Geography of Germany

Geography of Germany
Continent Europe
Region Central Europe
Coordinates 51°00′N 10°00′E / 51.00°N 10.00°E / 51.00; 10.00
Area Ranked 63rd
 • Total 357,168 km2 (137,903 sq mi)
Coastline 2,389 km (1,484 mi)
Borders

3,714 km (2,307 mi)
Border lengths included

Highest point Zugspitze,
2,962.06 m (9,718 ft)
Lowest point North Sea, 0 m
Longest river Rhine,
1,230 km (764 mi)
Largest lake Lake Constance
11,500 km2 (4,440 sq mi)
Climate temperate
Terrain lowlands in north; uplands in center; Alps in south
Natural Resources coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Natural Hazards flooding

Coordinates: 51°00′N 10°00′E / 51.00°N 10.00°E / 51.00; 10.00

The location of Germany. The countries in white are other members of the European Union.
General map of Germany

Germany is a country in west-central Europe, that stretches from the Alps, across the North European Plain to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Germany has the second largest population in Europe (after the European part of Russia) and is seventh largest in area. The territory of Germany covers 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of waters.

Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 metres (9,718 ft)) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the northeast. Between lie the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Neuendorf-Sachsenbande at 3.54 metres (11.6 ft) below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.[1]

Germany shares borders with nine European countries, second only to Russia: Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Switzerland (its only non-EU neighbor) and Austria in the south, France in the southwest and Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the west.

Area

Germany is in Western and Central Europe, bordering Denmark in the north Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west, and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west. It lies mostly between latitudes 47° and 55° N (the tip of Sylt is just north of 55°), and longitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 63rd largest in the world.[1]

Extreme points

Zugspitze is the highest elevation in Germany

Maritime claims

Physical Geography

Topographic map of Germany

The northern third of the country lies in the North European Plain, with flat terrain crossed by northward-flowing watercourses (Elbe, Ems, Weser, Oder). Wetlands and marshy conditions are found close to the Dutch border and along the Frisian coast. Sandy Mecklenburg in the northeast has many glacier-formed lakes dating to the last glacial period.

Moving south, central Germany features rough and somewhat patternless hilly and mountainous countryside, some of it formed by ancient volcanic activity. The Rhine valley cuts through the western part of this region. The central uplands continue east and north as far as the Saale and merge with the Ore Mountains on the border with the Czech Republic. Upland regions include the Eifel, Hunsrück and Palatine Forest west of the Rhine, the Taunus hills north of Frankfurt, the Vogelsberg massif, the Rhön, and the Thüringer Wald. South of Berlin, the east-central part of the country is more like the low northern areas, with sandy soil and river wetlands such as the Spreewald region.

Southern Germany's landforms are defined by various linear hill and mountain ranges like the two adjacent ranges of the Swabian and Franconian Alb (reaching approximately from the source of the Danube in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg, south of Stuttgart, across Swabia into Central Franconia and to the valley of the river Main) and the Bavarian Forest along the border between Bavaria and the Czech Republic. The Alps on the southern border are the highest mountains, but relatively little Alpine terrain lies within Germany (in southeastern Swabia and Upper Bavaria) compared to Switzerland and Austria. The Black Forest, on the southwestern border with France, separates the Rhine from the headwaters of the Danube on its eastern slopes.

Climate

Coastal dunes
Summer coastal climate on the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forests in winter

Germany's climate is temperate and marine, with cold, cloudy, wet winters and moderate warm summers and in the south occasional warm föhn wind. The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. In the northwest and the north, the climate is extremely oceanic and rain falls all the year round. Winters there are relatively mild and summers comparatively cool. In the east, the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Dry periods are often recorded.

In the centre and the south, there is a transitional climate which may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general weather situation. Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though maximum temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for several days in a row during heat waves. The warmest regions of Germany can be found in the south-west (see rhine rift, German Wine Route and Palatinate). Here summers can be hot with many days exceeding 30 °C (86 °F). Sometimes, minimum temperatures do not drop below 20 °C (68 °F), which is relatively rare in other regions.[2][3]

Land use

Alpine scenery in Bavaria

Germany covers a total of 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), of which 5,157 km2 (1,991 sq mi) is irrigated land and 8,350 km2 (3,220 sq mi) is covered by water, the largest lakes being Lake Constance (total area of 536 km2 (207 sq mi), with 62% of the shore being German; international borders are not defined on the lake itself), Müritz (117 km2 or 45 sq mi) and Chiemsee (80 km2 or 31 sq mi). The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (33.95%); permanent crops cover 0.57% of the land.

Germany has a total of 2,389 km (1,484 mi) of coastline, and borders totaling 3,714 km (2,308 mi) (clockwise from north: Denmark 140 km (87 mi), Poland 467 km (290 mi), Czech Republic 704 km (437 mi),[4] Austria 801 km (498 mi), Switzerland 348 km (216 mi), France 418 km (260 mi), Luxembourg 128 km (80 mi), Belgium 133 km (83 mi), Netherlands 575 km (357 mi)). The German-Austrian border crosses itself near Jungholz. The border with Belgium includes 5 German exclaves because the Vennbahn railway is on Belgian territory crossing in and out of Germany.

Rivers

The major German rivers
For a more comprehensive list, see List of rivers of Germany.

The main rivers in Germany are:

Further important rivers include the Saale and the Main in central Germany, the Neckar in the southwest, the Weser in the North and the Oder at the eastern border.

Caves

Show caves in Germany

Throughout the Karst rocks many caves were formed especially in the valley of the Hönne. The biggest culture cave of Europe is located in Balve.

