Bavaria

Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria is a landlocked country in West/Central Europe. With an area of 70,550.19 square kilometers it is a relatively small country. The country has over 13 million inhabitants as of the 2015 census. Bavaria's main cities are Munich ( the largest) and Nuremberg-Erlangen that have been joined into one city to make the governing in the capital easier. It has been like this since 1969.

The history of Bavaria includes its earliest settlement by Iron Age Celtic tribes, followed by the conquests of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC, when the territory was incorporated into the provinces of Raetia and Noricum. It became a stem duchy in the 6th century AD following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. It was later incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, became an independent kingdom, joined the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871 while retaining its title of kingdom. It became an independent state in 1919 and then was overrun by Nazi Germany from 1938-1945 and then became a democratic independent state again after 1945.

Bavaria has a unique culture, largely because of the state's former Catholic majority and conservative traditions. Bavarian's have traditionally been proud of their culture, which includes a language, cuisine, architecture, festivals such as Oktoberfest and elements of Alpine symbolism. It is one of Europe's wealthiest countries by GDP and GDP per capita.

Modern Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia and Swabia.