{{Short description|Country in Europe}}
{{About|the country}}
{{Redirect|Deutschland|other uses|Deutschland (disambiguation)}}
{{featured article}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2026}}
{{use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Federal Republic of Germany
| common_name            = Germany
| native_name            = {{lang|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Germany.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Germany.svg
| coa_size               = 70
| national_anthem = {{lang|de|"[[Das Lied der Deutschen]]"|italics=no}}{{efn|From 1952 to 1990, the entire "Das Lied der Deutschen" was the national anthem, but only the third verse was sung on official occasions. Since 1991, the third verse alone has been the national anthem.<ref name="PresidentsOffice">{{cite web |url=http://www.bundespraesident.de/DE/Amt-und-Aufgaben/Wirken-im-Inland/Repraesentation-und-Integration/repraesentation-und-integration-node.html |title=Repräsentation und Integration |publisher=[[Bundespräsidialamt]] |language=de |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307221541/http://www.bundespraesident.de/DE/Amt-und-Aufgaben/Wirken-im-Inland/Repraesentation-und-Integration/repraesentation-und-integration-node.html |archivedate=7 March 2016 |accessdate=13 April 2026}}</ref>}}<br />''The Song of the Germans''<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{center|[[File:Nationalhymne der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.mp3]]}}</div>
| image_map              = {{switcher|[[File:EU-Germany (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Germany on the globe centred on Europe|[[File:EU-Germany.svg|frameless]]|Show map of the [[European Union]]|default=1}}
| map_width              = 250px
| capital                = [[Berlin]]{{efn|Berlin is the sole constitutional capital and ''de jure'' seat of government, but the former provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, [[Bonn]], has the special title of "federal city" ({{lang|de|Bundesstadt}}) and is the primary seat of 16 ministries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/the-german-federal-government |website=deutschland.de |title=The German Federal Government |date=23 January 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430004825/https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/the-german-federal-government |archivedate=30 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| coordinates            = {{Coord|52|31|N|13|23|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = [[German language|German]]{{efn|[[Danish language|Danish]], [[Low German]], [[Sorbian languages|Sorbian]], [[Romani language|Romani]], and [[Frisian languages|Frisian]] are recognised by the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/09/the-protection-of-minority-and-regional-languages-in-germany/ |publisher=Library of Congress |last=Gesley |first=Jenny |title=The Protection of Minority and Regional Languages in Germany |date=26 September 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525092638/https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/09/the-protection-of-minority-and-regional-languages-in-germany/ |archivedate=25 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| demonym                = [[Germans|German]]
| government_type        = Federal [[parliamentary republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Germany|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]]
| leader_title2          = [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]]
| leader_name2           = [[Friedrich Merz]]
| legislature            = {{hlist|[[Bundestag]]| [[German Bundesrat|Bundesrat]]}}
| area_km2               = 357,022
| area_rank              = 63rd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 137,847 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water          = 1.27<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|accessdate=13 April 2026|publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]]|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#|archivedate=24 March 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 83,497,147<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Current-Population/Tables/liste-current-population-basis-2022.html |title=Population by nationality and sex (quarterly figures) |publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office of Germany|DESTATIS]] |date=19 December 2025 }}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = Q3 2025
| population_census      = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 82,719,540<ref name="Census2022.DE">{{cite web|url=https://www.zensus2022.de/DE/Ergebnisse-des-Zensus/_inhalt.html#toc-2 |title=Ergebnisse des Zensus 2022 – Bevölkerung (15.05.2022) |publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office of Germany|Destatis]] |date=25 June 2024 |language=de |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250703074423/https://www.zensus2022.de/DE/Ergebnisse-des-Zensus/_inhalt.html |archivedate=3 July 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_census_year = 2022
| population_census_rank = 19th
| population_density_km2 = {{#expr: 83491249/357596 round 0}}
| population_density_sq_mi = <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank = 63rd
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $6.408&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.DE">{{cite web |url=https://data.imf.org/en/Data-Explorer?datasetUrn=IMF.RES:WEO(9.0.0) |title=World Economic Outlook Database (April 2026 Edition) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|date=14 April 2026}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 6th
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2026
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $76,747<ref name="IMFWEO.DE" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 23rd
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $5.453&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.DE" />
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 3rd
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2026
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $65,303<ref name="IMFWEO.DE" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 19th
| Gini                   = 30.1 <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 2025
| Gini_change            = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="eurogini">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate=13 April 2026|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.959
| HDI_rank               = 5th
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| HDI_change             = increase
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archivedate=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref>
| currency               = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
| currency_code          = EUR
| time_zone              = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset             = +1
| utc_offset_DST         = +2
| time_zone_DST          = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| cctld                  = [[.de]]
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Germany|+49]]
| today                  = 
| date_format            = {{hlist|Day, month, year|Year, month, day}}
}}
'''Germany''',{{efn|{{langx|de|Deutschland}}, {{IPA|de|ˈdɔʏtʃlant|lang|De-Deutschland.ogg}}}} officially the '''Federal Republic of Germany''',{{efn|{{langx|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}}, {{IPA|de|ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant|lang|De-Bundesrepublik Deutschland.ogg}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Duden, Aussprachewörterbuch|publisher=Dudenverlag|year=2005|isbn=978-3-411-04066-7|editor-last=Mangold|editor-first=Max|edition=6th|pages=271, 53f|language=de}}</ref>}} is a country in [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Central Europe]]. It lies between the [[Baltic Sea]] and the [[North Sea]] to the north with the [[Alps]] to the south. Its 16 [[States of Germany|constituent states]] have [[Demographics of Germany|a total population]] of over 83 million, making it the most populous [[member state of the European Union]] (EU). Germany borders [[Denmark]] to the north; [[Poland]] and the [[Czech Republic]] to the east; [[Austria]] and [[Switzerland]] to the south; and [[France]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Belgium]], and the [[Netherlands]] to the west. The [[Capital of Germany|nation's capital]] and [[List of cities in Germany by population|most populous city]] is [[Berlin]] and its main financial centre is [[Frankfurt]]; the largest urban area is the [[Ruhr]].

Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the [[Lower Paleolithic]], with various tribes inhabiting it from the [[Neolithic]] onward, chiefly the [[Celts]], and [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribes]] inhabiting the north. [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] named the area [[Germania]]. In 962, the [[Kingdom of Germany]] formed the bulk of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. During the 16th century, [[Northern Germany|northern German regions]] became the centre of the [[Reformation|Protestant Reformation]]. Following the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and [[Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire|the dissolution]] of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the [[German Confederation]] was formed in 1815.

[[Unification of Germany]] into the modern [[Nation state|nation-state]], [[North German Confederation Treaty|led]] by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], [[Proclamation of the German Empire|established]] the [[German Empire]] in 1871. After [[World War I]] and [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|a revolution]], the Empire was replaced by the [[Weimar Republic]]. The [[Adolf Hitler's rise to power|Nazi rise to power]] in 1933 led to the establishment of [[Nazi Germany|a totalitarian dictatorship]], [[World War II]], and [[the Holocaust]]. In 1949, [[end of World War II in Europe|after the war]] and [[Allied-occupied Germany|Allied occupation]], Germany was organised into [[Inner German relations|two separate polities]] with limited sovereignty: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or [[West Germany]], and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or [[East Germany]]. The FRG was a founding member of the [[European Economic Community]], while the GDR was a communist [[Eastern Bloc]] state and a founding member of the [[Warsaw Pact]]. After [[Peaceful Revolution|the fall]] of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|communist-led government]] in East Germany, [[German reunification]] saw the [[New states of Germany|former East German states]] join the FRG on [[German Unity Day|3 October 1990]].

Germany is a [[developed country]] with [[Economy of Germany|a strong economy]], the [[List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (nominal)|largest in Europe by nominal GDP]]. As a major force in several industrial, [[Science and technology in Germany|scientific and technological]] sectors, Germany is both the world's [[List of countries by exports|third-largest exporter]] and [[List of countries by imports|third-largest importer]]. Widely considered a [[great power]], Germany is part of [[Foreign relations of Germany#International organizations|multiple international organisations and forums]]. It has the [[World Heritage Sites by country|third-highest number]] of UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]s: [[List of World Heritage Sites in Germany|55]], of which 52 are cultural.

