Germany Travel Podcast with Lena Brandt

Location

Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Terrain

Lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Climate

Temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Elevation

Highest point

Zugspitze 2,963 m

Lowest point

Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m

Mean elevation

263 m

Area

Total

357,022 sq km

Land

348,672 sq km

Water

8,350 sq km

Size comparison

Three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana

Coastline

2,389 km

Land borders

Total

3,694 km

Border countries

Austria 801 km; Belgium 133 km; Czechia 704 km; Denmark 140 km; France 418 km; Luxembourg 128 km; Netherlands 575 km; Poland 447 km; Switzerland 348 km

Natural resources

Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

47.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land

33.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.6% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

13.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

32.8% (2023 est.)

Other

15% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Flooding

Note

Strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea; most major rivers in Germany -- the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe -- flow northward; the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward

Population

Total

84,012,284 (2025 est.)

Male

41,517,301

Female

42,494,983

Nationality

Noun

German(s)

Adjective

German

Ethnic groups

German 85.4%, Turkish 1.8%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Syrian 1.1%, Romanian 1%, Poland 1%, other/stateless/unspecified 8.3% (2022 est.)

Languages

Languages

German (official); note - Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romani are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romani are recognized as regional languages

Major-language sample(s)

Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)

Religions

Roman Catholic 24.8%, Protestant 22.6%, Muslim 3.7%, other 5.1%, none 43.8% (2022 est.)

Median age

Total

46.9 years (2025 est.)

Male

45.5 years

Female

48.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

81.9 years (2024 est.)

Male

79.6 years

Female

84.4 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

77.8% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Second most populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far-western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Largest cities

3.574 million BERLIN (capital), 1.788 million Hamburg, 1.576 million Munich, 1.144 million Cologne, 796,000 Frankfurt (2023)

Background

As Europe's largest economy and second most-populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating world wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key western economic and security organizations, including the EC (now the EU) and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War allowed German reunification to occur in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Government

Federal parliamentary republic

Capital

Berlin

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Independence

18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 after World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990, with all four powers formally relinquishing rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor)

National day

German Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Overview

Leading export-driven, core EU and eurozone economy; key automotive, chemical, engineering, finance, and green energy industries; growth stalled by energy crisis and declining exports; tight labor market with falling working-age population; fiscal rebalancing with phaseout of energy price supports

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$62,800 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$62,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$62,900 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.3% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.9% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

6.9% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

3.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.1% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

3.2% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Agriculture

Milk, sugar beets, wheat, potatoes, barley, maize, rapeseed, pork, rye, triticale (2023)

Airports

840 (2025)

Railways

Total 39,379 km (2020) 20,942 km electrified

Ports

Total ports

35 (2024)

Large

5

Medium

4

Small

11

Very small

15

Ports with oil terminals

12

Key ports

Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, Emden, Hamburg, Kiel, Lubeck, Rostock

Internet domain

.de

Internet users

Percent of population 94% (2024 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

109 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

129 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution and acid rain from coal-burning utilities and industries; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial effluents; hazardous waste disposal

Fresh water

154 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

8

Global geoparks and regional networks

Bergstraße-Odenwald ; Harz, Braunschweiger Land; Swabian Alb; TERRA.vita; Vulkaneifel; Thuringia Inselsberg -Drei Gleichen; Muskauer Faltenbogen / Łuk Mużakowa (includes Poland); Ries (2023)