Administrative region (German Land) of Germany
area 21,100 sq km/8,145 sq mi
capital Wiesbaden
towns and cities Frankfurt-am-Main, Kassel, Darmstadt, Offenbach-am-Main
features valleys of the rivers Rhine and Main; Taunus Mountains, rich in mineral springs, as at Homburg and Wiesbaden; see also Swabia
industries wine, timber, chemicals, automobiles, electrical engineering, optical instruments
est) 5,837,000
religion Protestant 61%, Roman Catholic 33%
history until 1945, Hessen was divided in two by a strip of Prussian territory, the southern portion consisting of the valleys of the rivers Rhine and the Main, the northern being dominated by the Vogelsberg Mountains (744 m/2,442 ft). Its capital was Darmstadt.