== Etymology ==
<!--linked-->
{{Further|Names of Germany|Germani|Germania}}
The [[English language|English]] word ''Germany'' derives from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Germania}}, which came into use after [[Julius Caesar]] adopted it for the peoples east of the [[Rhine]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/germany00hage/page/4 |title=Germany: A New History |last=Schulze |first=Hagen |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-674-80688-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/germany00hage/page/4 4] |author-link=Hagen Schulze}}</ref> The [[German language|German]] term {{lang|de|Deutschland}}, originally {{lang|gmh|diutisciu land}} ('the German lands'), is derived from {{wikt-lang|de|deutsch}} ([[cf.]] ''[[wikt:Dutch#English|Dutch]]''), which descended from [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|diutisc}} 'of the people' (from {{lang|goh|diot}} or {{lang|goh|diota}} 'people'), originally used to distinguish the [[Vernacular|language of the common people]] from Latin and [[Romance languages|its Romance descendants]]. This in turn descends from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þiudiskaz|þiudiskaz]]}} 'of the people' (see also the Latinised form {{lang|la|[[Theodiscus]]}}), derived from {{lang|gem-x-proto|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þeudō|þeudō]]}}, descended from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tewtéh₂|tewtéh₂-]]}} 'people', from which the word ''[[Teutons]]'' also originates.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKfYGNwwNVIC&pg=PA523 |title=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band II |last1=Lloyd |first1=Albert L. |last2=Lühr |first2=Rosemarie |last3=Springer |first3=Otto |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |year=1998 |isbn=978-3-525-20768-0 |pages=699–704 |language=German |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911012455/https://books.google.com/books?id=iKfYGNwwNVIC&pg=PA523 |archivedate=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}} (for {{lang|goh|diutisc}}). {{cite book |last1=Lloyd |first1=Albert L. |title=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band II |year=1998 |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |isbn=978-3-525-20768-0 |pages=685–686|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKfYGNwwNVIC&pg=PA516 |last2=Lühr |first2=Rosemarie |last3=Springer |first3=Otto |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916000730/https://books.google.com/books?id=iKfYGNwwNVIC&pg=PA516 |archivedate=16 September 2015 }} (for {{lang|goh|diot}}).</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Germany}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of German history}}

=== Prehistory ===
{{Main|Linear Pottery culture|Unetice culture|Urnfield culture|Celts}}

Ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wagner |first1=G. A |last2=Krbetschek |first2=M |last3=Degering |first3=D |last4=Bahain |first4=J.-J |last5=Shao |first5=Q |last6=Falgueres |first6=C |last7=Voinchet |first7=P |last8=Dolo |first8=J.-M |last9=Garcia |first9=T |last10=Rightmire |first10=G. P |date=27 August 2010 |title=Radiometric dating of the type-site for Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer, Germany |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|PNAS]] |volume=107 |issue=46 |pages=19726–19730 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1012722107 |pmc=2993404 |pmid=21041630 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The first non-modern human fossil (the [[Neanderthal]]) was discovered in the [[Neandertal (valley)|Neander Valley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html |publisher=Natural History Museum |title=Who were the Neanderthals? |last=Hendry |first=Lisa |date=5 May 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330003649/https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html |archivedate=30 March 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly dated evidence of modern humans has been found in the [[Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura|Swabian Jura]], including 42,000-year-old [[Paleolithic flute|flute]]s which are the oldest musical instruments ever found,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196349 |title=Earliest music instruments found |date=25 May 2012 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903041534/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196349 |archivedate=3 September 2017 }}</ref> the 40,000-year-old [[Lion-man|Lion Man]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ice-Age-iLion-Mani-is-worlds-earliest-figurative-sculpture/28595 |title=Ice Age Lion Man is world's earliest figurative sculpture |date=31 January 2013 |website=[[The Art Newspaper]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215162121/http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ice-Age-iLion-Mani-is-worlds-earliest-figurative-sculpture/28595 |archivedate=15 February 2015 }}</ref> and the 41,000-year-old [[Venus of Hohle Fels]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Nature|volume=459|title=A female figurine from the basal Aurignacian of Hohle Fels Cave in southwestern Germany|last=Conard|first=Nicholas|year=2009|issue=7244|pages=248–252|doi=10.1038/nature07995|pmid=19444215}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/news/press-releases/newsfullview-pressemitteilungen/article/es-muss-eigentlich-eine-frau-sein.html | title="It must be a woman" – The female depictions from Hohle Fels date to 40,000 years ago... | publisher=Universität Tübingen | date=22 July 2015| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011145105/https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/news/press-releases/newsfullview-pressemitteilungen/article/es-muss-eigentlich-eine-frau-sein.html | archivedate=11 October 2016 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Germanic tribes, Roman frontier and the Frankish Empire ===
{{Main|Jastorf culture|Germanic peoples|Germania|Migration Period|Frankish Realm}}

[[File:Trier 012.JPG|thumb|[[Aula Palatina|Basilica of Constantine]] in [[Trier]] (''[[Augusta Treverorum]]''), built in the 4th century]]
From southern [[Scandinavia]] and [[northern Germany]], the [[Germanic peoples]] expanded south, east, and west, coming into contact with the [[Celts|Celtic]], [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]], [[Balts|Baltic]], and [[Early Slavs|Slavic]] tribes.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_g6n9/page/35 |title=Medieval Experience: 300–1400 |last=Claster |first=Jill N. |publisher=New York University Press |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-8147-1381-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_g6n9/page/35 35]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Hickey |editor-first=Raymond |chapter=Contact and the History of Germanic Languages|last=Roberge|first=Paul |title=The Handbook of Language Contact |date=2020 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |isbn=978-1119485025 |edition=2nd |pages=323–325|doi=10.1002/9781119485094.ch16 }}</ref> Southern Germany was inhabited by Celtic-speaking peoples, who belonged to the wider [[La Tène culture]]. They were later assimilated by the Germanic conquerors.<ref>{{cite book|pages=92&ndash;103|title=The greatness and decline of the Celts|year=2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|last=Hubert|first=Henri|isbn=9780415848763}}</ref>

Under [[Augustus]], the [[Roman Empire]] began to invade lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes, creating a short-lived Roman province of [[Germania Antiqua|Germania]] between the Rhine and [[Elbe]] rivers. In 9 AD, three [[Roman legion]]s were defeated by [[Arminius]] in the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]].<ref>{{cite book|page=13|title=The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest|last=Wells|first=Peter|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2004|isbn=978-0-393-35203-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bordewich |first=Fergus M. |title=The Ambush That Changed History |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ambush-that-changed-history-72636736/ |date=September 2006 |website=Smithsonian Magazine|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20260304133540/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ambush-that-changed-history-72636736/ |archivedate=4 March 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> The outcome of this battle dissuaded the Romans from their ambition of conquering [[Germania]] and is thus considered one of the most significant events in [[European history]].{{sfn|Murdoch|2004|p=57}} By 100 AD, when [[Tacitus]] wrote ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]'', Germanic tribes had settled along the Rhine and the Danube (the [[Limes Germanicus]]), occupying most of modern Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1631/ |accessdate=10 April 2025 |publisher=UNESCO|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20260303031959/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1631/ |archivedate=3 March 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, [[Baden Württemberg|Baden-Württemberg]], southern [[Bavaria]], southern [[Hesse]] and the western [[Rhineland]] had [[Germanic Wars|been incorporated]] into [[Roman province]]s.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=9–13}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Modi |first=J. J. |date=1916 |title=The Ancient Germans: Their History, Constitution, Religion, Manners and Customs |url=https://archive.org/stream/TheJournalOfTheAnthropologicalSocietyOfBombay/The-Journal-of-the-Anthropological-society-of-Bombay#page/n651/mode/2up |journal=The Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay |volume=10 |issue=7 |quote=Raetia (modern Bavaria and the adjoining country) |page=647}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge Ancient History: X, The Augustan Empire, 43 B.C. – A.D. 69 |last=Rüger |first=C. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-521-26430-3 |editor-last=Bowman |editor-first=Alan K. |edition=2nd |volume=10 |pages=527–28 |chapter=Germany |orig-year=1996 |editor-last2=Champlin |editor-first2=Edward |editor-last3=Lintott |editor-first3=Andrew |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JZLW4-wba7UC&pg=PA528}}</ref>

