| North Rhine-Westphalia | |
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| Main information | |
| Capital city | Düsseldorf |
| Currency | euro |
| Surface | 34,088.01 km² |
| Population | 17 932 651 |
| Tongue | German |
North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) - federal state Federal Republic of Germany, founded in 1947
Characteristic
North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the west of Germany. The population is 17 865 516 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2015), area: 34 088.01 km².
It borders with the federal states: Lower Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and in the west with the following countries: the Netherlands and Belgium.
Geography
Most of the area is lowlands, only in the south there is a fragment of the Rhenish Slate Mountains, in the east and south-east are low mountain ranges (Teutoburg Forest, Egge and others), and in the south-west, near the border with Belgium, the eastern slopes of the Ardennes. The highest peak is Langenberg (843 m above sea level) in the Rothaargebirge range. Main rivers: Rhine, Ruhr, Ems, Weser connected by the inland, Rhine-Harne, Dortmund-Ems canals.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most heavily industrialized federal state, with the Ruhr Area as the main industrial region.
Climate
History
In antiquity, this was the boundary of the Roman Empire. Roman cities were incl. Cologne, Aachen, Bonn and Jülich. During the early Middle Ages, the area was under Frankish rule, and Aachen became the main residence of Charlemagne, the first Western Roman Emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Aachen Cathedral is his resting place. In the 10th century, the region was divided into Lorraine (south-west part with the ancient cities of Cologne and Aachen) and Westphalia (north and east with early medieval Dortmund and Münster). In the 11th-12th centuries, the Duchy of Jülich, Kleve and Berg separated from Lorraine, while in the Westphalian part of the region, Lippe, the Bishop's Duchy of Münster and the County of Mark were established in the 12th century, however, the archbishopric of Cologne remained the leading country, transformed into the Electorate in the 14th century. Cologne. In 1288, Cologne separated from the archbishopric to become a free city. In the Middle Ages, Aachen and Dortmund also remained free cities. In the years 1521-1614 there were the United Duchy of Jülich-Kleve-Berg, and from 1556 a part of the region with the towns of Geldern, Kevelaer and Straelen at the modern border with the Netherlands belonged to Spain. Spain lost its cities as a result of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713 to Prussia.
In the second half of the 18th century, the area on the left bank of the Rhine was conquered by France, and at the beginning of the 19th century, the northern part of the region was also incorporated into France. After the defeat of France in 1815, most of the area, with the exception of the Duchy of Lippe, was incorporated into Prussia. The provinces of Westphalia and Rhineland were created, including the lands occupied by Prussia in 1815 at the expense of Luxembourg (Second Partition of Luxembourg). In 1871 the entire area was within the borders of Germany.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was created on August 23, 1946 on the basis of Order No. 46 of the Command of the British Occupation Zone in Germany from the merger of the northern part of the former Prussian province of Rhineland and the Prussian province of Westphalia - southwestern part of Westphalia. Half a year later, by order no. 77 of January 21, 1947, the former Free State of Lippe (formerly the Duchy of Lippe) was incorporated into it, and then North Rhine-Westphalia gained its final shape.
Policy
- Ruling coalition: CDU / FDP coalition, Prime Minister since 2017: Armin Laschet (CDU)
Composition of the Landtag:
- CDU - 72
- SPD - 69
- FDP - 28
- Green Party - 14
- AfD - 16
- Last elections: May 14, 2017
- Next elections: 2022
Economy
The basis for development are rich hard coal deposits in the Ruhr area and lignite deposits in the Lower Rhine region as well as iron, zinc, lead, rock salt and potassium ore.
Developed engineering, metallurgical (iron), chemical, electrical, metal, textile, food and clothing industries.
Agriculture based on the cultivation of barley, wheat, rye, oats, sugar beet, vegetables and the farming of pigs, cattle and poultry.
A very dense transport network, numerous railway junctions, inland canals, river ports (the largest in Duisburg), two airports of international importance: in Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Drive
By car
By plane
From Poland, he maintains frequent connections with Dortmund Wizzair. It operates with: