Southern Germany (German: Süddeutschland) is a region of Germany that included the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia (present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate that were part of the Duchy of Franconia). German-speaking Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and South Tyrol are historically, culturally, and linguistically part of the region. From Wikipedia
