North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen,
pronounced [ˈnɔɐ̯tʁaɪ̯n vɛstˈfaːlən]
(listen), commonly shortened to NRW; French:
Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie; Dutch: Noordrijn-Westfalen)
is a state of Germany.
North Rhine-Westphalia is located in western
Germany covering an area of 34,084 square
kilometres (13,160 sq mi) and with a population
of 17.6 million, the most populous and the
most densely populated German state apart
from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and
Hamburg, and the fourth-largest by area.
Düsseldorf is the state capital and Cologne
is the largest city.
North Rhine-Westphalia features four of Germany's
10 largest cities: Düsseldorf, Cologne, Dortmund,
and Essen, and the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan
area, the largest in Germany and the third-largest
on the European continent.
North Rhine-Westphalia was established in
1946 after World War II from the Prussian
provinces of Westphalia and the northern part
of Rhine Province (North Rhine), and the Free
State of Lippe by the British military administration
in Allied-occupied Germany.
North Rhine-Westphalia became a state of the
Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, and the
city of Bonn served as the federal capital
until the reunification of Germany in 1990
and as the seat of government until 1999.
== History ==
=== Rhineland ===
The first written account of the area was
by its conqueror, Julius Caesar, the territories
west of the Rhine were occupied by the Eburones
and east of the Rhine he reported the Ubii
(across from Cologne) and the Sugambri to
their north.
The Ubii and some other Germanic tribes such
as the Cugerni were later settled on the west
side of the Rhine in the Roman province of
Germania Inferior.
Julius Caesar conquered the tribes on the
left bank, and Augustus established numerous
fortified posts on the Rhine, but the Romans
never succeeded in gaining a firm footing
on the right bank, where the Sugambri neighboured
several other tribes including the Tencteri
and Usipetes.
North of the Sigambri and the Rhine region
were the Bructeri.
As the power of the Roman empire declined,
many of these tribes came to be seen collectively
as Ripuarian Franks and they pushed forward
along both banks of the Rhine, and by the
end of the fifth century had conquered all
the lands that had formerly been under Roman
influence.
By the eighth century, the Frankish dominion
was firmly established in western Germany
and northern Gaul, but at the same time, to
the north, Westphalia was being taken over
by Saxons pushing south.
The Merovingian and Carolingian Franks eventually
built an empire which controlled first their
Ripuarian kin, and then the Saxons.
On the division of the Carolingian Empire
at the Treaty of Verdun, the part of the province
to the east of the river fell to East Francia,
while that to the west remained with the kingdom
of Lotharingia.By the time of Otto I (d.
973), both banks of the Rhine had become part
of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Rhenish
territory was divided between the duchies
of Upper Lorraine on the Moselle and Lower
Lorraine on the Meuse.
The Ottonian dynasty had both Saxon and Frankish
ancestry.
As the central power of the Holy Roman Emperor
weakened, the Rhineland split into numerous
small, independent, separate vicissitudes
and special chronicles.
The old Lotharingian divisions became obsolete,
although the name survives for example in
Lorraine in France, and throughout the Middle
Ages and even into modern times, the nobility
of these areas often sought to preserve the
idea of a preeminent duke within Lotharingia,
something claimed by the Dukes of Limburg,
and the Dukes of Brabant.
Such struggles as the War of the Limburg Succession
therefore continued to create military and
political links between what is now Rhineland-Westphalia
and neighbouring Belgium and the Netherlands.
In spite of its dismembered condition, and
the sufferings it underwent at the hands of
its French neighbours in various periods of
warfare, the Rhenish territory prospered greatly
and stood in the foremost rank of German culture
and progress.
Aachen was the place of coronation of the
German emperors, and the ecclesiastical principalities
of the Rhine bulked largely in German history.Prussia
first set foot on the Rhine in 1609 by the
occupation of the Duchy of Cleves and about
a century later Upper Guelders and Moers also
became Prussian.
At the peace of Basel in 1795, the whole of
the left bank of the Rhine was resigned to
France, and in 1806, the Rhenish princes all
joined the Confederation of the Rhine.
After the Congress of Vienna, Prussia was
awarded with the entire Rhineland, which included
the Grand Duchy of Berg, the ecclesiastic
electorates of Trier and Cologne, the free
cities of Aachen and Cologne, and nearly a
hundred small lordships and abbeys.
