Dortmund [ˈdɔːdmʊnt] ( listen) is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 (in December 2006) makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union. It is a part of a urban area with some 5.2 million (2009), it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany. It is also a part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of more than 12 million people.


The river Ruhr flows south of the city, and the small river Emscher flows through the municipal area. The Dortmund-Ems Canal also terminates in the Dortmund Port, which is the largest European canal port, and links Dortmund to the North Sea.

Dortmund is known as Westphalia's "green metropolis." Nearly half the municipal territory consists of waterways, woodland, agriculture and green spaces with spacious parks such as Westfalenpark and the Rombergpark. This contrasts with nearly a hundred years of extensive coal mining and steel milling within the city limits.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dortmund,_Germany