Rhineland
Rhenish Republic | |
|---|---|
| Capital | Frankfurt |
| Largest city | Collen |
| Official languages | German |
| Recognised regional languages | Collenian Frankfurtish |
| Foreign languages | Dutch |
| Demonym | Rhenish Rhinelander |
The Rhenish Republic (English pronunciation: [ˈɹɛnɪʃ.ɹɪpəb.lɪk]; German: Rheinische Republik, Collenian: Repoblik op de Ring) commonly known as the Rhineland, is a country in western Europe centered on and named after the Rhine River. The largest of the German states, the Rhineland is bordered by France and the Netherlands to the west, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and Hanover and Saxony to the east. Originally conceived as the 19th-century successor of the Holy Roman Empire, the country's subnational monarchies were abolished in 1926 when the Rhineland agreed to adopt a centralized republican government.
In the 20th century, the Republic remained a staunch cultural, economic, and military partner of the Netherlands, whom it entered into economic union with through the North Sea Economic Cooperative Council in the 1940s. The age of popular media has made Rhineland a social and industrial hub, renowned for its four metropolises (Mönster, Collen, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt) and its distinct regional cultures and dialects.
