Rhineland-Palatinate covers an area of 19,846 km (7,663 miles) and approximately four million people live there. Its capital is Mainz. The state of Rhineland-Palatinate was founded in 1946. It was formed from the northern part of the French Occupation Zone. This included parts of Bavaria and the southern parts of the Prussian Rhine. The new state was legally confirmed by referendum in 1947. Rhineland-Palatinate is located in western Germany. It borders North Rhine – Westphalia, Hesse, France, Saarland, Baden-Wurttemberg, Belgium and Luxembourg. Rhine is the largest river running through this state. The Eifel and Hunsruck mountain ranges are located right beside the Rhine River presenting it with a mystique look. The tourists are bound to get spelled by this sight. Rhineland-Palatinate is a leading producer of wine in Germany. Apart from that it is a leader in grape cultivation as well as wine exports. It is the home to the German Wine Institute. Rhineland-Palatinate is host to the company of Schloss Wachenheim Group who are the world leaders in sparkling wine productions. This company operates at many different locations of this region with their headquarters in Trier. Other famous wine producers such as Kupferberg, Henkell and Deinhard can be found in this region as well. The chemical industry is very important to this region. BASF is the largest chemical company in the world located in this region. Boehringer Ingelheim, the pharmaceutical industry, also has its headquarters over here. Griesson who are the cookie and cracker specialists and is one of the leading biscuit manufactures in Germany is located within the region. The famous electronic organ manufacturer Wersi is headquarted in Halsenback.