Outline of Germany
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/LocationGermany.svg/220px-LocationGermany.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Germany_general_map.png/220px-Germany_general_map.png)
The Federal Republic of Germany[1] is a sovereign country located in Central Europe.[2] Germany is a federal parliamentary republic of sixteen states ([Bundesländer] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). The capital and largest city is Berlin.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Germany:
General reference
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Germany-CIA_WFB_Map.png/220px-Germany-CIA_WFB_Map.png)
- Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɜrməni/ ; German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʏtʃlant], the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, German pronunciation: [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant])
- Common English country name: Germany
- Official English country name: The Federal Republic of Germany
- Common endonym(s): Deutschland
- Official endonym(s): Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- Adjectival(s): German
- Demonym(s): Germans
- Etymology: Name of Germany
- International rankings of Germany
- ISO country codes: DE, DEU, 276
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:DE
- Internet country code top-level domain: .de
Geography of Germany
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Deutschland_topo.png/220px-Deutschland_topo.png)
Germany 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. The territory of Germany covers 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.
- Germany is a:
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
- Time in Germany
- Extreme points of Germany (major towns):[3]
- North: Westerland (on the island of Sylt at the Danish border)
- South: Oberstdorf, town at Austria[4]
- East: Goerlitz, town at Poland
- West: Aachen, town at Belgium & the Netherlands
- High: Zugspitze 2,962 m (9,718 ft)
- Low: Neuendorf bei Wilster −3.5 m (−11 ft)
- Land boundaries: 3,621 km (2,250 mi)
Austria 784 km (487 mi)
Czech Republic 646 km (401 mi)
Netherlands 577 km (359 mi)
Poland 456 km (283 mi)
France 451 km (280 mi)
Switzerland 334 km (208 mi)
Belgium 167 km (104 mi)
Luxembourg 138 km (86 mi)
Denmark 68 km (42 mi)
- Coastline: 2,389 km (1,484 mi)
- Population of Germany: 82,217,800 people (2007 estimate) – 14th most populous country
- Area of Germany: 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi) – 63rd largest country
- Atlas of Germany
- List of cities in Germany
Environment of Germany
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Germany_Blue_Marble_May_2004.png/220px-Germany_Blue_Marble_May_2004.png)
- Climate of Germany
- Environmental issues in Germany
- Green building in Germany
- Ecoregions in Germany
- Renewable energy in Germany
- Geology of Germany
- National parks of Germany
- Protected areas of Germany
- Wildlife of Germany
Geographic features of Germany
- Glaciers of Germany
- Islands of Germany
- Lakes of Germany
- Mountains of Germany
- Rivers of Germany
- Valleys of Germany
- World Heritage Sites in Germany
Regions of Germany
- Main article: Regions of Germany
Administrative divisions of Germany
States of Germany
Germany is divided into 16 Bundesländer:
Baden-Württemberg
Bavaria (Bayern)
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hesse (Hessen)
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
Saarland
Saxony (Sachsen)
Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringia (Thüringen)
Further subdivisions
- Regierungsbezirk ("Regions", similar to counties)
- Landkreise (Rural districts)
- Kreisfreie Städte (Urban districts)
- Cities of Germany
- Capital of Germany: Berlin
- Former Capital of West Germany and later seat of government of the reunified Federal Republic: Bonn
Demography of Germany
- Main article: Demographics of Germany
With over 82 million inhabitants, it comprises the largest population among the member states of the European Union and is home to the third-highest number of international migrants.
Neighbours of Germany
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Germany-CIA_WFB_Map.png/300px-Germany-CIA_WFB_Map.png)
Germany is bordered by:
Government and politics of Germany
- Main article: Government of Germany and Politics of Germany
- Form of government: federal parliamentary representative democratic republic
- Capital of Germany: Berlin
- Elections in Germany
- (specific elections)
- Political parties in Germany
- Political scandals of Germany
- Taxation in Germany
Branches of the government of Germany
Executive branch of the government of Germany
Legislative branch of the government of Germany
Judicial branch of the government of Germany
Foreign relations of Germany
International organization membership
The Federal Republic of Germany is a member of:[2]
Law and order in Germany
- Main article: Law of Germany
- Capital punishment in Germany
- Constitution of Germany
- Crime in Germany
- Human rights in Germany
- Law enforcement in Germany
- National law enforcement agencies
- Regional law enforcement agencies
- Landespolizei – are operated by individual German states and are responsible for the bulk of police work in Germany
- Landespolizei forces are divided into the following operational sections:
- Schutzpolizei – ('Schupo') The uniformed police officers who patrol the streets, respond to emergency calls, do traffic policing etc.
