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 in the European Union. Germany is a major economic and political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many cultural, theoretical and technical 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 in the Cold War. In October 1990, after the Cold War ended, the country was reunified. Germany has since grown to become the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP.
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:CountryDeveloped countrySovereign stateMember State of the European UnionLocation:Northern Hemisphere and Eastern HemisphereEurasiaEuropeCentral EuropeWestern EuropeTime in GermanyTime zones:Central European Time (UTC+01), Central European Summer Time (UTC+02)Extreme points of Germany (major towns):North: Westerland (on the island of Sylt at the Danish border)South: Oberstdorf, town at AustriaEast: Goerlitz, town at PolandWest: Aachen, town at Belgium & the NetherlandsHigh: Zugspitze 2,962 m (9,718 ft)Low: Neuendorf bei Wilster −3.5 m (−11 ft)Coastline: 2,389 km (1,484 mi)Population of Germany: 82,217,800 people (2007 estimate) – 14th most populous countryArea of Germany: 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi) – 63rd largest countryAtlas of GermanyList of cities and towns in GermanyMetropolitan regions in GermanyRegiopolisLand 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)
Climate of GermanyGreen building in GermanyRenewable energy in GermanyGeology of GermanyNational parks of GermanyProtected areas of GermanyWildlife of GermanyFauna of GermanyFish of GermanyBirds of GermanyMammals of GermanyZoos in GermanyGlaciers of GermanyIslands of GermanyLakes of GermanyMountains of GermanyVolcanoes in GermanyRivers of GermanyWaterfalls of GermanyValleys of GermanyWorld Heritage Sites in GermanyGermany is composed of 16 constituent states, called Bundesländer (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 GermanyMunicipalities of GermanyWith 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 republicCapital of Germany: BerlinFormer Capital of West Germany and later seat of government of the reunified Federal Republic: BonnFederal budget of GermanyElections in GermanyElectoral reform in GermanyElectoral system of GermanyFar-right politics in GermanyFederalism in GermanyPolitical parties in GermanyPolitical scandals of GermanySecurity issues in GermanyTaxation in GermanyFeed-in tariffs in GermanyHead of state: President of GermanyHead of government: Chancellor of GermanyCabinet of GermanyParliament of Germany (bicameral)Upper house: Bundesrat of GermanyLower house: BundestagSupreme Court of GermanyFederal Administrative Court of GermanyFederal Constitutional Court of GermanyFederal Court of Justice of GermanyFederal Finance Court of GermanyFederal Labour Court of GermanyFederal Patent Court of GermanyFederal Social Court of GermanyList of diplomatic missions in GermanyList of diplomatic missions of GermanyEmbassy of Germany, AbujaEmbassy of Germany, BangkokEmbassy of Germany, BrasíliaEmbassy of Germany, BudapestEmbassy of Germany, CanberraEmbassy of Germany, ChișinăuEmbassy of Germany, KievEmbassy of Germany, LondonEmbassy of Germany, MoscowEmbassy of Germany, OttawaEmbassy of Germany, PragueEmbassy of Germany, Saint PetersburgEmbassy of Germany, Tel AvivEmbassy of Germany, Washington, D.C.Embassy of Germany, WellingtonEmbassy of Germany, WindhoekThe Federal Republic of Germany is a member of:
Law and order in Germany
Laws in GermanyReferendums in GermanyAlcohol laws in GermanyCapital punishment in GermanyCensorship in GermanyCensorship in the Federal Republic of GermanyCivil procedure code of GermanyConscription in GermanyConstitution of GermanyConstitutional review in GermanyCopyright law of GermanyDriving licence in GermanyCrime in GermanyHuman trafficking in GermanyRape in GermanyHuman rights in GermanyLGBT rights in GermanyRecognition of same-sex unions in GermanyFreedom of religion in GermanyLaw enforcement in GermanyNational law enforcement agenciesFederal Criminal Police Office (Germany)Federal Police (Germany)German Federal Coast GuardGSG 9Regional law enforcement agenciesLandespolizei – are operated by individual German states and are responsible for the bulk of police work in GermanyBaden-Württemberg PoliceBavarian State PoliceHesse State PoliceNorth Rhine-Westphalia PoliceRheinland-Pfalz State PoliceSaarland PoliceLandespolizei 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.CommandCommander-in-chief:Ministry of Defence of GermanyBundeswehrArmy of Germany: HeerNavy of Germany: MarineAir force of Germany: LuftwaffeSpecial forces of Germany: Kommando SpezialkräfteMilitary history of GermanyMilitary ranks of Germany18th-century history of GermanyYears in Germany
1871- 1872- 1873- 1874- 1875- 1876- 1877- 1878- 1879- 1880- 1881- 1882- 1883- 1884- 1885- 1886- 1887- 1888- 1889- 1890- 1891- 1892- 1893- 1894- 1895- 1896- 1897- 1898- 1899- 1900- 1901- 1902- 1903- 1904- 1905- 1906- 1907- 1908- 1909- 1911- 1912- 1913- 1914- 1915- 1916- 1917- 1918- 1919- 1920- 1921- 1922- 1923- 1924- 1925- 1926- 1927- 1928- 1929- 1930- 1931- 1932- 1933- 1934- 1935- 1936- 1937- 1938- 1939- 1940- 1941- 1942- 1943- 1944- 1945- 1946- 1947- 1948- 1949- 1950- 1951- 1952- 1953- 1954- 1955- 1956- 1957- 1958- 1959- 1960- 1961- 1962- 1963- 1964- 1965- 1966- 1967- 1968- 1969- 1970- 1971- 1972- 1973- 1974- 1975- 1976- 1977- 1978- 1979- 1980- 1981- 1982- 1983- 1984- 1985- 1986- 1987- 1988- 1989- 1990- 1991- 1992- 1993- 1994- 1995- 1996- 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- 2015- 2016- 2017- 2018- 2019
