Europe's powerhouses: its capital cities
In many European countries, the capital cities are also their economic motors. What would per capita income look like without the capital? The Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW) has taken a look.
Poor but sexy
Germany's capital is an exception. The IW calculates that without Berlin, German per capita income would be 0.2 percent higher. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city has managed to attract new companies, but the number of jobs hasn't kept up. Unemployment is above the national average.
The center of the centralized state
It's a different story in France. Paris is the heart of the country in almost every way. Big companies like Total, Renault and Axa have their headquarters in and around the city. Paris is a magnet for tourists and service providers, while the surrounding area is France's strongest industrial region. Without Paris, French per capita income would drop 15 percent.
Indispensable London
Britain, too, would be much poorer without its capital London - by 11 percent. Above all, the financial sector - alongside New York, the most important in the world - as well as real estate and IT make the city so essential.
Pillar of the Greek economy
More than a third of Greeks live in Athens. The area around the capital is home to the most companies, from shipyards to high-tech startups. As sites like the Acropolis show, the city has been at the heart of Greek life for thousands of years - and today, without it, per capita income would be 20 percent lower.
Brussels benefits from bureaucrats
Brussels is the smallest of Belgium's three regions, but the most important for the economy. Without the capital, the country would be 9 percent poorer. The service sector makes up 90 percent of the economy. And as home to many European institutions and NATO, it's a magnet for consultants, lawyers, translators, and conference organizers.
All roads lead to Rome
Without Rome, Italians' per capita income would fall only by 2 percent. The city is dominated by the public sector, as well as being a major tourist attraction. But most of Italy's industry is in its rich north - which looks on Rome as being part of the poorer south.
Copenhagen: Home to the Little Mermaid...
...as well as the world's largest container shipping line, Maersk, and the Carlsberg brewery. It's also the headquarters of chemicals and pharmaceuticals companies. Denmark is a country of many industries, but they're especially concentrated around the capital. And without Copenhagen, per capita income would fall 13 percent.