Germany
Country Guide

Explore Germany

Germany with its capital Berlin is located in Europe (Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea). It covers some 357,023 square kilometers (three times the size of Pennsylvania) with a population of 80,594,000. German is the official language spoken by people in Germany. Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland are bordering countries.

Germany is the largest country in Central Europe. Germany is a federation of 16 states, each with its own distinct and unique culture. If you have perceptions of Germany as homogeneous, it will surprise you with its regions and diversity. Germany is an economic powerhouse. It has the largest population and biggest economy in Europe. Germany offers virtually every activity you can imagine - due to the federal structure every region has its own specific activities. Most Germans are members of a sports club and visit cultural events less often. Due to its size and location in central Europe, Germany boasts a large variety of different landscapes, offering many activities related to nature, from hiking in the forests to exploring the picturesque islands off the northern coasts!

Popular Destinations in Germany

Administrative regions of Germany

• Baden-Wurttemberg
• Bavaria
• Brandenburg
• Bremen
• Free State of Thuringia
• Hamburg
• Hesse
• Land Berlin
• Lower Saxony
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• North Rhine-Westphalia
• Rhineland-Palatinate
• Saarland
• Saxony
• Saxony-Anhalt
• Schleswig-Holstein

About the country

The topography is lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south. The average density of population is about 226 per km². The climate in Germany can be described as temperate and marinecool, cloudy, wet winters and summers, occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind. Potential natural disasters are flooding.

To reach someone Germany dial +49 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".de". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: C, F). The sign for the locally used currency Euro is EUR.

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field.

As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 64)	357,022	sq km
Land (World Rank: 62)	348,672	sq km
Water (World Rank: 54)	8,350	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 117)	13.30	%
Comparative	three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana
Coastline
2389
Landborder
3714
Elevation
Lowest point (World Rank: 45)	-4	m
Highest point (World Rank: 70)	2,963	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 73)	48.00	%
Arable (World Rank: 25)	34.10	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 143)	0.60	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 117)	13.30	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 53)	6,500	sq km
Map reference
Europe
Environment
Issues	- acid rain - and Habitat directive - emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution - Fauna - government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power by 2022 - government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora - hazardous waste disposal - is damaging forests - pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany - resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions
Agreement party	- Air Pollution - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides - Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants - Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 - Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds - Antarctic Seals - Antarctic Treaty - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol - Antarctic-Marine Living Resources - Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Endangered Species - Environmental Modification - Hazardous Wastes - Law of the Sea - Marine Dumping - Ozone Layer Protection - Ship Pollution - Tropical Timber 83 - Tropical Timber 94 - Wetlands - Whaling
Hazzards	flooding
Location
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Climate
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Terrain
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 19)	80,594,000
Deathrate (World Rank: 24)	1.17	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 210)	0.86	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 202)	-0.16	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 52)	0.15	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 200)	1.45	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 2)	46.00
Female (World Rank: 3)	48.20
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 37)	5,304,340
0 14 female (World Rank: 38)	5,028,780
15 24 male (World Rank: 25)	4,145,490
15 24 female (World Rank: 26)	3,986,300
25 54 male (World Rank: 17)	16,468,000
25 54 female (World Rank: 17)	16,134,000
55 64 male (World Rank: 8)	5,834,180
55 64 female (World Rank: 8)	5,913,320
65 x male (World Rank: 6)	7,822,220
65 x female (World Rank: 7)	9,957,450
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 205)	0.34	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 35)	81	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 35)	83	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 31)	79	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 11)	4.13
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 8)	8.20
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 30)	99.20	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 78)	22.30	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 4)	100.00	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 7)	588,500,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 7)	514,600,000,000	kWh
Export (World Rank: 1)	78,860,000,000	kWh
Import (World Rank: 5)	28,340,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 166)	42.60	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 127)	5.30	%
Source renew (World Rank: 3)	49.90	%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 57)	46,590	bbl / day
Exports (World Rank: 68)	1,987	bbl / day
Imports (World Rank: 7)	1,837,000	bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 65)	145,400,000	bbl
Refined products
Production (World Rank: 9)	2,198,000	bbl / day
Consumption (World Rank: 9)	2,410,000	bbl / day
Export (World Rank: 16)	474,300	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 9)	800,500	bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 43)	8,730,000,000	m³
Consumption (World Rank: 1)	773,200,000,000	m³
Export (World Rank: 11)	32,510,000,000	m³
Import (World Rank: 47)	0	m³
Carbon footprint
744000000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 76)	5	% of GDP
Military (World Rank: 99)	1	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 10)	11	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 29)	1	% of GDP
National symbol
golden eagle
National colours
yellow
Adjective
German
Noun
German(s)
Background
As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 5)	3,997,000,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 141)	1.90	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 29)	48,400	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 207)	0.60	%
Source industry (World Rank: 76)	30.30	%
Source service (World Rank: 72)	69.10	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 14)	45,420,000
In poverty (World Rank: 120)	16.70	%
Products
Industries	- automobiles - beverages - cement - chemicals - coal - electronics - food - machine tools - machinery - most technologically advanced producers of iron - shipbuilding - steel - textiles - vehicles
Agriculture	- barley - cabbages - cattle - fruit - milk products - pigs - potatoes - poultry - sugar beets - wheat
Exports	- chemicals - computer - electrical equipment - electronic products - foodstuffs - machinery - metals - motor vehicles - pharmaceuticals - plastic products - rubber - textiles - transport equipment
Imports	- agricultural products - chemicals - data processing equipment - electric equipment - foodstuffs - gas - machinery - metals - oil - pharmaceuticals - vehicles

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 4)	44,310,000
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 15)	55.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 86)	117.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 8)	72,365,600
Population (World Rank: 25)	89.60	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 7)	318
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 17)	221.00
Heliports (World Rank: 13)	23.00
Rail
Total length (World Rank: 6)	43,468
Road
Total length (World Rank: 12)	645,000
Paved length (World Rank: 7)	645,000
Water
Total length (World Rank: 19)	7,467

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