North Rhine-Westphalia , commonly shortened
NRW) is the most populous
state of
Germany, as well as the fourth largest by area. Its capital is
Düsseldorf; the biggest city is
Cologne. Four of Germany's ten biggest cities —
Cologne,
Düsseldorf,
Dortmund, and
Essen— are located within the state, as well as the biggest metropolitan area of the European continent,
Rhine-Ruhr, with a population of 11 million.