Hello Duisburg! Hallo Deutschland! In North Rhine Westphalia's Ruhrgebiet, Germany's traditional home to the coal, iron and steel industry, the city of Duisburg always stood as tall as its smoke stacks. The world's largest inland port made for a particularly cosmopolitan atmosphere at the junction of the rivers Rhine and Ruhr, influencing Duisburg's development as an important economic and cultural center. Duisburg's open and friendly character is best reflected in 600,000 citizens originating from 140 different nations but coexisting peacefully in a city which is leaving coal and iron behind, and which is rapidly acquiring a new and modern identity. This transformation is mirrored in the entire Ruhregebiet, the Ruhr area, where millions of people are living and working together more closely than anywhere else in Europe. The map DRIVING TO THE WORLD GAMES illustrates just how densely populated the region is (click here!) . In essence, 15 million can get to Duisburg and its partner cities Oberhausen, Mühlheim on the Ruhr and Bottrop - the four hosts to The 7th World Games - in less than one hour's travel by car. Demographic figures which - combined with North Rhine Westphalia's reputation as a 'Land of Sports' - bode well for record attendances between July 14 and 24, 2005    The World Games are staged at 27 different venues in Duisburg, Oberhausen, Mülheim on the Ruhr and Bottrop. Duisburg and its partner cities distinguish themselves through the number and the quality of these venues. Their compact layout as well as the efficient local transport between them guarantee an unprecedented cohesion between the competitions, allowing more than 4,000 athletes and officials to take in the unique atmosphere of The World Games, and inducing millions of spectators to sample the breadth of their sports. The Sports Park Wedau, the main venue, includes the MSV-Arena, the Duisburg Regatta Course and several outdoor and indoor sports complexes. It's also home to Europe's largest sports academy. Duisburg stunned the world of international sports by organizing the 1989 World University Games. After their original host had to withdraw, Duisburg stepped in and put on a superb event - with all of 153 days to prepare for it. Unique hands-on experience in hosting an event of a virtually identical scope combines with the renewed commitment by Duisburg and its three partners to transmit their sporting enthusiasm to a global audience: with The World Games 2005.