metres. Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The Pader, which flows entirely within the city of Paderborn, is considered Germany's shortest river. For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and urban agglomerations. However, the largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests (25%). Subdivisions The state consists of five government regions (Regierungsbezirke), divided into 31 districts (Kreise) and 23 urban districts (kreisfreie Städte). In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities (1997), including the urban districts, which are municipalities by themselves. The government regions have an assembly elected by the districts and municipalities, while the Landschaftsverband has a directly elected assembly. The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia each belong to one of the two Landschaftsverbände: Borders The state's area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of the state's borders is 1,645 km. The following countries and states have a border with North Rhine-Westphalia: Belgium (99 km) Netherlands (387 km) Lower Saxony (583 km) Hesse (269 km) Rhineland-Palatinate (307 km) Demographics North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 17.5 million inhabitants (more than the entire former East Germany, and slightly more than the Netherlands) and is centred around the polycentric Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, which includes the industrial Ruhr region with the largest city of Dortmund and the Rhenish cities of Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf. 30 of the 80 largest cities in Germany are located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2015, there were 160,478 births and 204,373 deaths. The TRF reached 1.52 (2015) and was highest in Lippe (1.72) and lowest in Bochum (1.29). The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia: Historical population The following table shows the population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965 the population at year end is used. Vital statistics Births from January–September 2016 = 130,025 Births from January–September 2017 = 130,088 Deaths from January–September 2016 = 150,018 Deaths from January–September 2017 = 153,435 Natural growth from January–September 2016 = −19,993 Natural growth from January–September 2017 = −23,347 Religion , 36.3% of the population of the state adhered to the Roman Catholic Church, 23.0% to the Evangelical Church in Germany, and 40.7% of the