page_title: Germany
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Germany / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Topographic map of Germany (Borders of the States of Germany approximately as of 1990) Deutsch: Topografische Karte Deutschlands (Verlauf der Ländergrenzen etwa Stand 1990)
context_page_description: Germany, officially Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. The country's full name is sometimes shortened to the FRG.
  To the north of Germany are the North and Baltic Seas, and the kingdom of Denmark. To the east of Germany are the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. To the south of Germany are the countries of Austria and Switzerland. To the west of Germany are the countries of France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The total area of Germany is 357,021 square kilometres. The large majority of Germany has warm summers and cold winters. In June 2013, Germany had a population of 80.6 million people, the largest in Europe. After the United States, Germany is the second most popular country for migration in the world.
  Before it was called Germany, it was called Germania. In the years A.D. 900 – 1806, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1949 to 1990, Germany was made up of two countries called the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. During this time, the capital city of Berlin was divided into a west and an east part.
context_section_description: Germany is one of the largest countries in Europe. It stretches from the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the north to the high mountains of the Alps in the south. The highest point is the Zugspitze on the Austrian border, at 2,962 metres (9,718 ft).
  Germany's northern part is very low and flat (lowest point: Neuendorf-Sachsenbande at −3.54 m or −11.6 ft). In the middle, there are low mountain ranges covered in large forests. Between these and the Alps, there is another plain created by glaciers during the ice ages.
  Germany also contains parts of Europe's longest rivers, such as the Rhine (which makes up a part of Germany's western border, while Oder River is on its eastern border), the Danube and the Elbe.
caption: Topographic map
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