(also Rheinland-Pfalz), a state in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in the basin of the Rhine, Mosel, and Lahn rivers. Area, 19,800 sq km; population, 3,698,300 (1973; 67.6 percent urban). The capital is Mainz.
The economy of Rhineland-Palatinate is industrial and agricultural. In 1972, industry (including construction) employed 42.9 percent of the work force, and agriculture and forestry, 11.5 percent. Small deposits of petroleum and natural gas are exploited. The percentage of the industrial work force by industry is the following: chemicals, 18.5 percent (principal center, Ludwigshafen); general machine building, 11.4 percent (centers, Kaiserslautern and Frankenthal); footwear, 8.6 percent (principal center, Pirmasens; accounting for one-fourth of the FRG’s footwear production); food, 5.8 percent (principal center, Mainz); and automotive, 4.6 percent (centers, Kaiserslautern and Worth). Construction materials are also produced in the state.
Rhineland-Palatinate is noted for having a high proportion of small- and medium-sized peasant landholdings. In 1973 more than 70 percent of all farms had less than 10 hectares of land, constituting approximately 30 percent of all the agricultural land in the state. The main branch of agriculture is livestock raising (swine and dairy cattle). Grain (mainly wheat), potatoes, and industrial crops (sugar beets, tobacco) are cultivated. Rhineland-Palatinate is an important viticulture and wine-making region. Grapes are grown primarily in the Rhine, Mosel, Ahr, and Nahe valleys; the harvest accounts for approximately three-quarters of the FRG’s total grape yield. Mainz is the state’s major wine-making center. Forests cover 37.9 percent of the state.
The Rhine and Mosel rivers are navigable. The state’s main ports are Ludwigshafen, Neuwied, Andernach, Mainz, and Koblenz.