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Westphalia or Westfalia (; (ドイツ語:Westfalen) , ) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Osnabrück, Dortmund, Minden, and Münster. Westphalia is roughly the region in between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located both north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia" was applied to several different entities in history. For this reason specifications of area and population differ greatly. They range between in land area, and between 4.3 million and 8 million inhabitants. There is, however, a general consensus that Münster, Bielefeld and Dortmund are part of Westphalia. In principle the term "Westphalia" contrasts with the much less used term "Eastphalia", which roughly covers the southeastern part of the present-day state of Lower Saxony, eastern Saxony-Anhalt and northern Thuringia. A linguistic definition of Westphalia (see Westphalian language) includes the former Prussian Province of Westphalia (except Siegen-Wittgenstein), Lippe, the region around Osnabrück and the greater area of the Emsland. Present-day common use, however, often restricts the notion to the present part of North Rhine-Westphalia. Westphalia is known for the 1648 Peace of Westphalia which ended the Thirty Years' War, as the two treaties were signed in Münster and Osnabrück. The region is also home to the headquarters of Westfalia-Werke, the contractor that built the VW Westfalia camper vans. ==Symbols== The traditional symbol of Westphalia is a white horse on a red field (the ''Westfalenpferd'' or ''Sachsenross''), representing the Saxons. This image has been used in the coats of arms of Prussian Westphalia and the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The white horse is also the traditional symbol of neighboring Lower Saxony. Composed in Iserlohn in 1886 by Emil Rittershaus, the "Westfalenlied" is an unofficial anthem of Westphalia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Westphalia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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