State capital: Kiel Population: 2.7 million Area: 15,729 sq km
When Otto von Bismarck seized the Danish lands of Schleswig and Holstein with Austrian aid, it touched off a dispute over the land. That dispute, and the threat of war with the mighty Austrian Empire, forced the petty German kingdoms to follow Bismarck, and set him on the path to the foundation of the German Reich.
Today, Schleswig-Holstein is one of the Federal States of Germany, the only one to be bordered by two seas (the North Sea and the Baltic Sea).
Its geographical location makes it a hub of Scandinavian traffic. Great efforts are currently being taken to
preserve the region's environment without curbing its economic growth. As early as 1460, a treaty stated that Schleswig and Holstein should remain forever undivided. Not only German, but also Low German, Danish, and Frisian are spoken in the region. The Frisians are a Teutonic people who live on the western coast of the state, and on the islands off its coast.
Some 50,000 Danes live in the state, as well. Understandable, as the state has belonged to Denmark for a greater portion of its history than it has to Germany. Once a fishing and agriculture center, Schleswig-Holstein's economy is currently shifting toward's technology and industry.
Helgoland - one of the top contestants for being the historical
basis of the myth of Atlantis, if there is one - belongs to Schleswig-Holstein. The northern-most of the German states, it also attracts many visitors - approximately 13 million tourists each year.
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Some 50,000 Danes live in the state, as well. Understandable, as the state has belonged to Denmark for a greater portion of its history than it has to Germany.