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:
Country
Developed country
Sovereign state
Member State of the European Union
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):North: Westerland (on the island of Sylt at the Danish border)
South: Oberstdorf, town at Austria
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)
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 and towns in Germany
Metropolitan regions in Germany
Regiopolis
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)
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
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
Germany 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 Germany
Municipalities 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
Head of state: President of Germany
Head of government: Chancellor of Germany
Cabinet of Germany
Parliament of Germany (bicameral)
Upper house: Bundesrat of Germany
Lower house: Bundestag
Supreme Court of Germany
Federal Administrative Court of Germany
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Federal Court of Justice of Germany
Federal Finance Court of Germany
Federal Labour Court of Germany
Federal Patent Court of Germany
Federal Social Court 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, Kiev
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
Embassy of Germany, Windhoek
The Federal Republic of Germany is a member of:
Law and order in 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
Recognition of same-sex unions 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.
Command
Commander-in-chief:
Ministry of Defence of Germany
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
18th-century history of Germany
Years 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 Germany
List of historical political parties in Germany
Military history of Germany
Architecture of Germany
Altstadt
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Cuisine of Germany
Beer in Germany
Festivals in Germany
German humour
East German jokes
Languages of Germany
Media in Germany
Newspapers in Germany
Radio in Germany
Television in Germany
Video gaming in Germany
Museums in Germany
National symbols of Germany
Coat of arms of Germany
Flag of Germany
National anthem of Germany
Philosophy in Germany
Prostitution in Germany
Public holidays in Germany
Records of Germany
Scouting and Guiding in Germany
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Art in Germany
Cinema of Germany
Cuisine of Germany
Fashion of Germany
Literature of Germany
Made in Germany
Music of Germany
List of best-selling albums in Germany
List of best-selling singles in Germany
Jazz in Germany
Afghans in Germany
Ahmadiyya in Germany
Albanians in Germany
Americans in Germany
Arabs in Germany
Armenians in Germany
Asians in Germany
Assyrians/Syriacs in Germany
Azerbaijanis in Germany
Brazilians in Germany
Bulgarians in Germany
Chinese people in Germany
Croatians in Germany
Filipinos in Germany
Georgians in Germany
Greeks in Germany
Hungarians in Germany
Indians in Germany
Iranians in Germany
Iraqis in Germany
Islamic Community of Germany
Italians in Germany
Kurds in Germany
Lebanese people in Germany
List of Lebanese people in Germany
Macedonians in Germany
Russians in Germany
Serbs in Germany
Tjaskers in Germany
Turks in Germany
Ukrainians in Germany
Vietnamese people in Germany
Yazidis in Germany
Religion and belief systems in Germany
Irreligion in Germany
Religion in Germany
Freedom of religion in Germany
Religions in Germany
Buddhism in Germany
Christianity in Germany
Catholicism in Germany
Protestantism in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
Hinduism in Germany
Islam in Germany
Judaism in Germany
History of the Jews in Germany
Sikhism in Germany
Scientology in Germany
American Football Association of Germany
Athletics in Germany
Auto racing in Germany
Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
1995 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
1996 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
1997 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
1998 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
2001 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
Basketball in Germany
National basketball games of Germany
Bodybuilding in Germany
Cricket in Germany
Football in Germany
Australian rules football in Germany
Football records in Germany
Footballer of the Year in Germany
Foreign football players in Germany
List of American football teams in Germany
List of Germany Davis Cup team representatives
List of Germany international footballers
List of Germany international footballers 1908–1942
List of football clubs in Germany
List of football clubs in Germany by major honours won
List of football stadiums in Germany
Women's football in Germany
Germany at the Olympics
German records in athletics
Ice hockey in Germany
Roller derby in Germany
Rugby in Germany
Rugby league in Germany
Rugby union in Germany
List of Germany national rugby union players
List of Germany national rugby union team results
List of rugby union clubs in Germany
Sports broadcasting contracts in Germany
Economy 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 Germany
List of mills in Germany
Central banks
Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt
European Central Bank, Frankfurt
Communications in Germany
Internet in Germany
Television in Germany
History of television in Germany
Companies of Germany
Currency of Germany: Euro (see also: Euro topics)
ISO 4217: EUR
Economic history of Germany
Mining in Germany
List of mines in Germany
Mittelstand
Stock exchange: Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Tourism in Germany
List of spa towns in Germany
Transport in Germany
Airports in Germany
Road system of Germany
Road signs in Germany
Highway system of Germany
Rail transport in Germany
Rapid transit in Germany
High-speed rail in Germany
History of rail transport in Germany
Water supply and sanitation in Germany
Wirtschaftswunder
Energy in Germany
Electricity sector in Germany
Geothermal power in Germany
List of power stations in Germany
Energy transition in Germany
Nuclear power in Germany
Solar power in Germany
Wind power in Germany
List of windmills in Germany
Academic achievement among different groups in Germany
Academic grading in Germany
Academic ranks in Germany
Science and technology in Germany
List of German inventors and discoverers
Universities in Germany
List of schools in Germany
Music schools in Germany
State libraries of Germany
Student loans in Germany
Health care in Germany
Emergency medical services in Germany
Nursing in Germany
Obesity in Germany
