One of the sixteen
Länder (federal states) of Germany; German name Rheinland-Pfalz.
Population: 3,700,000
Area: 19,800 sq. km.
Capital: Mainz, pop. 189,000
Political division: 12 cities, 24 Kreise (districts)
Rhineland-Palatinate is a richly historical part of Germany, home of the Nibelungen legends and the country's oldest city, Trier. The great Pfälzer Wald forest, the Rhine and Moselle rivers and the historic towns of Mainz, Speyer and Worms make this one of the most popular tourist areas in Germany.
The Land is traditionally Catholic. Worms also contains the country's oldest synagogue; on the other hand, Mainz has the dubious distinction of being the location of the first recorded incident of anti-Semitic mob violence in Germany.