Alsace-Lorraine

Alsace-Lorraine (pop. 4,000,000), region in northeast France occupying 5,608 sq mi (14,525 sq km) west of the Rhine. It produces grains and grapes; timber, coal, potash, and salt (Vosges Mts.); iron ore; and textiles. Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, and Verdun are the chief cities. The people are of French and German origin. France and Germany have long disputed control of the area. In medieval times both Alsace and Lorraine were part of the Holy Roman Empire. France took Alsace after 1648 and Lorraine in 1766. Germany seized most of the region in 1871 in the Franco-Prussian War, lost it to France after World War I, regained control in World War II, then lost it again.