Rhineland-Palatinate (, Rhine Franconian: Rhoilond-Palz) is one of 16 states () of Germany. It has an area of  and 4.073 million people living in it. The capital is Mainz.

History 
Rhineland-Palatinate was created on 30 August 1947. It was formed from the northern part of the French Occupation Zone (the Rhenish Palatinate or  which had been a part of Bavaria) as well as the southern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province, Birkenfeld which formerly belonged to Oldenburg, parts of the Prussian Province of Nassau (see Hesse-Nassau), and parts of Hesse-Darmstadt as well as Rheinhessen on the western banks of the Rhine. 

The people of the new state voted to accept the boundary changes in a referendum on 18 May 1947.

Geography 

Rhineland-Palatinate borders on (from the north and clockwise) North Rhine-Westphalia (another German state), Hesse (another German state), Baden-Württemberg (another German state), France, Saarland (another German state), Luxembourg, and Belgium.

The main axis of the state is the Rhine river, that forms the border with Baden-Württemberg and Hesse in the southeast before running across the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Rhine Valley is bounded by mountains with some of the historically most significant places of Germany.

In the northwest there are the southern parts of the Eifel mountains. Farther south there is the Hunsrück mountain, which is continued by the Taunus mountains on the opposite side of the Rhine.
The hilly lands in the south of the state are called the Palatine Forest (Pfälzerwald).

These mountains are separated from each other by the tributaries of the Rhine: the Moselle (Mosel), the Lahn and the Nahe.

Government 

Rhineland-Palatinate is a parliamentary democracy. Every five years, all Germans over the age of 18 elect the members of the Rhineland-Palatinate Parliament, . This regional parliament or legislature then elects the premier and confirms the cabinet members. Rhineland-Palatinate is the only German Bundesland (state) to have a cabinet minister for winegrowing.

Castles 

This is only some of the castles in Rhineland-Palatine:

Universities 

There are 7 universities and 13 "Fachhochschulen".

 Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
 Universität Koblenz-Landau – locations: Koblenz, Landau
 Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
 Universität Trier

 Fachhochschule Bingen
 Fachhochschule Kaiserslautern – locations: Kaiserslautern I and II, Pirmasens and Zweibrücken
 Fachhochschule Koblenz – locations: Koblenz, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Remagen
 Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen
 Evangelische Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen
 Fachhochschule Mainz
 Fachhochschule Trier – locations: Trier, Idar-Oberstein, Birkenfeld
 Fachhochschule Worms
 Katholische Fachhochschule Mainz
 Fachhochschule für Finanzen Edenkoben
 Fachhochschule der Deutschen Bundesbank, Hachenburg
 Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Mayen
 Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung Otto-Beisheim-Hochschule (private university)
 Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Vallendar (church university)

Politics 

The Ministers President since 1947:

 1947–1947: Wilhelm Boden, CDU
 1947–1969: Peter Altmeier, CDU
 1969–1976: Helmut Kohl, CDU
 1976–1988: Bernhard Vogel, CDU
 1988–1991: Carl-Ludwig Wagner, CDU
 1991–1994: Rudolf Scharping, SPD
 1994–2013: Kurt Beck, SPD
 2013–present: Malu Dreyer, SPD

Partnerships 

 , Bourgogne
 , in East Africa
 , Province of València
 's German-Speaking Community
 , Voivodeship of Oppeln
 , Middle Bohemia
 , Province of Fujian
 , State of South Carolina
 , Prefecture of Iwate

Administration 

Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 24 districts, grouped into the three administrative regions: Koblenz, Trier and Rheinhessen-Pfalz.

Districts 

(with county code car plate)

Big cities 

 Mainz
 Koblenz
 Kaiserslautern
 Ludwigshafen
 Neuwied
 Landau
 Pirmasens
 Mayen
 Bad Kreuznach

Related pages
 List of coats of arms of the districts in Rhineland-Palatinate

 
Wine regions