Germany: GEOGRAPHY

Location: Germany is located in the heart of Europe, at the

crossroads between west and east, north and south. The northern

border is formed by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, separated by

a brief border with Denmark. In the west, Germany borders on the

Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. In the south,

Germany borders on Switzerland and Austria. In the east, Germany

borders on Poland and the Czech Republic.

Size: Germany has an area of 357,022 square kilometers. The longest

distance from north to south is 876 kilometers; from east to west, the

longest distance is 640 kilometers. One-third of the country’s territory

belonged to the former East Germany.

Land Boundaries: Germany shares land boundaries with Austria (784 kilometers), Belgium (167 kilometers), the Czech Republic (646 kilometers), Denmark (68 kilometers), France (451 kilometers), Luxembourg (138 kilometers), the Netherlands (577 kilometers), Poland (456 kilometers), and Switzerland (334 kilometers).

Disputed Territory: In November 1990, Germany and Poland settled a protracted historical dispute by signing a treaty confirming the Oder-Neisse line as a permanent border.

Length of Coastline: Germany’s coastline along the North Sea and Baltic Sea measures 2,389 kilometers.

Maritime Claims: Germany claims a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles and an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles.

Topography: Germany is divided into four distinct topographic regions. From north to south, they are the Northern Lowlands, the Central Uplands, the Alpine Foreland, and the Alps. From the north, a plain dotted with lakes, moors, marshes, and heaths retreats from the sea and reaches inland, where it becomes a landscape of hills crisscrossed by streams, rivers, and valleys. These hills lead upward, gradually forming high plateaus and woodlands and eventually climaxing in spectacular mountain ranges. As of the turn of the century, about 34 percent of the country's area was arable, and about 30 percent was covered by forests.

Principal Rivers: Germany’s principal rivers, ordered by length, are the Rhine, Elbe, Danube, Main, Weser, Saale, Ems, Neckar, and Havel. The Rhine River, which stretches 1,320 kilometers from Switzerland through Germany and the Netherlands to the North Sea, is a major north-south transportation route. The next most commercially significant river is the Elbe, which flows 1,165 kilometers from the Czech Republic through Germany to the North Sea. The Danube flows 2,848 kilometers east from the Black Forest region of Germany to the Black Sea.

Climate: The northwestern and coastal areas of Germany have a maritime climate caused by warm westerly winds from the North Sea; the climate is characterized by warm summers and mild, cloudy winters. Farther inland, the climate is continental, marked by greater diurnal and seasonal variations in temperature, with warmer summers and colder winters. The alpine regions in the extreme south and, to a lesser degree, some areas of the Central Uplands have a so-called mountain climate. This climate is characterized by lower temperatures because of higher elevations and greater precipitation caused by air becoming moisture-laden as it rises over higher terrain.

Overall, Germany's climate is moderate and is generally without sustained periods of cold or heat. The yearly mean temperature for the country is about 9° C. During January, the coldest month, the average temperature is approximately 1.6° C in the north and –2° C in the south. In July, the warmest month, the situation reverses, and it is cooler in the north than in the south. The northern coastal region has July temperatures averaging between 16° C and 18° C; at some locations in the south, the average is 19.4° C or slightly higher.

Natural Resources: Germany does not possess extensive natural resources, so it depends on imports to acquire them. However, coal is an exception. In fact, Germany has the largest coal reserves in the European Union: an estimated 72.8 billion short tons as of October 2001.

Land Use: As of January 2003, Germany’s land use was as follows: settlement and transportation infrastructure, 12.3 percent; agriculture, 53.5 percent; forests, 29.5 percent; water, 2.3 percent; and miscellaneous, 2.4 percent.

Environmental Factors: The Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety is responsible for environmental protection. The ministry has taken a very strict approach toward environmental protection. For example, in 2000 the government and the nuclear power industry agreed to phase out all nuclear power plants by 2021. As a result of changing the mix of energy sources and other measures, from 1991 until 2002 Germany was able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 percent. The closure of many coal-burning power plants in the eastern states contributed to Germany’s success. However, Germany is facing a new threat from airborne particulates, known as Feinstaub. Water pollution also remains a challenge, reflecting diverse causes ranging from dams to the use of fertilizers for farming. At the end of 2004, only 14 percent of surface water “probably” met the government’s environmental goals, while uncertainty existed about the status of an additional 26 percent. About 47 percent of groundwater met the standards. Germany ratified the Kyoto Protocol on climate change on May 31, 2002.

Time Zone: Germany is in the Central European Time (CET) zone, which is normally one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). In the summer, CET is two hours ahead of GMT.

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This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.