Stuttgart Region (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) is an urban agglomeration at the heart of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. It consists of the city of Stuttgart and the surrounding districts of Ludwigsburg, Esslingen, Böblingen, Rems-Murr and Göppingen (each 10–20 km from Stuttgart city center). About 2.7 million inhabitants live in that area (3,700 km2). In fact, with 708 people per square kilometre, the Stuttgart Region () is one of the most densely populated areas in Germany. Stuttgart Region is governed by a directly elected parliament. Situated at the heart of Baden-Württemberg, the Stuttgart Region is the hub of economic, scientific, and political life in Southwest Germany. The area currently has Germany's highest density of scientific, academic and research organisations, and tops the national league for patent applications. Geography From northwest to southeast the region is 90 kilometers long and from southwest to northeast 80 kilometers. The size of the area is 3.654 km2. According to calculations made by the land surveying office, the geographical center is located in the south of the district Rems-Murr a few hundred meters east from the village Weinstadt-Strümpfelbach in a vineyard. An erratic placed after the vine field reform - the so-called Vogelstein - lays by accident almost exactly in that center. The Neckar flows through the region for about 90 kilometers, of which about 70 kilometers are navigable waterway. The longest tributary in the region is the Fils (50 km), followed by Murr (45 km), the Rems (35 km) and the Enz (30 km). Topographically the Region lays between 170 m above sea level (Neckar near Kirchheim am Neckar) and 835 m above sea level (swabian albs plateau near Hohenstadt). Demographics About 2.7 Million people live in the Stuttgart Region, which corresponds to a quarter of the entire population of Baden-Württemberg at about on tenth of its size. 749 people/km2 is the regions average population density. The numbers of inhabitants are census results (¹) or official updates of the statistical state office of Baden-Württemberg (only primary residence). Verband Region Stuttgart The Verband Region Stuttgart (VRS) a public body, is as one of 12 regional associations in Baden-Württemberg political and administrative instance of the Stuttgart Region. Its predecessor is the Regionalverband Mittlerer Neckar founded in 1973 which was renamed to Regionalverband Stuttgart in 1992. By law it was transferred into the Verband Region Stuttgart on February, 7th 1994. Thereby the new association besides the regional planning, received additional