A region of low, partly wooded hills, Saarland is drained by the Saar River. The population is German-speaking and largely Roman Catholic. Economy Saarland long supported a large iron and steel industry based on vast coal fields. Other manufactures include machinery, motors, ceramics, processed foods, and textiles.
Agricultural production is limited.
The Saarland possessed little unity before the 20th cent. Until the late 18th cent. In 1797 it was ceded to France by the Treaty of Campo Formio. Industrial development in the area occurred after 1871, when Alsace-Lorraine became a part of the German empire. With Lorraine's iron ore deposits, the Saarland was able to take advantage of its extensive coal fields.