Bochum (/ˈboʊxʊm/ BOHKH-uum, also US: /-əm/ --əm,German: [ˈboːxʊm] ( listen); Westphalian: Baukem, Low Franconian: Boochem, Old Saxon: Bochem) is a city in the Ruhr area of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is part of the Arnsberg Government Region.
Bochum has about 380,000 inhabitants.The city is formed by the traditional industry of coal mining in the Ruhr area, but today there is no mining in Bochum anymore.