Sachsen ( Saxony)



State Location: Eastern Germany, 51°1′37″N 13°21′32″E

The population is roughly 4.2 million

Size: roughly the size of New Jersey

Significance/Uniqueness: 240 museums, home to microchip, publishing,and pocelain industries.

History:

Saxony was part of a Duchy from the early middle ages. The current state of Saxony started with Heinrich I, who was the first Saxon ruler to reign as King of Germany. He came from the Harz (northern Germany mountain range), and entered the area of today's Saxony. in 1453, the duchy became a Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire. Saxony used to be a lot bigger but after the Seven Years' War (1756-63), the Napoleonic wars, and the Austro-Persian War (1866), Saxony lost a lot of land because they always ended up allying themselves with the losing side against Prussia, who acquired almost 3/5 of Saxony territory, which led to the current size of Saxony. After WWI, Saxony became a republic. After WWII, it became part of the GDR, and on October 3, 1990, it became a free state again.

Sources :

http://www.saxonytourism.com/index2.php

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/area.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony

http://www.mapzones.org/Saxony.html