Geography of Germany

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File:Deutschland politisch 2010.png
General map of Germany

Germany (German: Deutschland) is a country in Central and Western Europe[1] that stretches from the Alps, across the North European Plain to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It is the second-most populous country in Europe after Russia, and is seventh-largest country by area in the continent. The area of Germany ranked 63rd and covers Script error: No such module "convert"., consisting of Script error: No such module "convert". of land and Script error: No such module "convert". of waters, smaller than Japan but larger than Republic of the Congo.

Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at Script error: No such module "convert".) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the northeast. Between lie the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Neuendorf-Sachsenbande at Script error: No such module "convert". below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.[2]

Germany has the second-most borders of any European country, after Russia. It shares borders with nine countries: Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Switzerland (its only non-EU neighbor) and Austria in the south, France in the southwest and Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the west. Germany also shares a maritime border with Sweden in the north and the United Kingdom in the northwest.

Area

Germany is in Central Europe, bordering Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west, and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west. It lies mostly between latitudes 47° and 55° N (the tip of Sylt is just north of 55°), and longitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers Script error: No such module "convert"., consisting of Script error: No such module "convert". of land and Script error: No such module "convert". of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 63rd largest in the world.[2]

Extreme points

File:Zugspitze Westansicht.JPG
Zugspitze is the highest elevation in Germany.

Maritime claims

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Physical geography

File:Deutschland topo.jpg
Topographic map of Germany

The northern third of the country lies in the North European Plain, with flat terrain crossed by northward-flowing watercourses (Elbe, Ems, Weser, Oder). Wetlands and marshy conditions are found close to the Dutch border and along the Frisian coast. Sandy Mecklenburg in the northeast has many glacier-formed lakes dating to the last glacial period.

Moving south, central Germany features rough and somewhat patternless hilly and mountainous countryside, some of it formed by ancient 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 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 massif, the Rhön, and the Thuringian Forest. 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 and Franconian Alb (reaching approximately from the source of the Danube in the southwest 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 southeastern 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

Script error: No such module "Multiple image". The north–south difference in Germany, between 55°03"N (at List on Sylt) and 47°16"N (around Oberstdorf, Bavaria) equals almost eight degrees of latitude (or 889 km), which can be seen especially during summer in the differences between the average temperatures. Besides that, there is a strong west–east cline in temperature. This is explained by the northwestern Germany's flat and open landscapes and its proximity to the sea, and South's higher terrain, larger distance from the sea, and the Alps. These mountains prevent much of the usually warmer Mediterranean air blowing into southern Germany. To the north of the Alps and the Carpathians, the local climate becomes colder, even at the same latitude and altitude. This is caused by some areas being further away from the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf Stream, known for having a warm current for its latitude, in addition to being closer to Russia's and Siberia's extremely cold winter winds. Even if Siberian winter winds are not dominating, when they do hit Germany, temperatures can in extreme cases fall to -20 C in the mountains and below during the nights, and this has an effect on the average temperatures of November to March. Although rare, when such cold air reaches Germany, the North-Eastern parts become mainly affected, while the Southwest receives few cold days in general. The Gulf Stream results in the coast having the mildest nights in the winter, almost never freezing.

The warmest area in Germany is the area bordering France, west of the Schwarzwald hills, roughly between Mannheim to the north and the Swiss border to the south. The coldest area (except for mountain peaks) is found in the southeastern parts of eastern Germany around Dresden and Görlitz up to Berlin.

Germany's climate is temperate and marine in the west and humid continental in the east. It has cool winters in the west and cold winters in the east. It has moderate rainfall year-round and is mostly overcast from November to February. Summers are warm, more so in the south. The north and centre of Germany lies fully in the temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. In the northwest and the north, the climate is oceanic. Winters there are cool and summers warm. In the east, the climate shows clear continental features; winters are cold and summers warm. Dry periods are often recorded.

In the centre and the south, there is a transitional climate between oceanic or continental. Winters are cool and summers warm, though maximum temperatures can exceed Script error: No such module "convert". for several days in a row during heat waves.

The warmest regions of Germany are in the southwest (see Rhine Rift Valley, German Wine Route and Palatinate). Summers are hot with many days up to Script error: No such module "convert".. Sometimes, minimum temperatures do not drop below Script error: No such module "convert"., which is relatively rare in other regions, except the North Sea coast and western city climates.[4][5]

The recorded extremes are a maximum of Script error: No such module "convert". (July 2019, Duisburg-Bearl & Tönisvorst),Script error: No such module "Unsubst". and a minimum of Script error: No such module "convert". (February 1929, in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm).[6]

Examples

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Land use of Germany

File:Hintersee.jpg
Alpine scenery in Bavaria

Germany covers a total of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is irrigated land and Script error: No such module "convert". is covered by water, the largest lakes being Lake Constance (total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., with 62% of the shore being German; international borders are not defined on the lake itself), Müritz (Script error: No such module "convert".) and Chiemsee (Script error: No such module "convert".). The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (33.95%); permanent crops cover 0.57% of the land.

Germany has a total of Script error: No such module "convert". of coastline and borders totaling Script error: No such module "convert". (clockwise from north: Denmark Script error: No such module "convert"., Poland Script error: No such module "convert"., Czech Republic Script error: No such module "convert".,[7] Austria Script error: No such module "convert"., Switzerland Script error: No such module "convert"., France Script error: No such module "convert"., Luxembourg Script error: No such module "convert"., Belgium Script error: No such module "convert"., Netherlands Script error: No such module "convert".). The German-Austrian border crosses itself near Jungholz. The border with Belgium includes five German exclaves due to the Vennbahn railway line. The border with Switzerland includes the German exclave village of Büsingen am Hochrhein which is separated from the rest of Germany by a strip of Swiss territory 680 metres wide at its narrowest point.

