Hesse /ˈhɛs/ or Hessia (German: Hessen , Hessian dialect: Hesse ) is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.
The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen) in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state. The oldest city of the cultural region of Hesse, Mainz, is in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The State of Hesse (German: Land Hessen) is part of the larger cultural region. It has an area of 21,110 km2 (8,150 sq mi) and just over six million inhabitants. The capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is Frankfurt am Main.