The Prussian Rhine province was formed in
1822 and Prussia had the tact to leave them
in undisturbed possession of the liberal institutions
to which they had become accustomed under
the republican rule of the French.
In 1920, the districts of Eupen and Malmedy
were transferred to Belgium (see German-speaking
Community of Belgium).
=== Westphalia ===
Around AD 1, numerous incursions occurred
through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent
Roman or Romanized settlements.
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place
near Osnabrück (as mentioned, whether this
is in Westphalia is disputed) and some of
the Germanic tribes who fought at this battle
came from the area of Westphalia.
Charlemagne is thought to have spent considerable
time in Paderborn and nearby parts.
His Saxon Wars also partly took place in what
is thought of as Westphalia today.
Popular legends link his adversary Widukind
to places near Detmold, Bielefeld, Lemgo,
Osnabrück, and other places in Westphalia.
Widukind was buried in Enger, which is also
a subject of a legend.
Along with Eastphalia and Engern, Westphalia
(Westfalahi) was originally a district of
the Duchy of Saxony.
In 1180, Westphalia was elevated to the rank
of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa.
The Duchy of Westphalia comprised only a small
area south of the Lippe River.
Parts of Westphalia came under Brandenburg-Prussian
control during the 17th and 18th centuries,
but most of it remained divided duchies and
other feudal areas of power.
The Peace of Westphalia of 1648, signed in
Münster and Osnabrück, ended the Thirty
Years' War.
The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting
from the treaty became known as "Westphalian
sovereignty".
As a result of the Protestant Reformation,
there is no dominant religion in Westphalia.
Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism are on relatively
equal footing.
Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern
parts with numerous free churches.
Münster and especially Paderborn are thought
of as Catholic.
Osnabrück is divided almost equally between
Catholicism and Protestantism.
After the defeat of the Prussian Army at the
Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, the Treaty of Tilsit
in 1807 made the Westphalian territories part
of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to
1813.
It was founded by Napoleon and was a French
vassal state.
This state only shared the name with the historical
region; it contained only a relatively small
part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly
of Hessian and Eastphalian regions.
After the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom
of Prussia received a large amount of territory
in the Westphalian region and created the
province of Westphalia in 1815.
The northernmost portions of the former kingdom,
including the town of Osnabrück, had become
part of the states of Hanover and Oldenburg.
=== North Rhine-Westphalia ===
==== 
Creation of the state ====
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established
by the British military administration's "Operation
Marriage" on 23 August 1946, by merging the
province of Westphalia and the northern parts
of the Rhine Province, both being political
divisions of the former state of Prussia within
the German Reich.
On 21 January 1947, the former state of Lippe
was merged with North Rhine-Westphalia.
The constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia
was then ratified through a referendum.
== Geography ==
North Rhine-Westphalia encompasses the plains
of the Lower Rhine region and parts of the
Central Uplands (die Mittelgebirge) up to
the gorge of Porta Westfalica.
The state covers an area of 34,083 km2 (13,160
sq mi) and shares borders with Belgium (Wallonia)
in the southwest and the Netherlands (Limburg,
Gelderland and Overijssel) in the west and
northwest.
It has borders with the German states of Lower
Saxony to the north and northeast, Rhineland-Palatinate
to the south and Hesse to the southeast.
Approximately half of the state is located
in the relative low-lying terrain of the Westphalian
Lowland and the Rhineland, both extending
broadly into the North German Plain.
A few isolated hill ranges are located within
these lowlands, among them the Hohe Mark,
the Beckum Hills, the Baumberge and the Stemmer
Berge.
The terrain rises towards the south and in
the east of the state into parts of Germany's
Central Uplands.
These hill ranges are the Weser Uplands – including
the Egge Hills, the Wiehen Hills, the Wesergebirge
and the Teutoburg Forest in the east, the
Sauerland, the Bergisches Land, the Siegerland
and the Siebengebirge in the south, as well
as the left-Rhenish Eifel in the southwest
of the state.
The Rothaargebirge in the border region with
Hesse rises to height of about 800 m above
sea level.
The highest of these mountains are the Langenberg,
at 843.2 m above sea level, the Kahler Asten
(840.7 m) and the Clemensberg (839.2 m).
