Cheb ([]; German:) is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with 33,256 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře, at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany. Prior to 1945, the town was the centre of the German-speaking region known as Egerland, and was part of the Northern Austro-Bavarian dialect area.