List of historic states of GermanyList of historical political parties in GermanyMilitary history of GermanyArchitecture of GermanyAltstadtWorld Heritage Sites in GermanyCuisine of GermanyBeer in GermanyFestivals in GermanyGerman humourEast German jokesLanguages of GermanyMedia in GermanyNewspapers in GermanyRadio in GermanyTelevision in GermanyVideo gaming in GermanyMuseums in GermanyNational symbols of GermanyCoat of arms of GermanyFlag of GermanyNational anthem of GermanyPhilosophy in GermanyProstitution in GermanyPublic holidays in GermanyRecords of GermanyScouting and Guiding in GermanyWorld Heritage Sites in GermanyArt in GermanyCinema of GermanyCuisine of GermanyFashion of GermanyLiterature of GermanyMade in GermanyMusic of Germany
List of best-selling albums in GermanyList of best-selling singles in GermanyJazz in GermanyAfghans in GermanyAhmadiyya in GermanyAlbanians in GermanyAmericans in GermanyArabs in GermanyArmenians in GermanyAsians in GermanyAssyrians/Syriacs in GermanyAzerbaijanis in GermanyBrazilians in GermanyBulgarians in GermanyChinese people in GermanyCroatians in GermanyFilipinos in GermanyGeorgians in GermanyGreeks in GermanyHungarians in GermanyIndians in GermanyIranians in GermanyIraqis in GermanyIslamic Community of GermanyItalians in GermanyKurds in GermanyLebanese people in GermanyList of Lebanese people in GermanyMacedonians in GermanyRussians in GermanySerbs in GermanyTjaskers in GermanyTurks in GermanyUkrainians in GermanyVietnamese people in GermanyYazidis in GermanyReligion and belief systems in Germany
Irreligion in GermanyReligion in GermanyFreedom of religion in GermanyReligions in GermanyBuddhism in GermanyChristianity in GermanyCatholicism in GermanyProtestantism in GermanyEvangelical Church in GermanyHinduism in GermanyIslam in GermanyJudaism in GermanyHistory of the Jews in GermanySikhism in GermanyScientology in GermanyAmerican Football Association of GermanyAthletics in GermanyAuto racing in GermanySpeedway Grand Prix of Germany1995 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany1996 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany1997 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany1998 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany2001 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany2008 Speedway Grand Prix of GermanyBasketball in GermanyNational basketball games of GermanyBodybuilding in GermanyCricket in GermanyFootball in GermanyAustralian rules football in GermanyFootball records in GermanyFootballer of the Year in GermanyForeign football players in GermanyList of American football teams in GermanyList of Germany Davis Cup team representativesList of Germany international footballersList of Germany international footballers 1908–1942List of football clubs in GermanyList of football clubs in Germany by major honours wonList of football stadiums in GermanyWomen's football in GermanyGermany at the OlympicsGerman records in athleticsIce hockey in GermanyRoller derby in GermanyRugby in GermanyRugby league in GermanyRugby union in GermanyList of Germany national rugby union playersList of Germany national rugby union team resultsList of rugby union clubs in GermanySports broadcasting contracts in GermanyEconomy and infrastructure 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, while its military expenditure ranked sixth. 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)Agriculture in GermanyList of mills in GermanyCentral banksDeutsche Bundesbank, FrankfurtEuropean Central Bank, FrankfurtCommunications in GermanyInternet in GermanyTelevision in GermanyHistory of television in GermanyCompanies of GermanyCurrency of Germany: Euro (see also: Euro topics)ISO 4217: EUREconomic history of GermanyMining in GermanyList of mines in GermanyMittelstandStock exchange: Frankfurt Stock ExchangeTourism in GermanyList of spa towns in GermanyTransport in GermanyAirports in GermanyRoad system of GermanyRoad signs in GermanyHighway system of GermanyRail transport in GermanyRapid transit in GermanyHigh-speed rail in GermanyHistory of rail transport in GermanyWater supply and sanitation in GermanyWirtschaftswunderEnergy in Germany
Electricity sector in GermanyGeothermal power in GermanyList of power stations in GermanyEnergy transition in GermanyNuclear power in GermanySolar power in GermanyWind power in GermanyList of windmills in GermanyAcademic achievement among different groups in GermanyAcademic grading in GermanyAcademic ranks in GermanyScience and technology in GermanyList of German inventors and discoverersUniversities in GermanyList of schools in GermanyMusic schools in GermanyState libraries of GermanyStudent loans in GermanyHealth care in GermanyEmergency medical services in GermanyNursing in GermanyObesity in Germany
