Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany occupies a central position in Europe, spanning 357,596 square kilometres between the Baltic and North Seas to the north and the Alps to the south, and supporting a population of approximately 84.7 million as of the 2023 census. Bordered by nine countries—Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands—it stands as the European Union’s most populous member state. Its terrain descends from the snow-capped peaks of the Bavarian Alps, where the Zugspitze reaches 2,963 metres, through forested uplands and fertile river valleys to the low, wind-whipped plains along the North and Baltic Seas. Berlin serves as the capital and cultural heart, Frankfurt as the financial nexus, and the Ruhr conurbation as its largest urban agglomeration.

Human presence on German soil extends back to Lower Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, succeeded by Celtic and then Germanic tribes. By the first century AD, Roman chroniclers had named the region Germania, a lands­cape of forests and tribes beyond their frontier. In 962, the eastward realm of the Saxon kings became the nucleus of the Holy Roman Empire. The sixteenth century saw northern German cities emerge as centres of the Protestant Reformation, their pulpit debates reshaping faith across Europe. The Napoleonic upheaval dissolved the medieval empire in 1806; by 1815 a loose German Confederation of thirty-nine principalities was formed, uniting dynasties more by lineage than by language or law.

Modern nationhood coalesced after the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, when the North German Confederation under Prussian leadership paved the way for the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871. That imperial venture ended with defeat in 1918; from the ashes of war and revolution arose the Weimar Republic, a fragile democracy beset by political and economic turmoil. The ascent of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party in 1933 ushered in a brutal dictatorship, global conflict and genocide. In 1949 Germany was carved into two states: the democratic, western-aligned Federal Republic of Germany and the communist German Democratic Republic in the east, with Berlin remaining under Four Power oversight. The fall of East Germany’s regime in 1989 culminated in reunification on 3 October 1990, a date now celebrated as German Unity Day.

Germany today ranks among the world’s leading economies. Its social market system combines robust industry with comprehensive social welfare: universal health care, pension schemes, unemployment benefits and tuition-free public universities. The nation’s nominal GDP is the largest in Europe and the third-largest globally, while per capita output, adjusted for purchasing power, exceeds the EU average by over 20 percent. The service sector contributes some 72 percent of total output, industry about 27 percent—making Germany Europe’s foremost manufacturer—and agriculture the remainder. Unemployment has historically remained below the EU average, reaching 3.2 percent in January 2020.

As a trading powerhouse, Germany ranks third worldwide in both exports and imports and maintains the second-largest trade surplus after China. Its principal trading partners in 2024 included the United States, China and the Netherlands. Vehicles, machinery and chemical products form the backbone of German exports. The automotive industry, home to manufacturers such as the Volkswagen Group, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi, is both the continent’s largest producer by value and a global innovator in engineering and design. Frankfurt anchors European monetary policy as host to the European Central Bank, while the Port of Hamburg is Europe’s third-busiest container hub.

Germany’s landscapes fall into five principal natural regions. The North German Plain stretches from the Frisian Islands to the Baltic coast, its low dunes and mudflats sculpted by fierce westerly winds. Twice daily, the Wadden Sea recedes to expose vast tidal flats where guided mudflat walks reveal an otherworldly world of shellfish and wading birds. Offshore lie the East and North Frisian Islands, car-free retreats favoured by domestic tourists. The central uplands—a quilt of forested ranges such as the Harz, Black Forest and Bavarian Forest—blend pastoral valleys with small towns whose half-timbered houses echo medieval days. To the southwest, the fertile Rhine Valley yields wines renowned from Rüdesheim to Koblenz.

The extreme south embraces the northern fringe of the Alps, where a network of lifts carries visitors to the summit of the Zugspitze and alpine trails traverse emerald pastures and glacial lakes. Lake Constance, shared with Austria and Switzerland, mirrors snow-capped peaks while offering water sports and orchards on its shores. Across these regions, five terrestrial ecoregions host a rich biodiversity: from Atlantic and Baltic mixed forests to Central European broadleaf and alpine conifer woods. Over half of Germany’s land is devoted to agriculture, nearly a third remains forested, and settlements occupy the rest. Key natural resources include iron ore, coal, potash, timber and lignite among others.

The flora of Germany comprises beech, oak, spruce and pine, alongside ferns, mushrooms and wildflowers such as the blue cornflower, once a national emblem. Fauna ranges from roe deer and wild boar to the Eurasian beaver and occasional mouflon. Conservation has yielded sixteen national parks—among them Jasmund on Rügen Island, the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden—plus seventeen biosphere reserves and over one hundred nature parks. Zoological gardens also abound, with Berlin Zoo, founded in 1844, claiming the world’s most extensive species collection and serving as a centre for breeding endangered animals.

