of German refugees from eastern Europe. These enterprises include the making of glass, toys, and musical instruments. Book publishing is a prominent economic activity as well. Frankfurt am Main is an important financial centre, home to the European Union’s central bank and Germany’s major stock market.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Hesse-Darmstadt, former landgraviate, grand duchy, and state of Germany. It was formed in 1567 in the division of old Hesse; after Hesse-Kassel was absorbed by Prussia in 1866, Hesse-Darmstadt was usually known simply as Hesse. Hesse-Darmstadt was originally only the small territory of Upper.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In 1918, Hesse-Nassau became part of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. From 1944–45 as part of Nazi Germany, it was divided into the Prussian provinces of Kurhessen and Nassau. From 1945–46, it was renamed Greater Hesse (German: Großhessen) and was part of the US occupation zone in Germany.
Hesse is located in western-central Germany, bordering (from north-west, clockwise) the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Hesse. Type: State with 6,020,000 residents. Description: state in the center of Germany. Neighbors: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. Categories: federated state of Germany and locality. Location: Germany, Central Europe, Europe.
Hesse ( German: Hessen) is a state of Germany. It was formed in 1945 as Greater Hesse, and became Hesse in 1946. The capital is Wiesbaden. The main rivers in the northern part of Hesse are Werra, Fulda and Lahn. It is a hilly countryside, the main mountainchains being the Rhön, the Westerwald, the Odenwald, the Taunus and the Spessart.
