Facts

Population 2.7 million. Area 15,729 sq. km.

Famous Facts

Thomas Mann was born in Lübeck and Günter Grass lives just outside the town. The North Frisian Island of Sylt is the playground for Germany’s jet set. Helgoland, an island in the North Sea, is economically not part of the EU, thanks to an agreement back in 1840, so this is the place for some duty-free shopping. There is still much evidence of the state’s Viking past. The Hanseatic League was established here.

Where about

The most northerly of the German states, Schleswig-Holstein borders Denmark to the north, and is flanked by the Baltic Sea to the east and the North Sea to the west. ... >> more