North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen; Low Franconian: Noordrien-Wesfale; Low German: Noordrhien-Westfalen; Kölsch: Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW, is the most populous of the 16 states of Germany. It is located in western Germany, covering an area of 34,084 square kilometres (13,160 sq mi), which makes it the fourth-largest state.
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 and became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The city of Bonn served as the federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999.
Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other. The state has always been Germany’s powerhouse with the largest economy among the German states by GDP figures.
| Germany | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lander | ||
| Baden-Württemberg • Bavaria • Berlin • Brandenburg • Bremen • Hamburg • Hesse • Lower Saxony Mecklenburg-Vorpommern • North Rhine-Westphalia • Rhineland-Palatinate • Saarland • Saxony Saxony-Anhalt • Schleswig-Holstein • Thuringia | ||
| Cabinet of Germany | ||
| Soryu I • Köhler I • Dreyer I • Lendhardt I • Einstein I • Berger I • Köhler II • Weiss I • Schaltz I • Wels I • Hertzberg I • Kleiz I | ||
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| President • Chancellor • Vice Chancellor | ||
| Minister of Defence • Minister of Foreign Affairs • Minister of Finance Minister of the Interior • Minister of Justice • Minister of Health | ||
| Parliament of Germany | ||
| Bundestag | Bundesrat | |
| President of the Bundestag | President of the Bundesrat | |
| Bundestag Elections | ||
| 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th
12th | ||