Geography of Germany
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This article describes the '''[[geography]] of [[Germany]]'''.
[[Image:LocationGermany.png|thumb|250px|right|The location of Germany]]
[[Image:Germany general map.png|thumb|250px|right|General map of Germany]]
'''Germany''' is a large country in [[Central Europe]], stretching from the [[Alps]], across the [[North European Plain]] to the [[North Sea]] and the [[Baltic Sea]]. Germany has the second largest population in Europe (after the [[Europe]]an part of [[Russia]]) and is seventh largest in area. The territory of Germany covers {{convert|357021|km2|sqmi|0|lk=on|abbr=on}}, consisting of {{convert|349223|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of land and {{convert|7798|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of water. Elevation ranges from the mountains of the [[Alps]] (highest point: the [[Zugspitze]] at {{convert|2962|m|ft|0|lk=on}}) in the south to the shores of the [[North Sea]] (Nordsee) in the north-west and the [[Baltic Sea]] (Ostsee) in the north-east. Between lie the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: [[Neuendorf-Sachsenbande]] at {{convert|3.54|m|ft|1}} below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major [[river]]s such as the [[Rhine]], [[Danube]] and [[Elbe]].<ref name="CIA">[https://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gm.html Germany] CIA Factbook. November 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006, [[November 29|11-29]].</ref> Because of its central location, Germany shares borders with more European countries than any other country on the continent. Its neighbours are [[Denmark]] in the north, [[Poland]] and the [[Czech Republic]] in the east, [[Austria]] and [[Switzerland]] in the south, [[France]] in the south-west and [[Belgium]], [[Luxemburg]] and the [[Netherlands]] in the west.
==Terrain==
[[Image:Deutschland Landschaften.png|thumb|250x|right|Landscapes of Germany]]
The northern third of the country lies in the [[North European Plain]], with flat terrain crossed by northward-flowing watercourses ([[Elbe]], [[Ems (river)|Ems]], [[Weser]], [[Oder]]). [[Wetlands]] and marshy conditions are found close to the Dutch border and along the [[Frisia]]n coast. Sandy [[Mecklenburg]] in the northeast has many glacier-formed lakes dating to the last [[ice age]].
Moving south, central Germany features rough and somewhat patternless hilly and mountainous countryside, some of it formed by ancient [[volcano|volcanic]] activity. The [[Rhine]] valley cuts through the western part of this region. The central uplands continue east and north as far as the [[Saale]] and merge with the [[Ore Mountains (Germany)|Ore Mountains]] on the border with the [[Czech Republic]]. Upland regions include the [[Eifel]], [[Hunsrück]] and [[Palatine Forest]] west of the Rhine, the [[Taunus]] hills north of [[Frankfurt]], the [[Vogelsberg Mountains|Vogelsberg]] massif, the [[Rhön]], and the [[Thüringer Wald]]. South of [[Berlin]], the east-central part of the country is more like the low northern areas, with sandy soil and river wetlands such as the [[Spreewald]] region.
Southern Germany's landforms are defined by various linear hill and mountain ranges like the two adjacent ranges of the [[Swabian Alb|Swabian]] and [[Franconian Alb]] (reaches approximately from the source of the [[Danube]] in the south-west of [[Baden-Württemberg]], south of [[Stuttgart]], across [[Swabia]] into [[Central Franconia]] and to the valley of the river [[Main]]) and the [[Bavarian Forest]] along the border between Bavaria and the Czech Republic. The [[Alps]] on the southern border are the highest mountains, but relatively little Alpine terrain lies within Germany (in south-eastern Swabia and [[Upper Bavaria]]) compared to Switzerland and Austria. The [[Black Forest]], on the southwestern border with France, separates the Rhine from the headwaters of the [[Danube]] on its eastern slopes.
