Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

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Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State in ne Germany, on the Baltic coast; the capital is Schwerin. In 1621, the region was divided into the Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Güstrow, which became part of the German Empire (1817) and then free states of the Weimar Republic. In 1934, the two states unified. In 1946, they joined with Pomerania to form a region of East Germany. In 1990, as part of German reunification, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern reconstituted as one of the five new states of the Federal Republic. It is mainly a low-lying agricultural state. On the coasts lie the Baltic ports of Rostock, Wismar, and Sreaslund. Area: 23,170sq km (8,944sq mi). Pop. (1999) 1,789,322.