Country · Europe
Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany is a country in Western Europe. About 82.9 million people live there, in an area of 357 114 square kilometres. Its capital city is Berlin.
Picture credit: dronepicr (CC BY 2.0) · SKnaebe (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Tonne44 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Thomas Wolf (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Arild Vågen (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Germany?
Germany lies in Western Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 5 677 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 2 389 km long.
It shares a border with 9 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.
How big is Germany?
Germany covers 357 114 square kilometres.
That is about 8.6 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 62nd largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 232.2 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Germany?
About 82.9 million people live in Germany.
That is the 17th biggest population in the world.
People here speak German.
They pay with the Euro (€).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 77 years.
The land of Germany
The land of Germany sits on average 263 metres above sea level.
Its coast runs for about 2 389 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 119 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Germany different?
Dishes the country is known for: Currywurst, Sauerbraten and Bratwurst.
Websites from here often end in .de.
Germany and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 11 live in Germany.
It takes up about 0.27 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 6th of 45 by size, and 2nd by population.
Germany and its neighbours
France, its largest neighbour, is about 1.5 times bigger.
More people live in Germany than in France — 82.9 million against 67 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 84 live wild in Germany: Grey wolf, Red fox, Raccoon, European badger, Eurasian otter, Eurasian beaver and more. The highest mountain in the country is Zugspitze, at 2 962 metres. The longest river in the country is the Rhine. The largest lake in the country is Lake Constance.
Grey wolf
Red fox
Raccoon
European badger
Eurasian otter
Eurasian beaver
Red squirrel
European hedgehog
European rabbit
European brown hare
Common pipistrelle bat
Alpine ibex
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Germany compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 26 times as big as Germany: 9 372 610 km² against 357 114 km². See both on one map
- Germany is about 1.5 times as big as the United Kingdom: 357 114 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Germany?
The capital of Germany is Berlin. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Germany?
About 82.9 million people live in Germany, which makes it the 17th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Germany?
Germany borders Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland — 9 neighbours in total.
How big is Germany?
Germany covers 357 114 square kilometres, making it the 62nd largest country in the world. That is about 8.6 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Germany?
The highest mountain in Germany is Zugspitze, 2 962 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Germany?
The longest river in Germany is the Rhine. Of its 1 230 kilometres, about 865 run through the country.
What is the largest lake in Germany?
The largest lake in Germany is Lake Constance. The whole lake covers about 536 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
Which continent is Germany in?
Germany is in Europe, in the part called Western Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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