The geographical location of Ruhr is very advantageous. Since ancient times, it has been the "holy road" between East and West Europe, and it is also the only way for Northern Europe to reach Central and Southern Europe.

Shortcuts are located at traffic intersections in Europe. In the development of modern capitalism, it is located in the most economically developed "Golden Triangle" in Europe, bordering the industrial zones of France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg in the west, not far from the industrial zones of southern Denmark and Sweden in the north, close to the industrial zone of Hanover-Wolfsburg-Kidd, Salz, the economic center of Lower Saxony in the northeast and south, and the lower reaches of the Rhine River in North Rhine-westfalen. This is convenient for trade between industrial zones and with European member countries.

coal resources

Ruhr is rich in coal resources. The geological reserves of coal are 21900 million tons, accounting for 3/4 of the country's total reserves, of which the economically recoverable reserves are about 22 billion tons, accounting for 90% of the country. The coal in Ruhr area is a high-quality hard coalfield with good coal quality and complete coal types. Fat coal, which can be used to make high-quality coke, accounts for 3/5 of the reserves. The ash (3 ~ 18%) and sulfur (0.5% ~ 1.5%) in coal are low, and the calorific value is high, among which the calorific value of fat coal is as high as 8600 kcal/kg.

Convenient land and water transportation

The Rhine River runs through the whole territory from north to south, and 7000-ton seagoing ships and 8000-ton pusher fleets upstream from the Rhine River estuary can directly reach Duisburg Port. The annual traffic volume of the Rhine section from Duisburg to the Dutch border is 654.38 billion tons, which can be traded with the rest of the world through the Rotterdam port at the estuary. There are also four canal systems connecting the Rhine River, Ruhr River, Lipper River and Ames River, with a total length of 425 kilometers (including the downstream section leading to Ames River) and 74 large and small river ports. Rivers and ports have been standardized, and European standard freighters of 1350 tons can be used. At the same time, the eastern part of Ruhr can use Dortmund-Ames Canal to communicate with overseas countries through Emden Port. Therefore, although the Ruhr area is located inland, it has convenient water transport conditions, especially the navigation of the Rhine River into the sea, which makes it as cheap as the coastal areas. Railway transportation is as developed as river transportation. The railway density in this area is very high, with a mileage of 9,850 kilometers, accounting for nearly 1/5 of the whole country. The railway from Paris to northern and eastern Europe runs through this area, and Hagen is the largest freight marshalling station in Germany. Roads and highways extend in all directions, which is the link between this area and other industrial areas. Highways from western Germany to Berlin and Holland all pass through this area. The density of road vehicles in Ruhr area is twice the national average density, reaching 55 vehicles per kilometer.

Production and consumption center

Ruhr district is both a production center and a consumption center. With Ruhr as the core, Fiona Fang within 100 km is the largest consumption core in Germany, with 5 cities with a population of 500,000 ~ 1 10,000 and 24 cities with a population of/kloc-0 ~ 500,000. More than 70% of the coal and steel produced in Ruhr are processed and consumed within this range.