Germany, Federal Republic of

I

Introduction

Germany, Federal Republic of (in German, Bundesrepublik Deutschland), country in central Europe, bordered on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; on the south by Austria and Switzerland; and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For much of German history, Germany was a geographical term for an area occupied by many states. A unified nation for 74 years (1871-1945), it was divided after World War II into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; commonly known as West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR; commonly known as East Germany). On October 3, 1990, East Germany, or the GDR, became part of the FRG, and Germany once again became a unified nation. It has an area of 356,970 sq km (137,827 sq mi). Berlin is Germany’s capital and largest city.

II

Land and Resources

Stretching from the Alps to the Baltic and North seas, Germany encompasses a wide variety of landscapes. Mountains, forests, hills, plains, lakes, rivers, and coastline make up this large country that borders on nine European neighbours.

Germany consists of three major geographical regions—lowland plain in the north, an area of uplands in the centre, and a mountainous region in the south. The lowlands, called the North German Plain, have a varied topography that includes several river valleys and a large heath (the Lüneburger Heide). The lowest elevation point is sea level along the coast, where there are areas of sand dunes and marshland. Off the coast are several islands, including the North Frisian Islands and the East Frisian Islands and Helgoland, in the North Sea, and Fehmarn and Rügen, in the Baltic Sea.

The eastern end of the plain provides particularly rich soil for agriculture. The central uplands region, the approximate boundaries of which are the latitude of Hanover in the north, and the River Main in the south, encompasses a complex terrain of low mountains, river valleys, and well-defined basins. The mountains include the Eifel and Hunsrück in the west, the Taunus and Spessart in the centre, and the Fichtelgebirge in the east. Much of south-western Germany is dominated by two branches of the Jura Mountains and a large forest, the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald. In the extreme south are the Bavarian Alps, which contain Germany’s loftiest peak, the Zugspitze (2,962 m/9,718 ft).

A

Rivers and Lakes

Most of Germany’s major rivers lie in the west. The most important is the Rhine, which forms part of the borders with Switzerland and France before flowing into the Netherlands. Among the tributaries of the Rhine in western Germany are the Lahn, Lippe, Main, Mosel, Neckar, and Ruhr. Other important rivers include the Elbe, which winds from the Czech border in the south-east up to the North Sea, and the Danube, which traverses much of the south before entering Austria. The Oder, along with the smaller Neisse River, forms most of eastern Germany’s border with Poland. Germany has few large lakes. The largest is Lake Constance (Bodensee), which lies partly in Austria and Switzerland.

B

Climate

Germany has a temperate climate, with an average annual temperature of 9° C (48° F). The mean January temperature varies from -6° to 1° C (21° to 34° F), according to location, and the average July temperature ranges between 16° and 20° C (61° and 68° F). The lowlands of the north have a somewhat warmer climate than the central and southern regions. Precipitation is heaviest in the south, which gets about 1,980 mm (78 in) of moisture per year, much of it in the form of snow. The central uplands receive a maximum of approximately 1,500 mm (59 in) of precipitation per year, and the lowlands in the north get up to about 710 mm (28 in) of moisture per year. As one of the most highly industrialized nations of the world, Germany faces serious air, water, and acid rain pollution problems.