What is the terrain and geography like in Germany?
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.
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 north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in 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 |