==Climate==
[[Image:Hintersee.jpg|thumb|left|[[Alps|Alpine]] scenery in [[Bavaria]]]]
Germany's [[climate]] is [[temperate]] and [[Marine (ocean)|marine]], with cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers and in the south occasional warm [[föhn wind]]. The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. In the north-west and the north the climate is extremely oceanic and rain falls all the year round. Winters there are relatively mild and summers comparatively cool. In the east the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Here too, long dry periods are often recorded. In the centre and the south there is a transitional climate which may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general weather situation. Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though maximum temperatures can exceed 30 °[[Celsius|C]] (86 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]) for several days in a row during heat waves. <ref>[http://www.handbuch-deutschland.de/book/en/002_001_001.html German Climate] Handbuch Deutschland. Retrieved 2006, [[November 30|11-30]].</ref><ref>[http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Germany/Climate/ German Climate and Weather] World Travels. Retrieved 2006, [[November 30|11-30]].</ref>
==Land use==
Germany covers a total of [[1 E11 m²|357,021]] [[square kilometre|km²]], of which 4,750 km² is [[irrigated land]] and 7,798 km² is covered by water, the largest lakes being [[Lake Constance]] (total area of 536 km², with 62% of the shore being German; international [[border]]s are not defined on the lake itself), [[Müritz]] (117 km²) and [[Chiemsee]] (80 km²). The majority of Germany is covered by either [[arable land]] (33%) or [[forestry]] and [[woodland]] (31%). Only 15% is covered by permanent pastures.
Germany has a total of 2,389 [[kilometre|km]] of coastline, and borders totalling 3,621 km (clockwise from north: [[Denmark]] 68 km, [[Poland]] 456 km, [[Czech Republic]] 646 km, [[Austria]] 784 km, [[Switzerland]] 334 km, [[France]] 451 km, [[Luxembourg]] 138 km, [[Belgium]] 167 km, [[Netherlands]] 577 km). The German-Austrian border crosses itself near [[Jungholz]]. The border with Belgium includes 5 German exclaves because the [[Vennbahn]] railway is on Belgian territory crossing in and out of Germany.
==Caves==
Throughout the [[Karst]] rocks many caves were built especially in the valley of the [[Hönne]]. The biggest culture cave of [[Europe]] is located in [[Balve]].
==Rivers==
[[Image:Germanymap2.png|thumb|300x|right|The major German rivers]]
The three main rivers in Germany are:
* the [[Rhine]] (''Rhein'' in [[German language|German]]) with a German part of 865 km (main tributaries including the [[Neckar]], the [[Main]] and the [[Moselle River|Moselle]] (''Mosel''));
* the [[Elbe]] with a German part of 727 km (also drains into the [[North Sea]]); and,
* the [[Danube]] (''Donau'') with a German part of 687 km.
Further important rivers include the [[Isar]] in the south-east, the [[Main]] in central Germany, the [[Neckar]] in the south-west, and the [[Weser]] in the North. See also the [[list of rivers in Germany]].
==Maritime claims==
* [[Continental shelf]]: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
* [[Exclusive economic zone]]: 200 [[Nautical mile|nm]]. The exact EEZ is due to conventions with neighbouring states.
* Territorial sea: 12 nm
==Natural resources==
*[[Iron]] ore, [[coal]], [[potash]], timber, [[lignite]], [[uranium]], [[copper]], [[natural gas]], [[salt]], [[nickel]], arable land, water
==Environment==
;Current issues
*Emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulphur dioxide emissions, is damaging [[forest]]s; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; [[hazardous waste]] disposal; government (under Chancellor Schröder, SPD) announced intent to end the use of nuclear power for producing electricity; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive. Germany's last glacier is disappearing. [http://www.enn.com/globe.html?id=1614]
;International agreements
* Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-[[Nitrogen oxides]], Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
* Signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
;Natural hazards
*[[Floods in Germany|Flooding]] through rivers after heavy rainfall, such as during the [[2002 European floods]], or [[Storm surge]], such as the [[North Sea flood of 1962]] or the historic floods of [[Burchardi flood|1634]] and [[Grote Mandrenke|1362]] that changed the coastline of what is now the west coast of [[Schleswig-Holstein]].