The planimetrically-determined centre of North
Rhine-Westphalia is located in the south of
Dortmund-Aplerbeck in the Aplerbecker Mark
(51° 28' N, 7° 33' Ö).
Its westernmost point is situated near Selfkant
close to the Dutch border, the easternmost
near Höxter on the Weser.
The southernmost point lies near Hellenthal
in the Eifel region.
The northernmost point is the NRW-Nordpunkt
near Rahden in the northeast of the state.
The Nordpunkt is located only 100 km to the
south of the North Sea coast.
The deepest natural dip is arranged in the
district Zyfflich in the city of Kranenburg
with 9.2 m above sea level in the northwest
of the state.
Though, the deepest point overground results
from mining.
The open-pit Hambach reaches at Niederzier
a deep of 293 m below sea level.
At the same time, this is the deepest man-made
dip in Germany.
The most important rivers flowing at least
partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include:
the Rhine, the Ruhr, the Ems, the Lippe, and
the Weser.
The Rhine is by far the most important river
in North Rhine-Westphalia: it enters the state
as Middle Rhine near Bad Honnef, where still
being part of the Mittelrhein wine region.
It changes into the Lower Rhine near Bad Godesberg
and leaves North Rhine-Westphalia near Emmerich
at a width of 730 metres.
Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands,
the Rhine splits into many branches.
The Pader, which flows entirely within the
city of Paderborn, is considered Germany's
shortest river.
For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous
with industrial areas and urban agglomerations.
However, the largest part of the state is
used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests
(25%).
=== Subdivisions ===
The state consists of five government regions
(Regierungsbezirke), divided into 31 districts
(Kreise) and 23 urban districts (kreisfreie
Städte).
In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities
(1997), including the urban districts, which
are municipalities by themselves.
The government regions have an assembly elected
by the districts and municipalities, while
the Landschaftsverband have a directly elected
assembly.
The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia
each belong to one of the two Landschaftsverbände:
=== Borders ===
The state's area covers a maximum distance
of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km
from east to west.
The total length of the state's borders is
1,645 km.
The following countries and states have a
border with North Rhine-Westphalia:
Belgium (99 km)
Netherlands (387 km)
Lower Saxony (583 km)
Hesse (269 km)
Rhineland-Palatinate (307 km)
== Demographics ==
North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of
approximately 17.5 million inhabitants (more
than the entire former East Germany, and slightly
more than the Netherlands) and is centred
around the polycentric Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan
region, which includes the industrial Ruhr
region and the Rhenish cities of Bonn, Cologne
and Düsseldorf.
30 of the 80 largest cities in Germany are
located within North Rhine-Westphalia.
The state's capital is Düsseldorf, the state's
largest city is Cologne.
The number of births reached 160.478 while
204.373 died in 2015.
The TRF reached 1.52 (2015) and was highest
in Lippe (1.72) and lowest in Bochum (1.29).
The following table shows the ten largest
cities of North Rhine-Westphalia:
=== Historical population ===
The following table shows the population of
the state since 1930.
The values until 1960 are the average of the
yearly population, from 1965 the population
at year end is used.
=== Vital statistics ===
Births from January-September 2016 = 130,025
Births from January-September 2017 = 130,088Deaths
from January-September 2016 = 150,018
Deaths from January-September 2017 = 153,435Natural
growth from January-September 2016 = -19,993
Natural growth from January-September 2017
= -23,347
=== Religion ===
According to studies of the Ruhr University
Bochum in 2011 42.2% of the North Rhine-Westphalian
population adheres to the Roman Catholic Church,
28.4% are members of the Evangelical Church
in Germany, 23.8% are unaffiliated, non-religious
or atheists, 8% are Muslims, 0.49% are adherents
of the Eastern Orthodox Church, 1.1% are members
of smaller Christian groups (half of them
the New Apostolic Church), 1.0% are adherents
of new religions or esoteric groups, 0.2%
are adherents of Indian religions, and 0.2%
are Jews.
North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population
among German states for both Roman Catholics
and Protestants.
In 2016, the interior minstry of North Rhine-Westphalia
reported that the number of mosques with a
salafist influence had risen from 30 to 55,
which indicated both an actual increase and
improved reporting.
