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Bavaria is the largest state in the nation of Germany, comprising the entire southeast portion of the country. The land consists mainly of mountains and high plateaus, measuring some 27,241 square miles in area. The area was inhabited by Celts in centuries before the Common Era. It was conquered by Rome in 38 BCE, ravaged by Lombards in the 5th century, then settled by Marcomanni and Baiuoarii ca. 520. It formed the core of the Frankish dukedom from the 6th century, and became Christian by the 9th century. In 788, Charlemagne overthrew the last Frankish duke and brought Bavaria into the Carolingian Empire. It joined the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century. In 1180 the emperor gave Bavaria to the count palatine Otto of Wittelsbach, the founder of the powerful dynasty that ruled Bavarian until 1918. Bavaria greatly expanded its territory over time, though it suffered greatly during the War of Spanish Succession. In the 18th century it first opposed then allied itself with Napoleonic France, and in 1805 was elevated from a duchy to a kingdom. The kingdom switched allegiance between Austria and Prussia several times in the turbulent 19th century, finally joining the German Empire under Prussian leadership. It retained a great deal of autonomy however, in 1918 the royal dynasty was deposed and after much civil strife, in August 1919 Bavaria joined the Weimar Republic. After World War II, Bavaria was in the American-occupied zone, and became a state in the new Federal Republic of Germany. The modern state's economy is largely industry- and trade-based, with forestry and agriculture constituting only about 10%. The state has a rich cultural life, with music and theater taking high prominent, and traditional folk art still strong. The capital is Munich. The 2004 estimated population was 10,902,600.