==Extreme points==
{{Location map many
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===Latitude and longitude===
This is a list of the '''extreme points of [[Germany]]''', the points that are farther [[north]], [[south]], [[east]] or [[west]] than any other location.
* northernmost point: [[List, Germany|List]], [[Sylt]], [[Schleswig-Holstein]] {{coor dm|55|03|N|8|24|E|region:DE_type:landmark_source:frwiki|name=List on Sylt (North)}}
* southernmost point: [[Haldenwanger Eck]], [[Oberstdorf]], [[Bavaria]] {{coor dms|47|16|12.39|N|10|10|41.95|E|region:DE_type:landmark_source:dewiki|name=Haldenwanger Eck at Oberstdorf (South)}}
* westernmost point: [[Isenbruch]], near [[Millen (Germany)|Millen]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] {{coor dm|51|1|N|5|53|E|region:DE_type:landmark_source:frwiki|name=Isenbruch near Millen (West)}}
* easternmost point: [[Deschka]], [[Free State of Saxony|Saxony]] {{coor dm|51|16|N|15|2|E|type:landmark_region:DE_source:frwiki|name=Deschka (East)}}
The northernmost point in [[mainland]] [[Germany]] lies near [[Aventoft]], [[Schleswig-Holstein]] at {{coor dm|54|54|N|8|49|E|region:DE_type:landmark_source:frwiki|name=Aventoft (northernmost on continent)}}
The extreme points of the [[German Confederation]] are mentioned in the first stanza of ''[[Das Lied der Deutschen]]'', of which the third stanza is today the national anthem of Germany. They were accurate when the song was penned in [[1841]], but are no longer accurate today. The limits mentioned are the following [[river]]s:
*[[Meuse River]] which crosses [[France]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]] and formed the border of the [[Duchy of Limburg]], then part of the German Confederation and today the Dutch Province of [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]].
*[[Neman River|Memel]], which runs through [[Belarus]] and [[Lithuania]] but previously formed part of the border of East Prussia
*[[Adige|Adige (Etsch)]], beginning in the majority German-speaking province of [[Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen|Bolzano-Bozen]] (then in [[Austria]]) which was transferred from the [[Habsburg]] Empire to [[Italy]] after [[World War I]]
*and the [[Little Belt|Belt]] which is a part of the Baltic Sea between Germany and [[Denmark]].
===Elevation ===
* lowest point: [[Wilstermarsch]] at [[Neuendorf-Sachsenbande]] (near [[Itzehoe]]) 3.53 [[metre|m]] below sea level {{coor d|53.96333|N|9.31806|E|region:DE_type:landmark|name=Wilstermarsch (lowest)}}
* highest point: [[Zugspitze]] (in the [[Bavarian Alps]], on the [[Austria]]n border) 2,962 m {{coor dm|47|25|N|10|59|E|region:DE_type:mountain|name=Zugspitze (highest)}}
==See also==
{{portalpar|Germany}}
*[[Germany]]
*[[National parks (Germany)]]
*[[Geography of Europe]]
*[[List of administrative divisions of Germany]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Geography of Europe}}
{{Danube}}
[[Category:Geography of Germany| ]]
[[an:Cheografía d'Alemaña]]
[[da:Tysklands geografi]]
[[de:Geographie Deutschlands]]
[[es:Geografía de Alemania]]
[[fr:Géographie de l'Allemagne]]
[[it:Geografia della Germania]]
[[he:גאוגרפיה של גרמניה]]
[[lt:Vokietijos geografija]]
[[mr:जर्मनीचा भूगोल]]
[[nl:Geografie van Duitsland]]
[[no:Tysklands geografi]]
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[[pt:Geografia da Alemanha]]
[[ru:География Германии]]
[[sq:Gjeografia e Gjermanisë]]
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