According to German authorities, Salafism
is incompatible with the principles codified
in the Constitution of Germany, in particular
democracy, the rule of law and a political
order based on human rights.
== Politics ==
The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes
place within a framework of a federal parliamentary
representative democratic republic.
The two main parties, as on the federal level,
the centre-right Christian Democratic Union
and the centre-left Social Democratic Party.
From 1966 to 2005, North Rhine-Westphalia
was continuously governed by the Social Democrats
or SPD-led governments.
The state's legislative body is the Landtag
("state diet").
It may pass laws within the competency of
the state, e.g. cultural matters, the education
system, matters of internal security, i.e.
the police, building supervision, health supervision
and the media; as opposed to matters that
are reserved to Federal law.North Rhine-Westphalia
uses the same electoral system as the Federal
level in Germany: "Personalized proportional
representation".
Every five years the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia
vote in a general election to elect at least
181 members of the Landtag.
Only parties who win at least 5% of the votes
cast may be represented in parliament.The
Landtag, the parliamentary parties and groups
consisting of at least 7 members of parliament
have the right to table legal proposals to
the Landtag for deliberation.
The law that are passed by the Landtag is
delivered to the Minister-President, who,
together with the ministers involved, is required
to sign it and announce it in the Law and
Ordinance Gazette.
=== List of Ministers-President ===
These are the Ministers-president of the Federal
State of North-Rhine Westphalia:
For the current state government, see Cabinet
Laschet.
=== 2012 election results ===
The results of the 2012 North Rhine-Westphalia
state election were as follows.
Voter turnout was at 59.6%, a slight increase
from the previous election in 2010.
=== Latest election results ===
CDU became the largest party, whereas the
ruling SPD and Greens lost votes.
The Pirates were ousted from the Landtag,
whereas the AfD gained parliamentary representation.
FDP got their best result in history.
Die Linke narrowly failed to get parliamentary
representation.
Voter turnout was higher than in the previous
election.
=== Protection for possible nuclear disasters
===
Although there are no nuclear reactors located
inside the state, the reactors in Tihange,
Belgium are near the German border.
People in the Netherlands and Germany are
concerned about their safety given the age
of these reactors.
Billions of iodine tablets were ordered to
protect the population in case of a serious
nuclear accident in Tihange.
In 2015 the German government extended the
availability of iodine tablets: now all pregnant
women, nursing mothers, and minors in the
state will be eligible.
Tablets will also be available for those living
less than 100 km from the Tihange reactors
and younger than 45 years of age.
== Culture ==
The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia is green-white-red
with the combined coats of arms of the Rhineland
(white line before green background, symbolizing
the river Rhine), Westfalen (the white horse)
and Lippe (the red rose).
According to legend the horse in the Westphalian
coat of arms is the horse that the Saxon leader
Widukind rode after his baptism.
Other theories attribute the horse to Henry
the Lion.
Some connect it with the Germanic rulers Hengist
and Horsa.
=== Architecture and building monuments ===
The state is not known for its castles like
other regions in Germany.
However, North Rhine-Westphalia has a high
concentration of museums, cultural centres,
concert halls and theatres.
==== Historic monuments ====
==== 
Modern architecture ====
==== 
World Heritage Sites ====
The state has Aachen Cathedral, the Cologne
Cathedral, the Zeche Zollverein in Essen,
the Augustusburg Palace in Brühl and the
Imperial Abbey of Corvey in Höxter which
are all World Heritage Sites.
=== Cuisine ===
==== Drinks ====
Kölsch is a local beer speciality brewed
in Cologne.
Alt is a local beer speciality brewed in Düsseldorf
and the Lower Rhine Region.
Dortmunder Export is a local pale lager beer
speciality brewed in Dortmund.
=== Festivals ===
North Rhine-Westphalia hosts film festivals
in Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Duisburg, Münster,
Oberhausen and Lünen.Other large festivals
include Rhenish carnivals, Ruhrtriennale.
Every year GamesCom is hosted in Cologne.
It is the largest video game convention in
Europe.
=== Music ===
The composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born
in Bonn in 1770.
A regional anthem is the Lied für NRW (Song
for NRW).
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to many of
Germany's best-known heavy metal, speed metal
and thrash metal bands: Accept, Angel Dust,
Blind Guardian, Doro (formerly of Warlock),
Grave Digger, Holy Moses, Kreator, Rage, Scanner
and Sodom.
