Jack's Homepages - Fact about Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany is situated in the heart of Europe. It has nine neighbours: Denmark in the north, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the west, Switzerland and Austria in the south, and the Czech Republic as well as Poland in the east.

This central location has been more pronounced since 3rd October 1990, when Germany was reunited. The Federal Republic is more than ever a link between East and West, but also between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. As an integral part of the European Union and NATO, Germany is a bridge to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The Federal Republic of Germany covers an area of about 357,000 square kilometers.

Berlin

Germany has a population of about 82.0 million, the second largest in Europe after the Russian Federation, followed by the United Kingdom (58.9 million), France (58.5 million) and Italy (57.5 million). In size, however, Germany is smaller than France (544,000 square kilometers) and Spain (506,000 square kilometers).

Germany has an extraordinary variety of charming landscapes. Low and high mountain ranges intermingle with upland plains, terrace country, hilly regions and lakelands as well as wide, open lowlands. From north to south Germany is divided into five regions with different topographical features: the North German Plain, the Central Upland Range, the terrace panorama of the southwest, the Alpine foothills in the south and the Bavarian Alps.

Population: 82,057,000
Size: 357,021 km²

Highest point: Zugspitze (2,962 m) - 31% of the country is covered with forests
Coastal line: 2,389 km

System of government: The Federal Republic of Germany is a democracy with a liberal free-market economy, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Germany is a member of the European Union (EU).

Capital: Berlin (3.47 million inhabitants)
States in the Federal Republic: 16 - Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Railway system: 43,966 km
Freeways and roads: 633,000 km

Time zone: In Germany, clocks are set to Central European time. From the end of March to the end of October (summertime) they are put forward one hour.