State capital: Dusseldorf Population: 17.8 million Area: 34,071 sq km
Once one of Germany's most polluted regions, North Rhine-Westphalia today is as clean as any other highly populated region. In fact, it is the most populous state in Germany, and has one of the highest population
densities in Europe - 521 people per square kilometer.
North Rhine - Westphalia, currently one of Germany's chief sources of energy, was created by the British after World War II from the Prussian controlled Rhine region, Westphalia, and the former state of Lippe-Detmold.
It is within North Rhine - Westphalia's borders that one finds the former capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn, from which the government operated while Berlin was partitioned. Only recently has the government returned to Berlin.
A highly industrialized region, North Rhine - Westphalia includes such major German cities as Cologne, Aachen, Essen, and the capital of Düsseldorf.
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North Rhine - Westphalia, currently one of Germany's chief sources of energy, was created by the British after World War II from the Prussian controlled Rhine region, Westphalia, and the former state of Lippe-Detmold.