Germany Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Germany?

Overview

Unified Germany comprises 16 states (Länder in the plural; singular: Land), of which three (Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg) are city-states. Berlin, with a population approaching four million, is surrounded by the State of Brandenburg, with the Brandenburg Land capital at Potsdam, a city that adjoins Berlin on the southwest. Bavaria is Germany’s largest land. Germany’s population exceeds 82 million and, with a total land area of only 137,800 square miles (slightly smaller than the State of Montana), the nation is one of the most densely populated and urbanized in Europe.

Germany has five distinct geographical areas and widely varying landscapes. From north to south, these are the flat north German lowlands, the hills and the low mountains of the Mittelgebirge, the west and south German plateaus and mountains (including the Black Forest, the Schwarzwald), the south German Alpine foothills and lake country, and the Bavarian Alps with the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain, 9,717 ft.) near Garmisch.

The most important rivers are the Rhine, the Weser, the Elbe, the Main, the Oder, and the Danube. The first three flow northward, emptying into the North Sea. The Main is a tributary of the Rhine. The Danube, starting as a spring in the beautiful, historic town of Donaueschingen in southwest Germany, flows east 1,725 miles to meet the Black Sea in Romania. Lake Constance (Bodensee), Germany’s largest lake, lies at the border separating Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Geography - note

Strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

Climate

Germany is in the Temperate Zone and enjoys frequent weather changes, sometimes daily. The country has four distinct seasons with rainfall frequent in most months, especially in the autumn. Winter temperatures and snowfall tend to be more extreme in the southern part of the country where the average elevation is higher, but even low-lying Berlin has snowfalls and winter temperatures that occasionally dip below 10°F.

Germany Use of Natural Resources

Germany Environment

Climate:

Terrain:

Lowlands in the north, uplands in the center, Bavarian Alps in the south

Natural Resources:

Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Natural Hazards:

Flooding

Irrigated Land:

1,991 Square Miles
5,157 Square Kilometers

Environmental Issues:

Emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; the government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet European Union commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the European Union's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment - International Agreements:

Party To: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Germany Geography

Geographic Location	Europe
Total Area	137,846 Square Miles 357,022 Square Kilometers
Land Area	134,622 Square Miles 348,672 Square Kilometers
Water Area	3,224 Square Miles 8,350 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	2,355 Miles 3,790 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	1,991 Square Miles 5,157 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 815 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline	1,484 Miles 2,389 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	51 00 N, 9 00 E
Terrain	Lowlands in the north, uplands in the center, Bavarian Alps in the south
Highest Point	2,963 Meters
Highest Point Location	Zugspitze 2,963 m
Lowest Point	-4 Meters
Lowest Point Location	Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
Natural Resources	Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Time Zone	UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time	+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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