The Saarland (German: das Saarland – German pronunciation:[das ˈzaːɐ̯lantʰ]; French:la Sarre - French pronunciation: ​[la saʁ]) is one of the sixteen federal states (or Bundesländer) of Germany. With its capital at Saarbrücken, it has an area of 2,570 km² and its population (as of 30 April 2012) is approximately 1,012,000. In terms of both area and population size – apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg – it is Germany's smallest federal state. The wealth of its coal deposits and their large-scale industrial exploitation, coupled with its location on the border between France and Germany, have given the Saarland a unique history in modern times.