Germany
Federal Republic of Germany Bundesrepublik Deutschland | |
|---|---|
Flag
Coat of arms
| |
| Anthem: "Das Lied der Deutschen"[a] The Song of the Germans | |
| Capital and largest city | Berlin[b] 52°31′N 13°23′E / 52.517°N 13.383°E |
| Official languages | German[c] |
| Demonym(s) | German |
| Government | Federal parliamentary republic |
• President | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
• Chancellor | Friedrich Merz |
| Legislature |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 357,114 km2 (137,882 sq mi)[5][6] (63rd) |
• Water (%) | 1.27[4] |
| Population | |
• Q1 2025 estimate | 83,517,030[7] |
• 2022 census | 82,719,540[8] (19th) |
• Density | 234/km2 (606.1/sq mi) (63rd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $6.161 trillion[9] (6th) |
• Per capita | $72,599[9] (19th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $4.745 trillion[9] (3rd) |
• Per capita | $55,911[9] (17th) |
| Gini (2023) | 29.4[10] low inequality |
| HDI (2023) | 0.959[11] very high (5th) |
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Date format |
|
| Calling code | +49 |
| ISO 3166 code | DE |
| Internet TLD | .de |
Germany,[d] officially the Federal Republic of Germany,[e] is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 82 million, making it the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany borders Denmark to the north; Poland and the Czech Republic to the east; Austria and Switzerland to the south; and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The nation's capital and most populous city is Berlin and its main financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr.
Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the Lower Paleolithic, with various tribes inhabiting it from the Neolithic onward, chiefly the Celts, with Germanic tribes inhabiting the north. Romans named the area Germania. In 962, the Kingdom of Germany formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. Following the Napoleonic Wars and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German Confederation was formed in 1815.
Unification of Germany into the modern nation-state, led by Prussia, established the German Empire in 1871. After World War I and a revolution, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic. The Nazi rise to power in 1933 led to the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship, World War II, and the Holocaust. In 1949, after the war and Allied occupation, Germany was organised into two separate polities with limited sovereignty: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or West Germany, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany. The FRG was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1951, while the GDR was a communist Eastern Bloc state and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the fall of the communist led-government in East Germany, German reunification saw the former East German states join the FRG on 3 October 1990.
Germany is a developed country with a strong economy; it has the largest economy in Europe by nominal GDP. As a major force in several industrial, scientific and technological sectors, Germany is both the world's third-largest exporter and third-largest importer. Widely considered a great power, Germany is part of multiple international organisations and forums. It has the third-highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 55, of which 52 are cultural.
- ^ "Repräsentation und Integration" (in German). Bundespräsidialamt. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ "The German Federal Government". deutschland.de. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020.
- ^ Gesley, Jenny (26 September 2018). "The Protection of Minority and Regional Languages in Germany". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Germany country profile". BBC. 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Population by nationality and sex (quarterly figures)". DESTATIS. 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Population by nationality and sex (quarterly figures)". DESTATIS. 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Ergebnisse des Zensus 2022 – Bevölkerung (15.05.2022)" (in German). Destatis. 25 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 Edition. (Germany)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. 22 April 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2025" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 6 May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ Mangold, Max, ed. (2005). Duden, Aussprachewörterbuch (in German) (6th ed.). Dudenverlag. pp. 271, 53f. ISBN 978-3-411-04066-7.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).