Essen is a city located in Germany within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as the central city of the Ruhr region and ranks as the second-largest city in that area, which constitutes the largest urban area in the country. With a population of 574,682, it is the tenth-largest city in Germany and the fourth-largest in North Rhine-Westphalia, following Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Dortmund.
The city is situated within the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, which holds the second-largest GDP in the European Union. Essen is part of the Rhineland cultural area and is frequently referred to as the "secret capital" of the Ruhr due to its central geographical location.