- Kriminalpolizei – ('Kripo') The plain clothes detective branch of the State police, responsible for investigations. For instance, if a car is broken into, the Schupo will respond, secure the car, notify the owner etc, and then hand the case over to Kripo for investigation.
- Einsatzhundertschaften (EHU) / Bereitschaftspolizei (BePo) – Uniformed part of the LaPo that is used when manpower is required, for example during political demonstrations.
- Landeskriminalamt (LKA) – The State Investigation Bureau is directly subordinate to the state ministry of the interior, supervises police operations aimed at preventing and investigating criminal offences, and coordinates investigations involving more than one Präsidium.
- Wasserschutzpolizei (WSP) – The river police for patrolling rivers, lakes and harbours.
- Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK) – The SWAT teams of the German state police.
- Autobahnpolizei – The highway patrol or motorway police in Germany.
Military of Germany
- Main article: Military of Germany
- Command
- Commander-in-chief:
- Bundeswehr
- Army of Germany: Heer
- Navy of Germany: Marine
- Air force of Germany: Luftwaffe
- Special forces of Germany: Kommando Spezialkräfte
- Military history of Germany
- Military ranks of Germany
Local government in Germany
History of Germany
- Main articles: History of Germany, Germanic peoples, Germania, and Timeline of German history
Culture of Germany
- Main article: Culture of Germany
- Architecture of Germany
- Cuisine of Germany
- Ethnic minorities in Germany
- Festivals in Germany
- German humour
- Languages of Germany
- Media in Germany
- National symbols of Germany
- Prostitution in Germany
- Public holidays in Germany
- Records of Germany
- Religion in Germany
- World Heritage Sites in Germany
Art in Germany
- Art in Germany
- Cinema of Germany
- Cuisine of Germany
- Literature of Germany
- Music of Germany
- Television in Germany
Sports in Germany
- Main article: Sports in Germany
Economy and infrastructure of Germany
- Main article: Economy of Germany
Germany was the largest exporter of goods in 2007. In absolute terms, Germany allocates the second biggest annual budget of development aid in the world,[5] while its military expenditure ranked sixth.[6] The country has developed a high standard of living and established a comprehensive system of social security.
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 4th (fourth)
- Central banks
- Communications in Germany
- Companies of Germany
- Currency of Germany: Euro (see also: Euro topics)
- Economic history of Germany
- Energy in Germany
- Health care in Germany
- Mining in Germany
- Stock exchange: Frankfurt Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Germany
- Transport in Germany
- Water supply and sanitation in Germany
Education in Germany
- Main article: Education in Germany
Health in Germany
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Wikipedia-logo-v2.svg/40px-Wikipedia-logo-v2.svg.png)
- Index of Germany-related articles
- List of Germany-related topics
- List of international rankings
- Member state of the European Union
- Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
- Member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Member state of the United Nations
- Outline of Europe
- Outline of geography
References
- ^ Max Mangold (ed.), ed. (1995). Duden, Aussprachewörterbuch (Duden Pronunciation Dictionary) (in German) (6th ed. ed.). Mannheim: Dudenverlag (Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brockhaus AG. pp. 271, 53f. ISBN 3-411-04066-1.
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has generic name (help) - ^ a b "Germany". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ Map of Germany, SitesAtlas.com, 2009, web: SitA-511.
- ^ "Ryan Jahnke Online", FigureskatersOnline.com, 2009, web: FSO-RJah.
- ^ Germany world's second biggest aid donor after US TopNews, India, Retrieved 2008, 04-10.
- ^ "The fifteen major spenders in 2006". Recent trends in military expenditure. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
External links
General
- Deutschland.de — Official German portal
- Germany Tourism
- German news and features, Expatica
- DW-WORLD.DE Deutsche Welle — Germany's international broadcaster
- News Portal of the German Embassy to the USA
- Template:PDFlink
Facts and figures
- CIA statistics
- Facts about Germany — by the German Federal Foreign Office
- Destatis.de — Federal Statistical Office Germany Template:En icon
Travel
- Template:Wikitravel
- Germany Travel Info — by the German National Tourist Office
Pictures
- Database of travelers' photos sorted by region (fotocommunity)