Rivers

File:Germanymap2.png
The major German rivers

Script error: No such module "Main list". The main rivers in Germany are:

  • The Rhine (Rhein in German) with a German section extending Script error: No such module "convert". (main tributaries including the Neckar, the Main and the Moselle (Mosel));
  • The Elbe with a German section of Script error: No such module "convert". (also drains into the North Sea); and
  • The Danube (Donau) with a German length of Script error: No such module "convert"..

Further important rivers include the Saale and the Main in central Germany, the Neckar in the southwest, the Weser in the North and the Oder at the eastern border.

Caves

File:Schauhöhlen in Deutschland.png
Show caves in Germany

Throughout the Karst rocks many caves were formed especially in the valley of the Hönne. The biggest culture cave of Europe is located in Balve.

Tidal flats

A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 2,783 km2 of tidal flats in Germany, making it the 11th ranked country in terms of how much tidal flat occurs there.[8]

Natural resources

Environment

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Current issues
  • Emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulphur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests in Germany; 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
International agreements
Natural hazards

Flora and fauna

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Phytogeographically, Germany is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal kingdom. The territory of Germany can be subdivided into two ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine.[9] The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (33%) or forestry and woodland (31%). Only 15% is covered by permanent pastures.

The plants and animals of Germany are those generally common to central Europe. Beeches, oaks, and other deciduous trees constitute one-third of the forests; conifers are increasing as a result of reforestation. Spruce and fir trees predominate in the upper mountains, while pine and larch are found in sandy soil. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Fish abound in the rivers and the North Sea. Wild animals include deer, wild boar, mouflon, fox, badger, hare, Eurasian lynx, and small numbers of beaver. Extinct/endangered animals include gray wolf, brown bear, and European bison. Various migratory birds cross Germany in the spring and autumn.

The national parks in Germany include the Wadden Sea National Parks, the Jasmund National Park, the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park, the Müritz National Park, the Lower Oder Valley National Park, the Harz National Park, the Saxon Switzerland National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park.

Germany is known for its many zoological gardens, wildlife parks, aquaria, and bird parks.[10] More than 400 registered zoos and animal parks operate in Germany, which is believed to be the largest number in any single country of the world.[11] Berlin Zoo is the oldest zoo in Germany and presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.[12]

In the warm regions of the south, subtropical plants and trees like the cactus and palm trees have been planted and multiplied naturally later, while typical middle European trees do also occur. This is only the case though in the Main, Rhine and Neckar valleys and the Lake Constance. In German, people refer to them as German Tuscany or German Riviera.

Human geography

Demographics

File:Population density of Germany 2019.svg
Population density

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With an estimated 83.2 million inhabitants in December 2020, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union and ranks as the 19th largest country in the world in terms of population. Its population density stands at Script error: No such module "convert".. The United Nations Population Fund lists Germany as host to the second-highest number of international migrants worldwide,[13] around 23% of Germany's population do not hold a German passport or are direct descendants of immigrants. The number of third and subsequent generations of immigrants are not statistically recorded.

Administrative divisions

Germany comprises sixteen states that are collectively referred to as Länder.[14] Each state has its own state constitution[15] and is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. Due to differences in size and population the subdivision of these states varies, especially between city states (Stadtstaaten) and states with larger territories (Flächenländer). For regional administrative purposes five states, namely Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, consist of a total of 22 Government Districts (Regierungsbezirke). As of July 2021 Germany is divided into 400 districts (Kreise) on municipal level, these consist of 294 rural districts and 106 urban districts.[16][17]

State Capital Area (km2) Population[18]
Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart 35,752 11,103,043
Bavaria Munich 70,549 13,140,183
Berlin Berlin 892 3,664,088
Brandenburg Potsdam 29,477 2,531,071
Bremen Bremen 404 680,130
Hamburg Hamburg 755 1,852,478
Hesse Wiesbaden 21,115 6,293,154
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Schwerin 23,174 1,610,774
Lower Saxony Hanover 47,618 8,003,421
North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf 34,043 17,925,570
Rhineland-Palatinate Mainz 19,847 4,098,391
Saarland Saarbrücken 2,569 983,991
Saxony Dresden 18,416 4,056,941
Saxony-Anhalt Magdeburg 20,445 2,180,684
Schleswig-Holstein Kiel 15,763 2,910,875
Thuringia Erfurt 16,172 2,120,237

Urbanization

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Germany has a number of large cities; the most populous are: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (12 million), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, and Bochum.

Gallery

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
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  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  4. ↑ German Climate Script error: No such module "webarchive". Handbuch Deutschland. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ List of Ecoregions: Terrestrial Ecoregions Script error: No such module "webarchive". WWF. Retrieved 21 November 2000.
  10. ↑ List of famous Zoological gardens in European countries www.eupedia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  11. ↑ Some interesting zoo facts www.americanzoos.info/. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  12. ↑ Template:In langTierstatistik 2008, Zoo Berlin. Retrieved 19 November 2009. Script error: No such module "webarchive".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ The individual denomination is either Land [state], Freistaat [free state] or Freie (und) Hansestadt [free (and) Hanseatic city].
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  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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Further reading

  • Brüggemeier, F-J., "A Nature Fit for Industry: The Environmental History of the Ruhr Basin, 1840-1990", Environmental History Review, Vol. 18, 1994, pp.35-54.

External links

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