The five most important regions, collectively often called the Big Five, are frequently compared with other European metropolitan regions (EMR) in terms of investment and market development. They are (from north to south):
Hamburg,
Berlin, the polycentric
Ruhr-
Düsseldorf-
Cologne region (collectively referred to as
Rhine-Ruhr),
Frankfurt and
Munich. The Globalization and World Cities Study Group (
GaWC) considers Frankfurt and Munich as "α" (alpha)
global cities, whereas the others are classified as "β" (beta) global cities. Each of them forms types of clusters and achieves varying levels of performance in areas, including business activity, human capital, information and technology exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. •
Hamburg •
Berlin •
Rhine-Ruhr •
Frankfurt/
Rhine-Main •
Munich ==List==