Natural resources

Environment

Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve in Lower Saxony
Eagle
The eagle is a protected bird of prey
Current issues
International agreements
Natural hazards

Flora and fauna

Red Deer
Deer are widespread species
Alpine terrain
Seals in Schleswig-Holstein

Phytogeographically, Germany is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. The territory of Germany can be subdivided into two ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine.[5] The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (33%) or forestry and woodland (31%). Only 15% is covered by permanent pastures.

Plants and animals are those generally common to middle Europe. Beeches, oaks, and other deciduous trees constitute one-third of the forests; conifers are increasing as a result of reforestation. Spruce and fir trees predominate in the upper mountains, while pine and larch are found in sandy soil. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Fish abound in the rivers and the North Sea. Wild animals include deer, wild boar, mouflon, fox, badger, hare, and small numbers of beaver. Various migratory birds cross Germany in the spring and autumn.

The national parks in Germany include the Wadden Sea National Parks, the Jasmund National Park, the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park, the Müritz National Park, the Lower Oder Valley National Park, the Harz National Park, the Saxon Switzerland National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park.

Germany is known for its many zoological gardens, wildlife parks, aquaria, and bird parks.[6] More than 400 registered zoos and animal parks operate in Germany, which is believed to be the largest number in any single country of the world.[7] The Zoologischer Garten Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany and presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.[8]

Human Geography

Demographics

Population density

With an estimated 81.8 million inhabitants in January 2010, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union and ranks as the 15th largest country in the world in terms of population. Its population density stands at 229.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (594/sq mi). The United Nations Population Fund lists Germany as host to the third-highest number of international migrants worldwide,[9] around 20% of Germany´s population do not hold a German passport or are descendents of immigrants.

Administrative divisions

Germany comprises sixteen states that are collectively referred to as Länder.[10] Each state has its own state constitution[11] and is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. Due to differences in size and population the subdivision of these states varies, especially between city states (Stadtstaaten) and states with larger territories (Flächenländer). For regional administrative purposes five states, namely Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, consist of a total of 22 Government Districts (Regierungsbezirke). As of 2009 Germany is divided into 403 districts (Kreise) on municipal level, these consist of 301 rural districts and 102 urban districts.[12]

State Capital Area (km²) Population
Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart 35,75210,717,000
Bavaria Munich 70,54912,444,000
Berlin Berlin 8923,400,000
Brandenburg Potsdam 29,4772,568,000
Bremen Bremen 404663,000
Hamburg Hamburg 7551,735,000
Hesse Wiesbaden 21,1156,098,000
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Schwerin 23,1741,720,000
Lower Saxony Hanover 47,6188,001,000
North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf 34,04318,075,000
Rhineland-Palatinate Mainz 19,8474,061,000
Saarland Saarbrücken 2,5691,056,000
Saxony Dresden 18,4164,296,000
Saxony-Anhalt Magdeburg 20,4452,494,000
Schleswig-Holstein Kiel 15,7632,829,000
Thuringia Erfurt 16,1722,355,000

Urbanization

Germany has a number of large cities; the most populous are: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (12 million), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, and Bochum.

 
Rank Name State Pop. Rank Name State Pop.

Berlin

Hamburg		 1 Berlin Berlin 3,562,166 11 Leipzig Saxony 531,582
Munich

Cologne
2 Hamburg Hamburg 1,760,433 12 Dresden Saxony 530,754
3 Munich Bavaria 1,407,836 13 Hannover Lower Saxony 518,386
4 Cologne North Rhine-Westphalia 1,034,175 14 Nuremberg Bavaria 498,876
5 Frankfurt Hesse 701,350 15 Duisburg North Rhine-Westphalia 486,855
6 Stuttgart Baden-Württemberg 604,297 16 Bochum North Rhine-Westphalia 361,734
7 Düsseldorf North Rhine-Westphalia 598,686 17 Wuppertal North Rhine-Westphalia 343,488
8 Dortmund North Rhine-Westphalia 575,944 18 Bielefeld North Rhine-Westphalia 328,864
9 Essen North Rhine-Westphalia 569,884 19 Bonn North Rhine-Westphalia 311,287
10 Bremen Bremen (state) 548,547 20 Mannheim Baden-Württemberg 296,690

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Germany". CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. November 14, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
  2. ↑ German Climate Handbuch Deutschland. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  3. ↑ "German Climate and Weather". World Travels. Globe Media Ltd. 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  4. ↑ "CIA - The World Factbook -- Germany". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. April 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  5. ↑ List of Ecoregions: Terrestrial Ecoregions WWF. Retrieved 21 November 2000.
  6. ↑ List of famous Zoological gardens in European countries www.eupedia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Some interesting zoo facts www.americanzoos.info/. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  8. ↑ (German)Tierstatistik 2008, Zoo Berlin. Retrieved 19 November 2009. Archived June 9, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "International Migration 2006" (PDF). UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  10. ↑ The individual denomination is either Land [state], Freistaat [free state] or Freie (und) Hansestadt [free (and) Hanseatic city].
    "The Federal States". www.bundesrat.de. Bundesrat of Germany. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
    "Amtliche Bezeichnung der Bundesländer" [Official denomination of federated states] (PDF; download file „Englisch“). www.auswaertiges-amt.de (in German). Federal Foreign Office. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "Example for state constitution: "Constitution of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia"". Landtag (state assembly) of North Rhine-Westphalia. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  12. ↑ "Kreisfreie Städte und Landkreise nach Fläche und Bevölkerung 31.12.2009" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland. October 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2011.

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