Around 260, Germanic peoples broke into Roman-controlled lands.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The crisis of empire, A.D. 193–337 |last1=Bowman |first1=Alan K. |last2=Garnsey |first2=Peter |last3=Cameron |first3=Averil |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-521-30199-2 |series=The Cambridge Ancient History |volume=12 |page=442}}</ref> After the invasion of the [[Huns]] in 375, and with the decline of Rome from 395, Germanic tribes moved farther southwest: the Franks established the [[Frankish Kingdom]] and pushed east to subjugate [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]] and [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]]. Areas of modern eastern Germany were inhabited by [[West Slavs|Western Slavic]] tribes.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=9–13}}

{{Clear left}}

=== East Francia and the Holy Roman Empire ===
{{Main|East Francia|Kingdom of Germany|Holy Roman Empire}}

[[File:Kingdom of Germany 1004.svg|thumb|The medieval [[Kingdom of Germany]] ({{lang|la|Regnum Teutonicum}}) within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1004]]
[[File:Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Martin Luther, 1528 (Veste Coburg).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Martin Luther]], born in [[Eisleben]] in 1483, challenged the indulgences of the [[Catholic Church]], giving rise to the [[Reformation]] and [[Protestantism]].]]
[[Charlemagne]] founded the [[Carolingian Empire]] in 800; it was [[Treaty of Verdun|divided in 843]].{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|p= 11}} The eastern successor kingdom of [[East Francia]] stretched from the Rhine in the west to the Elbe river in the east and from the North Sea to the Alps.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|p= 11}} Subsequently, the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire emerged from it. The [[Ottonian]] rulers (919–1024) consolidated several major [[Stem duchy|duchies]].<ref>{{cite book|page=55|title=Franks and Saracens|last=Falk|first=Avner|publisher=Routledge|year=2018|isbn=978-0-429-89969-0}}</ref> In 996, [[Pope Gregory V|Gregory V]] became the first German Pope, appointed by his cousin [[Otto III]], whom he shortly after crowned Holy Roman Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire absorbed [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|northern Italy]] and [[Kingdom of Burgundy (Holy Roman Empire)|Burgundy]] under the [[Salian]] emperors (1024–1125), although the emperors lost power through the [[Investiture Controversy]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI |last=McBrien, Richard |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2000 |page=138}}</ref>

Under the [[Hohenstaufen]] emperors (1138–1254), German princes encouraged German settlement to the south and east ({{lang|de|[[Ostsiedlung]]}}).{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp= 19–20}} Members of the [[Hanseatic League]], mostly north German towns, prospered in the expansion of trade.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp= 13–24}} The population declined starting with the [[Great Famine of 1315–1317|Great Famine]] in 1315, followed by the [[Black Death]] of 1348–1350.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nelson |first=Lynn Harry |url=http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/black_death.html |title=The Great Famine (1315–1317) and the Black Death (1346–1351) |publisher=University of Kansas |accessdate=19 March 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429072010/http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/black_death.html |archivedate=29 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Golden Bull of 1356|Golden Bull]] issued in 1356 provided the constitutional structure of the Empire and codified the election of the emperor by seven [[prince-elector]]s.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|p= 27}}

[[Johannes Gutenberg]] introduced moveable-type printing to Europe, laying the basis for the [[democratization of knowledge|democratisation of knowledge]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Eisenstein|first=Elizabeth|year=1980|pages=3–43|title=The printing press as an agent of change|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-29955-8}}</ref> Following [[Martin Luther]]'s 1517 Protestant Reformation, bolstered by [[Luther Bible|his standardised Bible translation]], led to the 1555 [[Peace of Augsburg]], which recognised [[Lutheranism]] under the principle of {{lang|la|[[cuius regio, eius religio]]}} (ruler's faith dictates subjects' faith).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.barcelonagse.eu/sites/default/files/working_paper_pdfs/540.pdf|last=Cantoni|first=Davide |title=Adopting a New Religion: The Case of Protestantism in 16th Century Germany|year=2011 |journal=Barcelona GSE Working Paper Series|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809160613/http://www.barcelonagse.eu/sites/default/files/working_paper_pdfs/540.pdf |archivedate=9 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> From the [[Cologne War]] through the [[Thirty Years' War]]s (1618–1648), religious conflict devastated German lands and significantly reduced the population.<ref name="Philpott">{{Cite journal |last=Philpott |first=Daniel |date=January 2000 |title=The Religious Roots of Modern International Relations |journal=World Politics |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=206–245 |doi=10.1017/S0043887100002604|ssrn=1424223 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/savagewarsofpeac0000macf/page/51 |title=The Savage Wars of Peace: England, Japan and the Malthusian Trap |last=Macfarlane |first=Alan |publisher=Blackwell |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-631-18117-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/savagewarsofpeac0000macf/page/51 51]}}</ref>

