North Rhine-Westphalia

American  

[rahyn-west-fey-lee-uh, -feyl-yuh] / ˈraɪn wɛstˈfeɪ li ə, -ˈfeɪl yə /

noun

1. a state in W Germany; formerly a part of Rhine province. 13,154 sq. mi. (34,070 sq. km). Düsseldorf.

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North Rhine-Westphalia British  

noun

1. German name: Nordrhein-Westfalen.  a state of W Germany: formed in 1946 by the amalgamation of the Prussian province of Westphalia with the N part of the Prussian Rhine province and later with the state of Lippe; part of West Germany until 1990: highly industrialized. Capital: Düsseldorf. Pop: 18 080 000 (2003 est). Area: 34 039 sq km (13 142 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Police Chief Tim Frommeyer said they were dealing with "one of the biggest criminal cases in the history of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia".

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

It is these cases of intentional evasion that North Rhine-Westphalia is targeting.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

As many as six candidates for Germany's far-right AfD have died in recent weeks ahead of local elections in the big western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2025

If rivers overflow their banks, the consequences can be devastating -- just like the catastrophic floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate of 2021 showed.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024

The latest suspect, a 41-year-old German-Turkish man, was detained Sunday night in the western city of Bochum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2024