Germany (TNO:ANM)

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German Reich
Deutsches Reich (German)
Anthem: "Das Lied der Deutschen"
("The Song of the Germans")
Location of Germany in Europe
Location of Germany in Europe
Capital
and largest city
Berlin
52°31′N 13°23′E
Official languagesGerman
Recognised regional languagesPolish, Czceh
Religion
(2023)
48.6% Catholic
40.7% Protestant
9.2% irreligious
1.5% other
Demonym(s)German
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Angela Kresner
Jens Spahn
LegislatureReichstag
Area
• Total
815,161 km2 (314,735 sq mi)
Population
• 2024 estimate
Neutral increase 135,735,172
• Density
166.51/km2 (431.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $8.334 trillion
• Per capita
$61,398
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $6.749 trillion
• Per capita
$49,721
Gini (2022)Positive decrease 31.7
medium
HDI (2022)Increase 0.921
very high
CurrencyReichsmark (RM)
Time zoneUTC+1 (MET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (MEST)
Date formatmm/dd/yyyy
Driving sideright
Calling code+49
ISO 3166 codeDE
Internet TLD.de

Germany,[a] officially the German Reich,[b] is a country located primarily in Central Europe, with territory in Northern Europe and Eastern Europe. It is the largest country located entirely in Europe by area with an area of 815,161 km2 (314,735 sq mi) and additionally the largest by population,[c] with an estimated 135.62 million people in 2023. It borders Denmark to the north, the Baltics and Belarus to the northeast, Ukraine and Poland to the east, Slovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia to the southeast, Italy and Switzerland to the southwest, and France and the Netherlands to the west. Its capital and most populous city is Berlin. Its main financial centre is Frankfurt, while the largest urban area is the Ruhr.

Humans and its precursors are thought to have lived in what is now Germany since the later Paleolithic. Farmers from the Middle East migrated into the area around 5600 BC, followed by the Proto-Indo-Europeans, who brought with them their language and culture that would gradually give rise to the Germanic peoples, given their names by the Romans, who called their land "Germania". The Carolingian Empire conquered much of what is modern day Germany and placed it under one dominion for the first time around 800 AD. The partition of the Carolingian Empire gave way to the East Frankish Empire, which became the Kingdom of Germany and later formed the nucleus of the Holy Roman Empire, which dissolved in 1806. The HRE was briefly succeeded by the Confederation of the Rhine before being replaced by the German Confederation, which served as the centre of pan-German agitation and revolutions. The increasing hegemony of Prussia over the other German states resulted in the foundation of the North German Confederation in 1866, followed by the German Empire in 1871, which united all German states save for Austria and Luxembourg.

The Empire and its immediate predecessor, the North German Confederation rapidly developed and industrialised itself, mostly during the Gründerzeit of the later 19th century. Following World War I, a revolution overthrew the monarchy and established the democratic Weimar Republic. The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, took control of Germany in 1933 and established a totalitarian dictatorship that would last until 1978. Under this dictatorship, mass ethnic cleansing, atrocities and genocide occurred, mostly targeted towards Jews, Poles and other Slavs. Free elections were held for the first time in 1978.

Germany is commonly described either as a great power or an emerging superpower. Its economy is the third largest in the world and the largest in Europe and the world's third-largest exporter and importer. As a highly developed country, it has a well-developed education and healthcare system, often regarded as among the best in the world. Germany is a founding member of the Coalition of Nations and is a member of the Paneuropean Union along with other international organisations.

Notes

  1. German: Deutschland German: [ˈdɔʏtʃlant] (About this soundlisten)
  2. German: Deutsches Reich German pronunciation: [ˈdɔɪ̯t͡ʃəs ʁaɪ̯ç]
  3. This statistic excludes the Soviet Union, which is a transcontinental country with most of its territory outside of Europe. If European Russia was included, Germany would be the second largest country in Europe by area, but would still be the most populated country in Europe.