Germany From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the country.

For other uses of terms redirecting here, see Germany (disambiguation) and Deutschland (disambiguation). Page semi-protectedThis is a featured article. Click here for more information. Federal Republic of Germany Bundesrepublik Deutschland Flag Coat of arms Motto: "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (German) "Unity and Justice and Freedom" (unofficial) [1][2][3][4] Anthem: Third stanza of Das Lied der Deutschen [5] (Song of the Germans) MENU0:00 Bundesadler Coat of Arms of the German Government Location of Germany (dark green) in Europe (green & dark grey) Union (green) [Legend] Location of Germany (dark green) in Europe (green & dark grey) in the European Union (green) [Legend] Capital and largest city Berlin 5231'N 1323'E Official languages German[1] Ethnic groups 81% Germans[6][7][8][9] 7% other Europeans 4% Turks 2% Asian 6% others Demonym German Government Federal parliamentary constitutional republic President Joachim Gauck Chancellor Angela Merkel President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert President of the Bundesrat Stephan Weil Legislature Upper house Bundesrat Lower house Bundestag Formation Holy Roman Empire 2 February 962 German Confederation 8 June 1815 Unification 18 January 1871 Federal Republic 23 May 1949 Founded the EEC (now the European Union) 1 January 1958 Reunification 3 October 1990 Area Total 357,168 km2 (63rd) 137,847 sq mi Water (%) 2.416 Population 2014 estimate 80,209,997[10] (16th) 2011 census 80,219,695[11] (16th) Density 225/km2 (58th)

in the European

583/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2014 estimate Total $3.325 trillion[12] (5th) Per capita $40,757[12] (18th) GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate Total $3.747 trillion[12] (4th) Per capita $45,925[12] (18th) Gini (2011) 29.0[13] low HDI (2013) Increase 0.920[14] very high 5th Currency Euro ( ) (EUR) Time zone CET (UTC+1) Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Drives on the right Calling code 49 ISO 3166 code DE Internet TLD .de [2] a. ^ Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany, and Frisian are officially recogn ised by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). b. ^ The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. Germany (Listeni/'d??rm?ni/; German: Deutschland), officially the Federal Republ ic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced ['b?nd?s?epu?bli?k 'd??t?lant] ( listen)),[15] is a federal parliamentary republic in western-cent ral Europe. The country consists of 16 states and its capital and largest city i s Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) an d has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 80.6 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. Germany is the major econ omic and political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many cultural, theoretical and technical fields. Various Germanic tribes occupied what is now northern Germany and southern Scand inavia since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented by the Romans before AD 100. During the Migration Period that coincided with the declin e of the Roman Empire, the Germanic tribes expanded southward and established ki ngdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territor ies formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire.[16] During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. Occupi ed during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confe deration resulted in the unification of most of the German states in 1871 into t he German Empire, which was dominated by Prussia. After the German Revolution of 1918 1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic in 191 8, with some of its territory partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Despite i ts lead in many scientific and cultural fields at this time, Germany nonetheless endured significant economic and political instability, which intensified durin g the Great Depression and contributed to the establishment of the Third Reich i n 1933. The subsequent rise of fascism led to World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990, the country was reunified. Germany has the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth-larg est by purchasing power parity. As a global leader in several industrial and tec hnological sectors, it is the second-largest exporter and third-largest importer of goods. It is a developed country with a very high standard of living, featur ing comprehensive social security that includes the world's oldest universal hea lth care system. Known for its rich cultural and political history, Germany has been the home of many influential philosophers, music composers, scientists, and

inventors. Germany was a founding member of the European Community