The [[Peace of Westphalia]] ended religious warfare among the [[Imperial Estate]]s.<ref name="Philpott" /> The legal system initiated by a series of [[Imperial Reform]]s (approximately 1495–1555) provided for considerable local autonomy and a stronger [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]].<ref>{{cite book|page=113 |last1=Härter |first1=Karl|chapter=The Early Modern Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (1495–1806): A Multi-Layered Legal System |title=Law and Empire: Ideas, Practices, Actors|editor1=Jeroen Duindam |editor2=Jill Diana Harries |editor3=Caroline Humfress |editor4=Hurvitz Nimrod |publisher=Brill|year=2013|isbn=978-90-04-24951-6|doi=10.1163/9789004249516_007}}</ref> The [[House of Habsburg]] held the imperial crown from 1438 until the death of [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] in 1740. Following the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] and the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]], Charles VI's daughter [[Maria Theresa]] ruled as [[Queen consort|empress consort]] when her husband, [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis I]], became emperor.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cultures of Power in Europe during the Long Eighteenth Century |editor1=Hamish Scott |editor2=Brendan Simms |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46377-5 |page=45 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBF7lodVd4EC&pg=PA45}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Museum|accessdate=15 March 2020|url=https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=49231|title=Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152726/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG111929|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1740, [[German dualism|dualism]] between the Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]] and the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] dominated German history. In 1772, 1793, and 1795, Prussia and Austria, along with the [[Russian Empire]], agreed to the [[Partitions of Poland]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change |url=https://archive.org/details/historyeasterneu00bide_296 |url-access=limited |last1=Bideleux |first1=Robert |last2=Jeffries |first2=Ian |publisher=Routledge |year=1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyeasterneu00bide_296/page/n171 156]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Region, State and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe |last1=Batt |first1=Judy |last2=Wolczuk |first2=Kataryna |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |page=153}}</ref> During the period of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], the [[Napoleonic era]] and the subsequent [[Final Recess of the Reichsdeputation|final meeting of the Imperial Diet]], most of the [[Free Imperial Cities]] were annexed by dynastic territories; the ecclesiastical territories were secularised and annexed. In 1806 the {{lang|de|Imperium}} was dissolved; France, Russia, Prussia, and the Habsburgs (Austria) competed for hegemony in the German states during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|p= 97}}

=== German Confederation and Empire ===
{{Main|German question|German Confederation|Unification of Germany|German Empire|German colonial empire}}

[[File:German Confederation (1815).svg|thumb|The German Confederation in 1815]]
Following the fall of [[Napoleon]], the [[Congress of Vienna]] founded the German Confederation, a loose league of [[States of the German Confederation|39 sovereign states]]. The appointment of the [[emperor of Austria]] as the permanent president reflected the Congress' rejection of [[Prussia]]'s rising influence. Disagreement within [[Concert of Europe|restoration]] politics partly led to the rise of [[Liberalism in Germany|liberal]] movements, followed by new measures of repression by Austrian statesman [[Klemens von Metternich]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=307–308|title=The Wiley-Blackwell Dictionary of Modern European History Since 1789|editor1=Nicholas Atkin |editor2=Michael Biddiss |editor3=Frank Tallett|publisher=Wiley|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4443-9072-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter=Austria, Prussia, and the German Confederation: The Defense of Central Europe, 1815–1854|last=Sondhaus|first=Lawrence|pages=50–74|editor1=Talbot C. Imlay |editor2=Monica Duffy Toft|title=The Fog of Peace and War Planning: Military and Strategic Planning under Uncertainty|publisher=Routledge|year=2007|isbn=978-1-134-21088-6}}</ref> The {{lang|de|[[Zollverein]]}}, a tariff union, furthered economic unity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Henderson |first=W. O. |date=January 1934 |title=The Zollverein |journal=History |volume=19 |issue=73 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-229X.1934.tb01791.x}}</ref> In light of [[Revolutions of 1848|revolutionary movements in Europe]], intellectuals and commoners started the [[German revolutions of 1848–1849|revolutions of 1848 in the German states]], raising the German question. King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]] was offered the title of emperor, but with a loss of power; he rejected the crown and the [[Frankfurt Constitution|proposed constitution]], a temporary setback for the movement.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=40963126|title='The Old Forms are Breaking Up, ... Our New Germany is Rebuilding Itself': Constitutionalism, Nationalism and the Creation of a German Polity during the Revolutions of 1848–49|last=Hewitson|first=Mark|journal=The English Historical Review|volume=125|number=516|pages=1173–1214|year=2010|doi=10.1093/ehr/ceq276}}</ref>

