Geography 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 and is seventh largest in area. The territory of Germany covers, consisting of of land and of waters.
Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps in the south to the shores of the North Sea in the northwest and the Baltic Sea in the northeast. Between lie the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany, traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.
Germany shares borders with nine European countries, second only to Russia: Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Switzerland 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.

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, and longitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers, consisting of of land and of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 63rd largest in the world.

Extreme points

The northern third of the country lies in the North European Plain, with flat terrain crossed by northward-flowing watercourses. 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 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 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

The north–south difference in Germany, between 55°03"N and 47°16"N equals almost eight degrees of latitude, but this is not largely be seen in different average temperatures. Instead, there is a stronger west–east cline in temperature. This is explained by the North's flat and open landscapes and its closeness to the sea, and South's higher terrain, larger distance from the sea, and the Alps. These mountains prevent much of the usually warmer Mediterranean air blowing into southern Germany. To the north of the Alps and the Carpathians, the local climate becomes colder, even at the same latitude and altitude. This is caused by some areas being further away from the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf Stream, known for having a warm current for its latitude, in addition to being closer to Russia's and Siberia's extremely cold winter winds. Even if Siberian winter winds are not dominating, when they do hit Germany, temperatures can in extreme cases fall to -30 C and below during the nights, and this has an effect on the average temperatures of November to March. Although rare, when such cold air reaches Germany, the Eastern parts becomes more affected compared to the Western parts. These factors results in Hamburg in the North having the same annual average temperature as Munich in the South. The annual average temperature in Hamburg is +9.5 C and +9.7 in Munich whilst Berlin has an annual average temperature of +9.9 C.
The warmest area in Germany is the area bordering France, west of the Schwarzwald hills, roughly between Karlsruhe to the north and the Swiss border to the south. The coldest area is found in the southeastern parts of eastern Germany around Dresden and Görlitz, only about two latitudes higher. The difference in the annual average base is not extreme. Freiburg im Breisgau has an average annual temperature of +11.4 C. Görlitz has an equal value of +8.8 C, a difference of 2.6 C. Colder meteorological stations in Germany can be found, but mainly at notably higher altitudes.
Germany's climate is temperate and marine, with cold, cloudy winters and 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 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 center and the south, there is a transitional climate which may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general weather situation. Winters are cool and summers warm, though maximum temperatures can exceed for several days in a row during heat waves. The warmest regions of Germany can be found in the southwest. Here summers can be hot with many days exceeding. Sometimes, minimum temperatures do not drop below, which is relatively rare in other regions.
Though the German climate is rarely extreme, there are occasional spikes of cold or heat. Winter temperatures can sometimes drop to two-digit negative temperatures for a few days in a row. Conversely, summer can see periods of very high temperatures for a week or two. The recorded extremes are a maximum of , and a minimum of .

Land use

Germany covers a total of, of which is irrigated land and is covered by water, the largest lakes being Lake Constance, Müritz and Chiemsee. The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land ; permanent crops cover 0.57% of the land.
Germany has a total of of coastline, and borders totaling . 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 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

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

;Current issues
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, 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. The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land or forestry and woodland. 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. 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. The Zoologischer Garten Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany and presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.

Human geography

Demographics

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.
The United Nations Population Fund lists Germany as host to the third-highest number of international migrants worldwide, around 20% of Germany's population do not hold a German passport or are descendants of immigrants.

Administrative divisions

Germany comprises sixteen states that are collectively referred to as Länder.
Each state has its own state constitution 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 and states with larger territories. For regional administrative purposes five states, namely Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, consist of a total of 22 Government Districts. As of 2009 Germany is divided into 403 districts on municipal level, these consist of 301 rural districts and 102 urban districts.

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, including Düsseldorf, Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, and Bochum.
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