Saar

Saar, or Saarland, state in southwest Germany, 991 sq mi (2,567 sq km), bordering France. Its capital is Saarbrücken. It is a major coal-mining, iron, and steel region whose control has historically alternated between France and Germany. After World War I, it was administered by France under the League of Nations. It was reunited with Germany after a plebiscite (1935), occupied by France after World War II, and instated as a German state in 1957.

See also: Germany.