BOTTROP

city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies at the northern edge of the Ruhr industrial region, on the Rhine-Herne Canal, northwest of Essen. Although mentioned in the Middle Ages, it remained a small peasant community until coal was discovered there in the latter part of the 19th century. Most of its churches and public buildings date from after 1860, although the city was not chartered until 1921. The annexations in 1975 of Kirchhellen and Gladbeck nearly doubled the population of the city. An industrial section lies to the south; extensive park and woodland (Kllnischer Wald) stretch to the north. Coal mining and coking dominate the economy; manufactures include chemical by-products of coal, machinery, and structural steel. Pop. (1995 est.) 119,669.