Bonn

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Bonn is a city on the banks of the Rhine River in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was the de facto capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 (Berlin was symbolically named the de jure capital in the West German Basic Law) and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999. Bonn is located in the very south of the Rhine-Ruhr region, the largest metropolitan area of Germany. It is the seat of two major DAX-listed German corporations.

Even though Berlin replaced Bonn as the capital of united Germany in 1990, Bonn remains a centre of politics and administration. Roughly half of all government jobs and many government departments and numerous sub-ministerial level government agencies remain in Bonn. In recognition of this, the former capital holds the one-of-a-kind title of Federal City (Bundesstadt).

Bonn has developed into a hub of international cooperation in particular in the area of environment and sustainable development. In addition to a number of other international organisations and institutions, such as the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (IUCN ELC), the city currently hosts 18 United Nations institutions.[2] Simultaneously, Bonn is establishing itself as a national and international centre of meetings, conventions and conferences, many of which are directly related to the work of the United Nations. A new conference centre capable of hosting thousands of participants is currently under construction in the immediate vicinity of the UN Campus.

The city is home to the University of Bonn, one of Germany's most reputable institutions of higher learning. From 1597 to 1794, Bonn was the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne, and is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven (born 1770).