Germany Geography Cities Economy
The basics
- Official name: Federal Republic of Germany Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- Form of government: Federal parliamentary republic with 16 states Länder
- Capital: Berlin
- Population: ∼82-84 million – most populous country in the EU
- Area: ∼357,000-358,000 km² – 4th largest in the EU, 6th largest in Europe
- Currency: Euro €
- Language: German – also official in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein
- Time zone: CET UTC+1, CEST UTC+2 in summer
Geography
- Location: Central Europe. Borders 9 countries – more than any other in Europe: Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands
- Landscape: North = wide plains to the North Sea + Baltic Sea. Center/south = forested hills, mountains, river valleys. South = Bavarian Alps, highest peak Zugspitze 2,963m
- Major rivers: Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Main
- Famous region: Black Forest in the southwest – source of the Danube
Cities
Biggest by population:
- Berlin 3.9M – capital, cultural hub
- Hamburg 1.9M – port city
- Munich 1.6M – Bavaria, Oktoberfest
- Cologne 1.1M – cathedral city
- Frankfurt am Main 770k – financial center
Culture & society
- Nickname: “Land of Poets and Thinkers” – home to Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Goethe, Kant, Nietzsche
- Diversity: About 1 in 10 people is foreign-born. Largest minority: Turkish
- Religion: ∼2/3 Christian
- Food: 1,500+ types of sausage, beer officially a “staple food” in Bavaria
- Fun facts: Berlin has 2,500 bridges – 4x more than Venice. World’s largest zoo is in Berlin
History highlights
- Founded: Modern German nation-state in 1871. Federal Republic of Germany established May 23, 1949
- Cold War: Divided into East/West Germany until reunification in 1990. Berlin was split by the Wall.
- EU: Founding member, Europe’s economic powerhouse
Economy & global role
- Largest economy in Europe, central to EU trade and policy
- Known for engineering, cars, classical music, philosophy, and Christmas markets.
- Invented things like the printing press, aspirin, MP3, and the bicycle