The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Germany:
Germany – federal parliamentary republic in Western-Central Europe consisting of 16 constituent states (), which retain limited sovereignty. Its capital and largest city is Berlin. With more than 80 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union (EU). Germany is a major economic and political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many cultural, scientific, and technological fields.
After losing World War I, Germany fell under the control of Adolf Hitler, who started World War II. After losing World War II, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany, each on opposite sides during the Cold War. In October 1990, after the Cold War ended, the country was reunified under Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chancellor Helmut Kohl. As of December 2023, Germany has grown to become the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP.
General reference
Pronunciation: ; German: Deutschland (officially the Federal Republic of Germany; ) 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
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 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.
Germany is a: Country Developed country Sovereign state Member State of the European Union Member state of NATO Location: Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere Eurasia Europe Central Europe Western Europe Time in Germany Time zones: Central European Time (UTC+01), Central European Summer Time (UTC+02) Extreme points of Germany (major towns):Map of Germany, SitesAtlas.com, 2009, web: [http://www.sitesatlas.com/Maps/Maps/511.gif SitA-511]. North: Westerland (on the island of Sylt at the Danish border) South: Oberstdorf, town at Austria"Ryan Jahnke Online", FigureskatersOnline.com, 2009, web: FSO-RJah. East: Goerlitz, town at Poland West: Aachen, town at Belgium & the Netherlands High: Zugspitze Low: Neuendorf bei Wilster Coastline: Population of Germany: 82,217,800 people (2007 estimate) – 14th most populous country Area of Germany: – 63rd largest country Atlas of Germany List of cities and towns in Germany Metropolitan regions in Germany Regiopolis
Neighbours of Germany Land boundaries:
Environment of Germany
Climate of Germany Green building in Germany Renewable energy in Germany Geology of Germany National parks of Germany Protected areas of Germany Wildlife of Germany Fauna of Germany Fish of Germany Birds of Germany Mammals of Germany Zoos in Germany
Geographic features of Germany Glaciers of Germany Islands of Germany Lakes of Germany Mountains of Germany Volcanoes in Germany Rivers of Germany Waterfalls of Germany Valleys of Germany World Heritage Sites in Germany
Administrative divisions of Germany
States of Germany
Germany is composed of 16 constituent states, called Bundesländer (plural form; Bundesland singularly; see map on the right).
Further subdivisions
Some German states are subdivided into administrative regions, called Regierungsbezirke. Germany as a whole is further composed of approx. 400 districts, separated into: "Rural" districts (Landkreise or Kreise) and "Urban" districts (Kreisfreie Städte or Stadtkreise) Cities of Germany Municipalities of Germany
Demography of Germany
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. See more at Immigration to Germany.
Government and politics of Germany
Form of government: federal parliamentary representative democratic republic Capital of Germany: Berlin Former Capital of West Germany and later seat of government of the reunified Federal Republic: Bonn Federal budget of Germany Elections in Germany Electoral reform in Germany Electoral system of Germany Far-right politics in Germany Federalism in Germany Political parties in Germany Political scandals of Germany Security issues in Germany Taxation in Germany Feed-in tariffs in Germany
Branches of the government of Germany
Government of Germany
Executive branch of the government of Germany Head of state: President of Germany Head of government: Chancellor of Germany Cabinet of Germany
Legislative branch of the government of Germany
Parliament of Germany (bicameral) Upper house: Bundesrat of Germany Lower house: Bundestag
Judicial branch of the government of Germany
Judiciary of Germany Federal Constitutional Court Joint Senate of the Supreme Courts of the Federation Federal Administrative Court Federal Court of Justice Federal Fiscal Court Federal Labour Court Federal Social Court Federal Patent Court
Foreign relations of Germany
Foreign relations of Germany List of diplomatic missions in Germany List of diplomatic missions of Germany Embassy of Germany, Abuja Embassy of Germany, Bangkok Embassy of Germany, Brasília Embassy of Germany, Budapest Embassy of Germany, Canberra Embassy of Germany, Chișinău Embassy of Germany, Kyiv Embassy of Germany, London Embassy of Germany, Moscow Embassy of Germany, Ottawa Embassy of Germany, Prague Embassy of Germany, Saint Petersburg Embassy of Germany, Tel Aviv Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. Embassy of Germany, Wellington
International organization membership The Federal Republic of Germany is a member of:
African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (nonregional member) Arctic Council (observer) Asian Development Bank (ADB) (nonregional member) Australia Group Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC) (observer) Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Central American Integration System (SICA) (observer) Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) Council of Europe (CE) Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) European Investment Bank (EIB) European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) European Space Agency (ESA) European Union (EU) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Group of Six (G6) Group of Seven (G7) Group of Eight (G8) Group of Ten (G10) Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Criminal Court (ICCt) International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) International Development Association (IDA) International Energy Agency (IEA) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) International Finance Corporation (IFC) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) International Labour Organization (ILO) International Maritime Organization (IMO) International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Olympic Committee (IOC)
International Organization for Migration (IOM) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) Nonaligned Movement (NAM) (guest) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Organization of American States (OAS) (observer) Paris Club Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Schengen Convention Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) (observer) United Nations (UN) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Universal Postal Union (UPU) West African Development Bank (WADB) (nonregional) Western European Union (WEU) World Customs Organization (WCO) World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) World Health Organization (WHO) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Trade Organization (WTO) World Veterans Federation Zangger Committee (ZC)
Law and order in Germany
Law of Germany Laws in Germany Referendums in Germany Alcohol laws in Germany Capital punishment in Germany Censorship in Germany Censorship in the Federal Republic of Germany Civil procedure code of Germany Conscription in Germany Constitution of Germany Constitutional review in Germany Copyright law of Germany Driving licence in Germany Crime in Germany Human trafficking in Germany Rape in Germany Human rights in Germany LGBT rights in Germany Same-sex marriage in Germany Freedom of religion in Germany Law enforcement in Germany National law enforcement agencies Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany) Federal Police (Germany) German Federal Coast Guard GSG 9 Regional law enforcement agencies Landespolizei – are operated by individual German states and are responsible for the bulk of police work in Germany Baden-Württemberg Police Bavarian State Police Hesse State Police North Rhine-Westphalia Police Rheinland-Pfalz State Police Saarland Police 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
Military of Germany Command Commander-in-chief: Ministry of Defence of Germany Bundeswehr Army of Germany: Heer Navy of Germany: Marine