Ruhr Region

Label the colors on this map.
What made this region of Germany a power house in the past?

Answers:

• green = North European Plain; red = cities; yellow = Central Uplands; blue = rivers, particularly the Lippe, Ems, and Rhine (Rhein in German)

• sedimentary rocks were uplifted at the interface between these two physical regions to make the coal accessible by mines. Coal was vital for the industrial revolution throughout Europe, even though today these areas have major environmental and economic problems.

• Germany shares it wealth with other European countries in the European Union.
  

Optional: take a side trip to another part of the North European Plain and explore the diverse physical and cultural landscapes of the English Midlands.

Created by Ingolf Vogeler 1 February 1996; last revised on 07 March 2005.