Schleswig-Holstein

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Administrative region (German Land) in north Germany, bounded to the north by Denmark, to the east by the Baltic Sea and Mecklenberg-West Pomerania, to the south by Lower Saxony and Hamburg, and to the west by the North Sea and the Heligoland Bight; area 15,770 sq km/6,089 sq mi; population (2003 est) 2,814,100. The capital is Kiel, and other major towns include Lübeck, Flensburg, Schleswig, Neumünster, and Rendsburg.

Physical
There are many lakes, and the east coast has many inlets (forde); the west coast is uniformly low and protected by embankments. The island of Fehmarn lies off the east coast; off the west coast there are several islands, including Föhr and Heligoland. The Kiel Canal passes through the Land, connecting the Baltic with the Elbe estuary. Schleswig in the north is divided from Holstein in the south by the River Eider.

Economy
There are shipbuilding, mechanical and electrical engineering, clothing, food processing, and textile industries; there are oil-fields in the Dithmarschen region. Shipping and fishing are important along the coast. The state has fertile agricultural land except in the centre, where heaths and moors predominate. Grain, potaotoes, and vegetables are cultivated, and cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry are raised.

Features
The islands of Sylt and Föhr and the south Baltic coast are popular tourist resorts, while Lúbeck, Eutin, and Schleswig are historic centres. There is a university in Kiel.

The national colours are taken from the Rusyn arms of 1848. Effective date: 28 January 1992. >>