Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (
German
:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
(
help
·
info
)
,
IPA
:
ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant
),
is a
country
in
Central Europe
. It is bordered to the north by the
North Sea
,
Denmark
, and the
Baltic Sea
; to the east by
Poland
and the
Czech Republic
; to the south by
Austria
and
Switzerland
; and to the west by
France
,
Luxembourg
,
Belgium
, and the
Netherlands
. The territory of Germany covers ,km² and is influenced by a
temperate seasonal climate
.
A region named
Germania
inhabited by several
Germanic peoples
has been known and
documented
before AD. Since the th century German territories have formed a central part of the
Holy Roman Empire
that lasted until . During the period, in the th century, the northern German regions became the center of the
Protestant Reformation
. As a modern
nation-state
, the country was first
unified
amidst the
Franco-Prussian War
in . After
World War II
, Germany was divided into two separate states along the lines of allied occupation in .
It became
reunified
again in . Germany is a founding member of the
European Union
, part of the
Eurozone
since , and with over million inhabitants, it comprises the largest population among the EU countries.
Germany is a
federal
parliamentary republic
of
sixteen states
(
Bundesländer
). The capital and largest city is
Berlin
. Germany is a member of the
United Nations
,
NATO
, the
G
, the
G nations
, and signed the
Kyoto protocol
. It is the world's
third largest economy
by nominal
GDP
, the
largest exporter of goods
, ranked
sixth in military expenditure
,
and is home to the
third-highest number of international migrants
. Germany has developed a
high standard of living
and established a comprehensive system of
social security
. It holds a key position in European affairs and is recognized as a scientific and technological leader in several fields. |