Group 4 North-Rhine Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatine

Maria, Denise, Matt, Zach, Jon, and Jeff

Ge110JeffFo.blogspot.com Ge110DeniseBe.blogspot.com GE110JonPo.blogspot.com 
e110MatthewSc.blogspot.com Ge110ZachBr.blogspot.com

1. How long has the State existed, and which historical changes are important?
   

• Formed in 1946 as a merger of Rhinestone and Westphalia
   
• A historical change that was very important for this country was the merge of the province of Westphalia and the province of North-Rhine on August 23, 1946. 9/9/14

                  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Rhine-Westphalia 9/3/14

 2. How many people live in the State? Which bigger cities or areas are worth noting?

• Population: 17,554,329
• It is the most populated state in Germany,
• Four of Germany’s largest cities are located in North Rhine-Westphalia those include: Cologne, Dusseldorf, Dortmund and Essen
• Dusseldorf is the capital of the North Rhine-Westphalia and is the sixth most populated state in Germany. The city is an international business, fine arts, and finance Centre and is also known for its fashion as well as fair trades.
• Dusseldorf is also home of five fortune 500 companies, and known for its large Japanese population.

                   

                        Photos of the city of Dusseldorf, North-Rhine Westphalia.

                            Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Rhine-Westphalia  9/7/14

3. What is the political affiliation? Religious and cultural heritage?

Political Affiliation:

• The political system in North Rhine Westphalia consists of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic.
• There are two main parties  which include: The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP)
• The state legislative party is called the Landtag and passes laws and oversees the following areas: cultural matters, education system, matters of security like the police, health and media.
• Every 5 years there is an election to elect 181 new members of the Landtag.
• Laws that are passed by the Landtag are delivered to the Minister-President who then with the other ministers involved, sign it and announce it in the Law and Ordinance Gazette.

Cultural Heritage:

• This state is different than others in Germany because It is now known for castles like other states, but rather it’s known for museums, concert halls, theatres and cultural Centre’s.

                                                
                Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Rhine-Westphalia#Politics 9/7/14