Kiel, city in north central Germany, a port on an arm of the Baltic Sea, in Schleswig-Holstein, at the eastern entrance of the Nord-Ostsee (or Kiel) Canal. The city has been a major port since the 10th century because of its excellent harbor, which is a tideless fjord. The chief industries, aside from fishing, shipbuilding, and naval maintenance, are the manufacture of soap, food products, machinery, and woolen goods. The city has a university and is a popular center for pleasure boating. In 1284 Kiel became a member of the Hanseatic League. In 1773 it came under Danish rule, and in 1866, as part of Schleswig-Holstein, it passed to the control of Prussia. In World War I (1914-1918) the city was the headquarters of the German Imperial Fleet, and in World War II (1939-1945) its important naval base was heavily bombed by the Allies. Population (2005 estimate) 233,300.