Cologne is a major city located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as the largest city within that state and stands as the fourth-most populous city in Germany, with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper.
Situated on the left bank of the River Rhine, Cologne is positioned approximately 35 kilometres southeast of Düsseldorf and 22 kilometres northwest of Bonn. The city is a key component of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, which ranks as the second largest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union.