The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (, ), often referred to as Rhein-Neckar-Triangle, is a polycentric metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the North and the Stuttgart Region to the South-East. Rhine-Neckar has a population of some 2.4 million with major cities being Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg. Other cities include the former Free imperial cities of Speyer and Worms. The metro area also encompasses parts of the Baden and Palatinate wine regions, the second largest vine region of the country called Deutsche Weinstraße and territory from the three federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It has a strong local identity as a successor of the historical Electorate of the Palatinate state. The region is named after the rivers Rhine and Neckar, which join at Mannheim. Since 2005, the region is officially recognized as a European Metropolitan Area. Economy The Rhine-Neckar Region is one of Germany’s driving economic forces, with global players such as BASF, SAP, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen or Fuchs Petrolub. It is also home to various SMEs. It is known as the largest technology cluster in Europe, also labeled IT-Cluster Rhine-Main-Neckar. In 2010, regional gross value added was around EUR 67.5 billion, regional GDP over 75 billion euro. Just under 58% of the goods produced in the region are exported. The main sectors are the automotive industry, mechanical engineering and plant construction, chemicals, information technology, biotechnology and life sciences, energy and the environment and the creative and cultural industries. Rhine-Neckar has a leading position both nationally and internationally in many of these fields. More recent information shows a BIP of EUR 92.6 billion in 2015. The GDP per inhabitant is EUR 39,139; the Rhine-Neckar region is among the areas with the lowest unemployment in Germany. According to the "Industrie und Handelskammer" (IHK), there are 134,000 companies registered in the region. The Rhine-Neckar region also has high-volume purchasing power, therefore it is an attractive location for retailers and investors. Per capita income in 2008 was EUR 19,300, exceeding the national average by EUR 300. Transportation The Metropolitan region is a strong economic driver as well as a centre of the European transportation network. The central location and infrastructure of the region makes it accessible nationally and internationally. Individual and delivery traffic can connect to the national highway network, with highways A5/A67 and A61/A65 from north to south and the A6 from east to west, as well