Baden-Württemberg

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Baden-Württemberg State in sw Germany, formed in 1952 by the merger of Baden, Württemberg-Baden, and Württemberg-Hohenzollern; the capital is Stuttgart. A forested and fertile region drained by the Rhine and Danube rivers, agriculture and livestock-rearing are important, but industry is the main economic activity. Chief manufactures include electrical goods, machinery, and vehicle-assembly at the industrial centres of Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe. There are famous universities at Heidelberg and Freiburg im Breisgau. A popular tourist region, visitors are drawn to the spa at Baden-Baden and the beauty of the Neckar Valley and the Black Forest. Area: 35,750sq km (13,803sq mi). Pop. (1999) 10,475,932.