Hamburg, is the second largest city in Germany, the fifteenth largest German state, and the sixth largest city in the European Union.The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 5 million inhabitants. Situated on the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the third largest port in Europe  and tenth largest worldwide.Hamburg’s official name, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,reflects Hamburg’s history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and that Hamburg is a city-state and one of the sixteen States of Germany.Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe.