North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein Westfalen, or NRW in German) is Germany's most populous state with almost 18 million inhabitants. The German state is surrounded by Rhineland-Palatinate to the South, Hesse to the Southeast and Lower Saxony to the North. NRW didn't become an official German state until much later, when the Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the Northern Rhine were combined in 1946. Industrial areas in the Ruhr region have generally felt the most pressure. DialectsBecause NRW was formed from two Prussian states, the German dialects vary along the borders of the North Rhine and Westphalia.

Source: The Local November 04, 2019 15:33 UTC