Germany is in the middle of Europe. It is bordered by Denmark to the north, and it also shares borders with the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. Its capital is Berlin.
More than 82 million people live between the North and Baltic seas in the north, and the Alps in the south of Germany. A number of midsize mountain ranges traverse the country. Its most important rivers include the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe and the Oder. There are lakes too -- mostly in the northeast, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but also in the foothills of the Alps.
The northern coasts are dotted with numerous islands, and the metropolises include Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, the Ruhr Valley, Cologne, and the Rhine-Main region around Frankfurt.
- Full name: Federal Republic of Germany
- Population: 82.1 million (UN, 2011)
- Capital: Berlin
- Area: 357,027 sq km (137,849 sq miles)
- Major language: German
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
- Main exports: Motor vehicles, electrical machinery, metals
- GNI per capita: US $43,110 (World Bank, 2010)
- Internet domain: .de
- International dialling code: +49
