Western Pomerania, Cispomerania or Hither Pomerania are terms used in English to translate the German Vorpommern (Low German: Vörpommern) – the western extremity of the historic region of the duchy, later Province of Pomerania, nowadays divided between the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Poland.
Forming part of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, its boundaries have changed through the centuries and its overlords have included Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and Prussia. Before 1945, Vorpommern embraced the whole area of Pomerania west of the Oder River. In 1945, the left-bank cities of Szczecin (German: Stettin) and Świnoujście (German: Swinemünde) passed to Poland (see Territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II), with the remainder of the region becoming part of East Germany. German Vorpommern now forms about one-third of the present-day north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The relatively sparsely settled region is both a prime German tourist resort and the poorest region in Germany.
Read more about Western Pomerania: Terminology, Geography, Administrative Subdivisions, Economy
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