General Information
Germany's westernmost state is also its most populous with 18 million inhabitants living in an area that covers only 34,000 sq. km (13,000 sq. mi.). The area was made a federal state by the British military administration in 1946, combining the separate regions of Rhineland, Westphalia and Lippe. Allhough the largest city in the state is Cologne, Düsseldorf was named the capital because Cologne lay in ruins at the end of the war. The small city of Bonn, which shares an airport with Cologne, served as the capital of Germany from 1949 until reunification in 1990, when the seat of government was moved to Berlin.
Germany's Industrial Heartland
Although much of the state is covered with forest, North Rhine-Westphalia is primarily associated with industry, especially the Ruhr Valley region around Dortmund and Essen in the northern portion of the state. This is changing rapidly, however, as the local economies move away from mining and heavy industry towards modern technology. |
|
 |
 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany |
|
