BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Name: GERMANY
Capital
Berlin
Largest city Berlin
Official language
German
Government
Federal Republic
Area 357,050 km²
Population
82,438,000
Currency Euro
Time
zone (UTC +1)
Internet
TLD .de
Calling
code +49
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
Germany
(German: Deutschland IPA: ['d??t?lant]),
officially the Federal Republic of Germany
(German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland (help·info),
IPA: ['b?nd?srepubli?k 'd??t?lant]), is
a country in central Europe. It is bordered
to the north by the North Sea, Denmark,
and the Baltic Sea, to the east by Poland
and the Czech Republic, to the south by
Austria and Switzerland, and to the west
by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Within its borders are a portion of the
Alps mountains, the famous Rhine and Danube
rivers, and the Black Forest. Its capital
is Berlin.
Germany
is a democratic parliamentary federal republic,
made up of 16 states (Länder), which
in certain spheres act independently of
the federation. Historically consisting
of several sovereign states with their own
history, distinct German tribe dialects,
culture and religious beliefs, Germany was
unified as a nation state during the Franco-Prussian
War in 1870/1871.
The
Federal Republic of Germany is a member
state of the United Nations, NATO, the G8
and the G4 nations, and is a founding member
of the European Union. It is the European
Union's most populous and most economically
powerful member state.
Germany
is located in Central Europe and it shares
borders with Denmark in the North, Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the West,
Austria and Switzerland in the South and
Poland and the Czech Republic in the East.
The North Sea and the Baltic Sea represent
additional National Borders in the North.
Geographic
coordinates: 51°00'N 9°00'E
Area
Altitude levelsTotal: 357,021 km² (137,850
mi²)
Land: 349,223 km² (134,835 mi²)
Water: 7,798 km² (3,010 mi²)
Territory
Since reunification Germany has resumed
its role as a major centre between Scandinavia
in the north and the Mediterranean region
in the south, as well as between the Atlantic
west and the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe.
The
territory of Germany stretches from the
high mountains of the Alps (highest point:
the Zugspitze at 2,962 m / 9,718 ft) in
the south to the shores of the North Sea
(Nordsee) in the north-west and the Baltic
Sea (Ostsee) in the north-east. In between
are the forested uplands of central Germany
and the low-lying lands of northern Germany
(lowest point: Neuendorfer/Wilstermarsch
at 3.54 metres (11.6 ft) below sea level),
traversed by some of Europe's major rivers
such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.
Due
to its central location, Germany shares
borders with more European countries than
any other country in Europe. Its neighbours
are Denmark in the north, Poland and the
Czech Republic in the east, Austria and
Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg
in the south-west and Belgium and the Netherlands
in the north-west.
The
greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate
climatic zone in which humid westerly winds
predominate.
The
climate is affected among other things by
the Gulf Stream, which promotes an unusually
mild climate.
In
the north-west and the north the climate
is oceanic and rain falls all year round.
Winters there are relatively mild and summers
tend to be comparatively cool, even though
temperatures can reach above 30 degrees
Celsius (86 °F) for prolonged periods
of time. Average temperatures: Hamburg:
January 0.3 °C (33 °F) / July 17.1
°C (63°F); Essen: January 1.5 °C
(35 °F) / July 17.5 °C (64 °F)
In
the east the climate shows clear continental
features; winters can be very cold for long
periods, and summers can become very warm.
Here, too, long dry periods are often recorded.
Average temperatures: Berlin: January -0.9
°C (30 °F) / July 18.6 °C (65
°F)
In
the central part and the south there is
a transitional climate which varies from
moderately oceanic to continental, depending
on the location. Hot summers with temperatures
about 30 degrees Celsius (86 °F) are
possible. Average temperatures: Munich:
January -2.2 °C (28 °F) / July 17.6
°C (64 °F); Freiburg: January 1.2
°C (34 °F) / July 19.4 °C (67
°F)
