Hesse

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Administrative region (German Land) in central Germany, bordered to the west by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, to the south by Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, to the east by Thuringia, and to the north by North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony; area 21,115 sq km/8,153 sq mi; population (2003 est) 6,045,200. The capital is Wiesbaden, and other major cities include Frankfurt-am-Main, Kassel, Darmstadt, Fulda, Giessen, and Offenbach-am-Main. Most of Hesse is a hilly, agricultural land, heavily forested in parts. The region includes the valleys of the rivers Rhine, Main, and Fulda; the Taunus Mountains and Vogelsberg Mountains; and the Odenwald Forest.

Economy
The chief industries are timber, chemicals, textiles, automobiles, electrical engineering, optical instruments, computers, telecommunications, printing, and publishing. Agriculture is based on the cultivation of oats, wheat, potatoes, barley, flax, fruit, and sugar beet, and on cattle-raising; some of Germany's finest wines are produced in the west of the state, in the Rheingau area bordering the Rhine. Wiesbaden, Bad Homborg, and Bad Nauheim are among the region's numerous health resorts.

The flag was said to represent the nation's hope for a green revolution in agriculture. Green expresses the people's Muslim faith. Effective date: 20 November 1977. >>