Germany

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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Germany (disambiguation)
and Deutschland (disambiguation).
"Federal Republic of Germany" redirects here. For 19491990, see West
Germany.

Coordinates: 51N 9E

Federal Republic of Germany

Bundesrepublik Deutschland[a]
Flag
Coat of arms

Anthem: Deutschlandlied
(English: "Song of Germany")
(third verse only)[b]

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Capital
and largest city
Berlin
5231N 1323E

Location of Germany (dark green)

in Europe (green & dark grey)
in the European Union (green) [Legend]

Official languages
German[1][c]
Demonym
German
Government
Federal parliamentary republic

President

Joachim Gauck

Chancellor
Angela Merkel

President of the Bundestag

Norbert Lammert

President of the Bundesrat

Stanislaw Tillich

President of the Federal Constitutional Court

Andreas Vokuhle
Legislature

Upper house
Bundesrat

Lower house
Bundestag
Formation

Holy Roman Empire

2 February 962

German Confederation
8 June 1815

German Empire
18 January 1871

Weimar Republic
11 August 1919

Federal Republic
23 May 1949

EEC Foundation[d]
1 January 1958

Reunification

3 October 1990
Area

Total
357,168 km2 (63rd)
137,847 sq mi
Population

2015 estimate
81,459,000[2] (16th)

Density
227/km2 (58th)
583/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2015 estimate

Total
$3.842 trillion[3] (5th)

Per capita
$47,033[3] (20th)
GDP (nominal)
2015 estimate

Total
$3.371 trillion[3] (4th)

Per capita
$41,267[3] (20th)
Gini (2014)
30.7[4]
medium
HDI (2014)
0.916[5]
very high 6th
Currency
Euro () (EUR)
Time zone
CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST)
CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
49
ISO 3166 code
DE
Internet TLD
.de and .eu

Germany ( /drmni/; German: Deutschland pronounced [dtlant]), officially

the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG (German: Bundesrepublik
Deutschland, listen (helpinfo)),[e][6] is a federal parliamentary republic in WestCentral Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021
square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), and has a largely temperate seasonal
climate. Its capital and largest city is Berlin. With about 81.5 million inhabitants,
Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the
United States, it is the second most popular migration destination in the world.[7]
Various Germanic tribes have occupied the northern parts of current Germany
since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented before
100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward.
Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the
Holy Roman Empire.[8] During the 16th century, northern German regions
became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. Following the FrancoPrussian War most of the German states unified in 1871 into the Prussiandominated German Empire, after World War I and the German Revolution of
19181919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic.
The establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War
II and systematic genocide. After a period of Allied occupation, two German
states were founded: the Federal Republic of Germany and the German
Democratic Republic. In 1990, the country was reunified.[9]
Germany is a great power and has the world's fourth-largest economy by
nominal GDP, as well as the fifth-largest by PPP. As a global leader in several
industrial and technological sectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter
and importer of goods. Germany is a developed country with a very high
standard of living sustained by a skilled and productive society. It upholds a
social security and universal health care system, environmental protection and
i

a tuition-free university education.[10]

Germany was a founding member of the European Union in 1993 and a leading
member. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the
Eurozone in 1999. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8,
the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in
the world. Known for its rich cultural history, Germany has been continuously
the home of influential artists, philosophers, musicians, sportsmen,
entrepreneurs, scientists and inventors.