Also, North Rhine-Westphalia is home to Kraftwerk,
originally a Krautrock band for four years,
then later a synth-pop band.
== Economy ==
In the 1950s and 1960s, Westphalia was known
as Land von Kohle und Stahl or the land of
coal and steel.
In the post-World War II recovery, the Ruhr
was one of the most important industrial regions
in Europe, and contributed to the German Wirtschaftswunder.
As of the late 1960s, repeated crises led
to contractions of these industrial branches.
On the other hand, producing sectors, particularly
in mechanical engineering and metal and iron
working industry, experienced substantial
growth.
Despite this structural change and an economic
growth which was under national average, the
2007 GDP of 529.4 billion euro (21.8 percent
of the total German GDP) made NRW the economically
strongest state of Germany, as well as one
of the most important economical areas in
the world.
Of Germany’s top 100 corporations, 37 are
based in North Rhine-Westphalia.
On a per capita base, however, North Rhine-Westphalia
remains one of the weaker among the Western
German states.North Rhine-Westphalia attracts
companies from both Germany and abroad.
In 2009, the state had the most foreign direct
investments (FDI) anywhere in Germany.
Around 13,100 foreign companies from the most
important investment countries control their
German or European operations from bases in
North Rhine-Westphalia.
In February 2014 North Rhine-Westphalia was
ranked as the European Region of the Future
in the 2014/15 list by FDi Magazine.There
have been many changes in the state's economy
in recent times.
Among the many changes in the economy, employment
in the creative industries is up while the
mining sector is employing fewer people.
Industrial heritage sites are now workplaces
for designers, artists and the advertising
industry.
The Ruhr region has – since the 1960s – undergone
a significant structural change away from
coal mining and steel industry.
Many rural parts of Eastern Westphalia, Bergisches
Land and the Lower Rhine ground their economy
on "Hidden Champions" in various sectors.
As of June 2014, the unemployment rate is
8.2%, second highest among all western German
states.
In October 2018 the unemployment rate stood
at 6.4% and was higher than the national average.
== Education ==
RWTH Aachen is one of Germany's leading universities
of technology and was chosen by DFG as one
of the German Universities of Excellence in
2007 and again in 2012.
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to 14 universities
and over 50 partly postgraduate colleges,
with a total of over 500,000 students.
Largest and oldest university is the University
of Cologne (Universität zu Köln), founded
in 1388 AD, since 2012 also one of Germany's
eleven Universities of Excellence.
== Sports ==
=== 
Football ===
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to several
professional football clubs including:
Bundesliga:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Mönchengladbach
FC Schalke 04
Fortuna Düsseldorf2.
Bundesliga:
Arminia Bielefeld
VfL Bochum
MSV Duisburg
1.
FC KölnOther divisions:
Alemannia Aachen
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
Rot-Weiß Essen
Fortuna Köln
SC Paderborn 07
Sportfreunde Siegen
Wuppertaler SVBorussia Dortmund and FC Schalke
04 are the most successful teams in the state,
with Dortmund winning 8 German Titles and
Schalke winning 7.
Borussia Mönchengladbach have won 5 titles,
while 1.
FC Köln have won it 3 times.
Fortuna Düsseldorf and Rot-Weiß Essen have
each been German Champions once.
North Rhine-Westphalia has been a very successful
footballing state having a combined total
of 25 championships, fewer only than Bavaria.
North Rhine-Westphalia have hosted several
matches in the 1974 and 2006 FIFA World Cups
and hosted matches in the 2011 FIFA Women's
World Cup.
In 1974 the matches were played at Rheinstadion
in Düsseldorf, Parkstadion in Gelsenkirchen
and Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, in 2006
they were played at RheinEnergieStadion in
Cologne, Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkichen
and Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
Borussia-Park in Mönchengladbach, BayArena
in Leverkusen and Ruhrstadion in Bochum hosted
matches for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
=== Ice hockey ===
North Rhine-Westphalia is home to DEL teams
Düsseldorfer EG, Kölner Haie, Krefeld Pinguine,
and Iserlohn Roosters.
== See also ==
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Kunststiftung NRW
NRW Forum
Outline of Germany
List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia
List of lakes in North Rhine-Westphalia
