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population: about 575,000
area: 280.71 km²

Dortmund is next to Cologne, Dusseldorf and Essen one of the most densely populated city of the country North Rhine-Westphalia and not least because of that an economic and commercial centre. The city located in the Ruhr area with a past in the coal and steel industry is nowadays a university town and home to many scientific institutions. With its own airport and a large railway station Dortmund is also one of the main transport hubs of the region.