Southern Germany (German: Süddeutschland, pronounced [ˈzyːtˌdɔʏtʃlant] ) 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 in 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, Alsace, and South Tyrol are also historically, culturally, and linguistically associated with the region.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, emigrants from Southern Germany, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, were among the first settlers of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania and other influential population centers in present-day United States.