10 questions · Geography
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous German state with around 18 million inhabitants: a good fifth of all Germans live here. It lies in the west of the country; the capital is Düsseldorf, though the largest city is Cologne. That is also where the landmark stands: Cologne Cathedral, which took over 600 years to build and was long the tallest building in the world. The state is famous for the Ruhr area, where collieries and steelworks once formed Europe's largest industrial region. After coal mining ended, winding towers and blast furnaces turned into museums, concert halls and climbing parks; the Zollverein colliery in Essen is now UNESCO World Heritage. The Rhine, Germany's most important waterway, flows through the state. The coat of arms combines a horse, a Rhine wave and a rose, the symbols of its three regions Westphalia, Rhineland and Lippe. To the west the state borders the Netherlands and Belgium. Did you know that carnival here counts as high culture? On Rose Monday millions line the streets in Cologne and Düsseldorf.
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North Rhine-Westphalia
With around 18 million people, North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous state; in the Ruhr area the cities run into one another almost seamlessly.
💡 Did you know? When Cologne Cathedral was completed in 1880 it was the tallest building in the world for four years: construction had taken over 600 years.
Düsseldorf
The capital of Germany's most populous state is Düsseldorf on the Rhine: not larger Cologne. The rivalry between the two cities is legendary.
💡 Did you know? Düsseldorf hosts Germany's largest Japanese community; the area around Immermannstraße is known as Little Tokyo.
Cologne
about 18 million
the west
Foto: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons
Cologne Cathedral
Rhine
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
a horse, a wavy line and a rose
the Ruhr area
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state and includes the densely populated Ruhr area.
💡 Did you know? North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state; the Ruhr area is one of Europe's largest urban regions.
the Netherlands and Belgium
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