Stuttgart , located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of approximately 590,000 (as of September 2005) in the city and around 3 million in the metropolitan area.--------Stuttgart, Germany, the capital of Baden-Württemberg state (pop. 11 million, 36,000 square kilometers) and the Administrative Region of Stuttgart (pop. 4 million, 11,000 km²), is located in the center of the very densely populated southwestern Stuttgart Region (population 2.7 million, 3,700 km²) of Germany, close to both the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. The city center (situated in a lush valley, ringed with vineyards and forests, close to the River Neckar) itself has a population of 591,528 (as of 30 April 2006) and covers an area of 207 km². Stuttgart with its metropolitan area (the political entity "Stuttgart Region" enlarged by the nearby cities of Ludwigsburg, Böblingen, Esslingen, Waiblingen, Göppingen and their respective districts [kreise]) is one of the most prominent and well-known German towns, especially due to its cultural, administrative and huge economic importance. --------------------------------- Stuttgart is the sixth largest city in Germany and Stuttgart Region is the nation's fourth largest conurbation (behind Ruhr Area, Rhein/Main Area and Berlin). Neighbouring large cities are Frankfurt (210 km north of Stuttgart) and Munich (220 km southeast of Stuttgart).