Nijmegen, near the border with Germany, is an inland shipping centre on the River Waal . Industries include the manufacture of bricks, chemicals, leather goods, cigars, silverware, cutlery, and electrical equipment.

Principal landmarks in Nijmegen include the 13th-century Grote Kerk, a museum of Roman antiquities, and the 16th-century Renaissance town hall. The city is the site of the Roman Catholic University of Nijmegen.

Nijmegen is built on the site of a Roman camp and for many years was a residence of the Carolingian emperors.