Read the given passage carefully and answer following question.
The Ruhr Coal field of Germany has been one of the major industrial regions of Europe for a long time. Coal and iron and steel formed the basis of economy, but as the demand for coal declined, the industry started shrinking. Even after the iron ore was exhausted, the industry remained, using imported ore brought by waterways to the Ruhr.
The Ruhr region is responsible for 80 per cent of Germany's total steel production. Changes in the industrial structure have led to the decay of some areas, and there are problems of industrial waste and pollution. The future prosperity of the Ruhr is based less on the products of coal and steel, for which it was initially famous, and more on the new industries like the huge Opel car assembly plant, new chemical plants, universities. Out-of-town shopping centres have appreared resulting in a ‘New Ruhr’ landscape.
The iron and steel industry forms the base of all other industries and, therefore, it is called a basic industry. It is basic because it provides raw material for other industries such as machine tools used for further production. It may also be called a heavy industry because it uses large quantities of bulky raw materials and its products are also heavy.
Iron is extracted from iron ore by smelting in a blast furnace with carbon (coke) and limestone. The molten iron is cooled and moulded to form a pig iron which is used for converting into steel by adding strengthening materials manganese.