Rural and urban districts in With eighteen million inhabitants inhabiting 34,080 km in western-northwestern Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia (German Nordrhein-Westfalen) is largest in population though only fourth in area among Germanys sixteen federal states. The capital is D sseldorf. Geography North Rhine-Westphalia borders on (from the west and clockwise) Belgium... North Rhine-Westphalia

Map of Germany showing Aachen Aachen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany, at 50°46 N, 6°6 E. Population: 256,605 (2003). The RWTH Aachen University... Aachen (town) | The district of Aachen (Kreis Aachen) is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Düren, Euskirchen, district-free Aachen (the city, giving the surrounding district the name, but is not part of the district), and also the province Limburg (Netherlands) and... Aachen (district) | Map of Germany showing Bielefeld Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on both the western and eastern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest. Population: 325,000. The current mayor is Eberhard David. The name Bielefeld is derived from the old name bileveld, which means hilly... Bielefeld | Map of Germany showing location of Bochum Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area between the cities of Essen and Dortmund. Population (30.11.2003): 393,324 . German Mining Museum History Although Bochum was founded in the 14th century, the town... Bochum | Map of Germany showing Bonn Watershed of the Rhine river Bonn is a city in Germany (Population (2002 est): 310 930, the 19th largest city in Germany), in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, located ca. 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine. It was the capital of... Bonn | Categories: Districts of North Rhine-Westphalia ... Borken | Categories: Germany geography stubs | Cities in Germany ... Bottrop | Categories: Districts of North Rhine-Westphalia ... Cleves (Kleve) | Categories: Districts of North Rhine-Westphalia ... Coesfeld | The article about perfume can be found at Eau de Cologne. Map of Germany showing Cologne Cologne (German: Köln [kœln]) (population 965,954 as of December 31, 2003), is the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the North Rhine-Westphalia state. It is the... Cologne (Köln) | Map of Germany showing Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Population: 587,288 (1 January 2004). The River Ruhr flows to the south of the city and the Datteln-Hamm Canal to the north. The Dortmund-Ems... Dortmund | Location of Duisburg Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a district-free city in the Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf. The harbour of Duisburg is the largest inland port in the world. Duisburg has a university which merged... Duisburg | Düren is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Neuss, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Euskirchen and Aachen. History The district was created in 1972 by merging the former districts of Jülich and Düren. Both districts date back... Düren | Düsseldorf in Germany The Düsseldorf Coat of Arms Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Vital statistics Name: Düsseldorf Country: Germany State: North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) Population: 571,150 Time zone: UTC +1h, UTC... Düsseldorf | The Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis is a district in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the district-free cities of Bochum, Dortmund and Hagen, the districts of Märkischer Kreis and Oberbergischer Kreis, the city of Wuppertal, the district of Mettmann... Ennepe-Ruhr | Map of Germany showing Essen Essen [ˈɛsn̩] is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Ruhr river, there being the second largest city of the Ruhr area and the 6th largest city of Germany. Population: 586,205 (as of 30.06.2004... Essen | Euskirchen is a Kreis (district) in the south-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Aachen, Düren, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Rhein-Sieg, Ahrweiler, Daun, Bitburg-Prüm, and the Liège province (Belgium). History In 1827 a first district around the city of Euskirchen was created, however... Euskirchen | Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population as of 31 December 2002 was 274,926. Gelsenkirchen was first documented in 1150, but it remained a tiny village until the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution... Gelsenkirchen | Gütersloh is a Kreis ( district) in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Osnabrück, Herford, district-free Bielefeld, Lippe, Paderborn, Soest and Warendorf. History It was created in 1973 in the reorganization of the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia, when the previous... Gütersloh | Hagen is also the name of a legendary hero in medieval German literature. Map of Germany showing Hagen Hagen is the 37th largest city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area - 15 km south of Dortmund... Hagen | Map of Germany showing Hamm Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Lippe River, northeast of the Ruhr area. Population: 184.961 (status 31.12.2003). The town was founded in 1226 by count Adolf I of Mark. The name Hamm means corner... Hamm | Heinsberg is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Viersen, district-free city Mönchengladbach, Neuss, Düren and Aachen, and also the Dutch province Limburg. History The area did fall to Prussia in 1815, which in 1816 created the three districts Heinsberg... Heinsberg | Herford is a Kreis (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Minden-Lübbecke, Lippe, the district-free city Bielefeld, and the districts Gütersloh and Osnabrück. History The region is also known as Widukinds land, because here the last fights of... Herford | Map of Germany showing Herne Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. Population: 169,200 (2001). Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century. When... Herne | Hochsauerland is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Märkischer Kreis. History The district was established in 1975 in the reorganization of the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia by merging the previous districts... Hochsauerland | Höxter is a Kreis ( district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Holzminden, Northeim, Kassel, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Hochsauerland, Paderborn, Lippe. History In 1816 the new Prussian government created three districts in the area, Höxter, Brakel and Warburg. In 1832 Höxter... Höxter | Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located southwest of the Ruhr area, just a few kilometres west of the Rhine. (The borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine.) Population: 238,100. The city was known as Crefeld until 1900. It is accessed by... Krefeld | Map of Germany showing Leverkusen Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the eastern bank of the Rhine, half way between Cologne and Düsseldorf. Population: 162,300 (1999). The city of Leverkusen is a product of economic growth in the Rhine-Ruhr region... Leverkusen | This article is about the district Lippe. For the same-named river see Lippe river. Lippe is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Schaumburg, Hamelin-Pyrmont, Holzminden, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld. History The... Lippe | The Märkische Kreis is a district (Kreis) in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Unna, Soest, Hochsauerland, Olpe, Oberbergischer Kreis, Ennepe-Ruhr, and the city of Hagen. History The district was created in 1975 as part of the reorganization of North Rhine-Westphalian districts. The former... Märkischer Kreis | Mettmann is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the Ennepe-Ruhr and the district-free cities Wuppertal, Solingen, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Mülheim, Essen. History In the 12th century the area of todays district became the property of the earldom Berg. When... Mettmann | Minden-Lübbecke | Mönchengladbach | Mülheim | Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. Population: 269.105 (30.06.2003), area 302.83 km². In 2003, Münster hosted... Münster | Neuss is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are district-free cities Krefeld, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, the districts Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Düren, Heinsberg, district-free Mönchengladbach and the district Viersen. History In 1816 the districts Grevenbroich and Neuss were created when... Neuss | The Oberbergische Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ennepe-Ruhr, Märkischer Kreis, Olpe, Altenkirchen, Rhein-Sieg, Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, and the district-free cities Remscheid and Wuppertal. History The area of the Bergisches Land did belong to the earldom... Oberbergischer Kreis | Oberhausen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area, 30 km to the north of Düsseldorf. Population: 220,033 (31.12.2003). The city is a product of economical growth in the 19th century. It was rural area until about 1860, when... Oberhausen | Olpe is a Kreis (district) in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis. History The district was created in 1817 as Bilsteiner Kreis, in 1819 the capital was set to be Olpe. During the reorganization of the... Olpe | Paderborn is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Gütersloh, Lippe, Höxter, Hochsauerland, and Soest. History Paderborn was a clerical state until it was included into Prussia in 1803. After the Napoleonic wars when Prussia created the province Westphalia it also... Paderborn | Recklinghausen is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Borken, Coesfeld, Unna, district-free cities Dortmund, Bochum, Herne, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bottrop, and the district Wesel. History In medieval times the area around Recklinghausen was the Vest Recklinghausen, a territory which belonged to... Recklinghausen | Remscheid is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Population: 120,600 (1999). Remscheid was founded in the 12th century, but it was a tiny village until the 19th century. The economic... Remscheid | The Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the districts Oberbergischer Kreis and Rhein-Sieg, and the district-free cities Cologne, Leverkusen, Solingen and Remscheid. History The area of the Bergisches Land did belong to the earldom Berg for most... Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis | The Rhein-Erft-Kreis is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neuss, district-free Cologne, Rhein-Sieg, Euskirchen, Düren. History The district in its current borders was created in 1975, when the previous districts Bergheim and Cologne were merged. Becoming effective on... Rhein-Erft-Kreis | The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer Kreis, Altenkirchen, Neuwied, Ahrweiler, Euskirchen, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, district-free Cologne, and nearly completely surrounded by the district is the district-free Bonn. History It district as... Rhein-Sieg | Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis (district) in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe, Hochsauerland, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen. History In 1816/17 the two districts of Siegen and Wittgenstein were created as parts of the Prussian province Westphalia. In 1974... Siegen-Wittgenstein | Soest is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Warendorf, Gütersloh, Paderborn, Hochsauerland, Märkischer Kreis, Unna and the district-free city Hamm. History In medieval times Soest was the biggest city of Westphalia, however after it liberated itself from the bishops... Soest | Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area. Population: 163,600 (2001). Solingen is called the town of blades, since it is known for the manufacturing of knives and scissors. In... Solingen | Steinfurt is a Kreis (district) in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bentheim, Emsland, district-free Osnabrück and the Osnabrück district, Warendorf, district-free Münster, Coesfeld, Borken. Geography The district is situated at the Lower Saxonian border, north of Münster. The... Steinfurt | The Unna district is a Kreis (district) in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Coesfeld, district-free city Hamm, Soest, Märkischer Kreis, district-free cities Hagen and Dortmund, and the Recklinghausen district. History The area of the Unna district belonged to the earldom Mark, which... Unna | Viersen is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cleves, Wesel, district-free Krefeld, Neuss, district-free Mönchengladbach, Heinsberg and the Dutch province Limburg. History In 1816 the new prussian government created the district Kempen, originally belonging to the Regierungsbezirk Kleve, but... Viersen | Warendorf is a Kreis (district) in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Steinfurt, Osnabrück (district), Gütersloh, Soest, district-free city Hamm, Coesfeld and the district-free city Münster. History In medieval times the region was part of the bishopric principality of M... Warendorf | Wesel is a Kreis (district) in the norther-western part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Borken, Recklinghausen, district-free cities Bottrop, Oberhausen, Duisburg and Krefeld, districts Viersen, Cleves. History The district was created in 1975 by merging the previous districts Dinslaken, Moers and Rees, which were created... Wesel | Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the Wupper river south of the Ruhr area. Population 376,700 (1999). It is a major industrial centre including such industries as: textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, medicine ( Bayer), electric, rubber, vehicles and printing equipment. The city was formed... Wuppertal