Germany’s temperate climate varies from oceanic in the northwest, where maritime influences moderate temperatures, to continental in the east and southeast with more pronounced seasonal extremes. Average monthly temperatures from February 2019 to February 2020 ranged from 3.3 °C in January 2020 to 19.8 °C in June 2019. Precipitation fluctuated from 30 L/m² in spring to 125 L/m² in late winter, while sunshine hours spanned from a low of 45 in November 2019 to 300 in June 2019. Long-term climate change is intensifying heatwaves and floods and threatens water supply and agriculture, with projected economic damages reaching up to €900 billion by mid-century.

Culture in Germany reflects centuries of philosophical, scientific and artistic endeavour. The country holds 54 UNESCO World Heritage Sites—among the highest worldwide—including Cologne Cathedral, the Würzburg Residence and the incised caves of the Messel Pit. Folk traditions such as the Munich–born Oktoberfest and Christmas customs like advent wreaths and Stollen cakes continue to draw crowds. Public holidays vary by state, but 3 October unites all Germans in celebrating reunification. The social fabric embraces 49.7 percent Christians (Protestant and Catholic), an estimated 6.7 percent Muslims and smaller communities of Jews, Buddhists and others, while secularism has grown markedly in recent decades.

German cuisine revels in regional variety. Bakeries produce over 600 distinct breads and 1,200 pastries; cheeses account for some 22 percent of European output; sausages number nearly 1,500 varieties, from hearty bratwursts to delicate weisswürste. Beer, revered under purity laws dating to the sixteenth century, remains the national drink at over 110 L per capita annually, while wine production ranks ninth globally. International fare also thrives in urban centres, from Turkish döner kebab to Asian and Mediterranean specialities.

Sport, especially football, captivates the nation. The German Football Association, with more than seven million members, is the world’s largest single-sport body. The Bundesliga draws the second-highest average attendance among professional leagues globally, and the men’s national team has secured four FIFA World Cups, three UEFA European Championships and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Despite the stereotype of precision and rule-bound behaviour, Germany reveals a wealth of regional diversity. Sixteen states (“Länder”)—three of which are city-states—trace lineages to historic duchies and principalities. Northern inhabitants speak Low German and enjoy wind-blown coasts; western winegrowing regions cherish Moselle and Rhine vintages; central Hesse and Thuringia harbour dense forests and medieval towns; eastern Länder bear the imprint of the GDR, while the south boasts Bavaria’s Alpine charm and Swabian culinary finesse. Nine cities stand out: Berlin’s cultural renaissance past its divided past; Bremen’s maritime quarter; Cologne’s Roman legacy and towering cathedral; Dresden’s painstaking reconstruction; Düsseldorf’s fashion and riverside promenades; Frankfurt’s skyline and museums; Hamburg’s canals and Elbphilharmonie; Munich’s beer halls and Alpine gateway; and Nuremberg’s medieval walls and sombre war-crimes sites.

Beyond those, travellers seek the Baltic shores of Binz and Usedom; the fairytale vistas of Neuschwanstein Castle; the karst cliffs of Franconian Switzerland; the mystic trails of the Harz’s Brocken summit; the placid waters of Lake Constance; and the vineyards of the Middle Rhine Valley. Historic routes weave past Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s fortified ramparts and Ulm’s soaring Münster, while the Brothers Grimm Trail links villages that inspired tales of Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin.

As a modern industrial nation, Germany’s “economic miracle” finds concrete form in the coal-and-steel heritage of the Ruhr, the global shipping arteries of Hamburg, the financial skyscrapers of Frankfurt, Düsseldorf’s style districts, Cologne’s media enterprises and Stuttgart’s automotive museums. Berlin, at once fractured and unified, juxtaposes Bauhaus towers and baroque palaces, street art and subterranean clubs, memorials to the Holocaust and the symbols of democratic renewal.

Everyday life in Germany bears its own etiquettes: a red traffic light commands respect at any hour; formal address by surname and the pronoun Sie underscores professional courtesy; frankness is prized over small talk; humour tends toward irony and wordplay. Public spaces demand decorum: drinking from a Stein is common, yet rowdy conduct draws swift admonishment; memorials and places of worship post house rules that merit strict observance; children remain under parental charge lest “Eltern haften für ihre Kinder” become literal. Topless sunbathing and mixed-gender nudity are customary at beaches and saunas; smoking bans prevail indoors and on trains, while vaping straddles a legal grey zone. As a guest, one reciprocates hospitality with consumable gifts—a fine local wine or artisanal treat—valued over knickknacks.