Geography of Germany

Geography of Germany
ContinentEurope
RegionCentral Europe
Coordinates51°00′N 10°00′E / 51.00°N 10.00°E / 51.00; 10.00
AreaRanked 63rd
 • Total357,600 km2 (138,100 sq mi)
 • Land97.66%
 • Water2.34%
Coastline2,389 km (1,484 mi)
Borders3,714 km (2,307 mi)

Border lengths included

Highest pointZugspitze,
2,962.06 m (9,718 ft)
Lowest point−3.54 m (−11.61 ft) [1]
Longest riverRhine,
1,230 km (764 mi)
Largest lakeLake Constance
536 km2 (207 sq mi)[2]
Climatetemperate
Terrainlowlands in north; uplands in center; Alps in south
Natural resourcescoal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Natural hazardsflooding and earthquake in Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. landslide
Exclusive economic zone57,485 km2 (22,195 sq mi)
General map of Germany

Germany (German: Deutschland) is a country in Central and Western Europe[3] that stretches from the Alps, across the North European Plain to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It is the second-most populous country in Europe after Russia, and is seventh-largest country by area in the continent. The area of Germany ranked 63rd and covers 357,600 km2 (138,070 sq mi), consisting of 349,250 km2 (134,846 sq mi) of land and 8,350 km2 (3,224 sq mi) of waters, smaller than Japan but larger than Republic of the Congo.

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.[4]

Germany has the second-most borders of any European country, after Russia. It shares borders with nine countries: 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. Germany also shares a maritime border with Sweden in the north and the United Kingdom in the northwest.

  1. ^ "Tiefste Landstelle Deutschlands". May 12, 1998. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  2. ^ "The Complete Guide To: Lake Constance". The Independent. September 17, 2011.
  3. ^ Royal Berglee, PhD (2016-06-17). "2.3 Regions of Western Europe". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Germany". CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. November 14, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006.