[[File:Berlin Nationaldenkmal Kaiser Wilhelm mit Schloss 1900.jpg|thumb|right|[[Berlin Palace]], the main residence of the Kings of Prussia and German Emperors]]
King [[William I, German Emperor|William I]] appointed [[Otto von Bismarck]] as the [[Minister President of Prussia]] in 1862. Bismarck successfully concluded the [[Second Schleswig War|war with Denmark in 1864]]; the subsequent decisive Prussian victory in the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866 enabled him to create the [[North German Confederation]] which excluded [[Austrian Empire|Austria]]. After the defeat of France in the [[Franco-Prussian War]], the German princes proclaimed the founding of the German Empire in 1871. Prussia was the dominant constituent state of the new empire; the King of Prussia ruled as its [[German Emperor|Emperor]] ({{lang|de|Kaiser}}), and Berlin became its capital.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/countries/issues/german-unification|title=Issues Relevant to U.S. Foreign Diplomacy: Unification of German States|publisher=US Department of State Office of the Historian|accessdate=18 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001095812/https://history.state.gov/countries/issues/german-unification|archivedate=1 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bismarck">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bismarck_otto_von.shtml|title=Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898)|publisher=BBC|accessdate=18 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127025023/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bismarck_otto_von.shtml|archivedate=27 November 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the {{lang|de|[[Gründerzeit]]}} period following the unification of Germany, Bismarck's foreign policy as [[chancellor of Germany]] secured Germany's position as a great nation by forging alliances and avoiding war.<ref name="bismarck" /> However, under [[Wilhelm II]], Germany took an [[New Imperialism|imperialistic]] course, leading to friction with neighbouring countries.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=260734 |title=Kaiser Wilhelm II and German Politics|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|volume=25|year=1990|pages=289–316 |last1=Mommsen|first1=Wolfgang J.|issue=2/3|doi=10.1177/002200949002500207 }}</ref> [[Dual Alliance (1879)|A dual alliance]] was created with the [[multinational state|multinational realm]] of [[Austria-Hungary]]; the [[Triple Alliance (1882)|Triple Alliance of 1882]] included Italy. Britain, France and Russia also concluded alliances to protect against Habsburg interference with Russian interests in the Balkans or German interference against France.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp= 135, 149}} At the [[Berlin Conference]] in 1884, Germany claimed [[List of former German colonies#German Empire|several colonies]] including [[German East Africa]], [[German South West Africa]], [[Togoland]], and [[Kamerun]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=100 maps |publisher=Sterling Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4027-2885-3 |editor-last=Black, John |page=202}}</ref> Germany later expanded its colonial empire to include holdings in the Pacific and [[China]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/how-imperial-germany-lost-asia/|magazine=The Diplomat|title=How Imperial Germany Lost Asia|last=Farley|first=Robert|date=17 October 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319015901/https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/how-imperial-germany-lost-asia/|archivedate=19 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The colonial government in South West Africa (present-day [[Namibia]]), from 1904 to 1908, carried out the [[Herero and Nama genocide|annihilation of the local Herero and Nama peoples]] as punishment for an uprising;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Olusoga|first1= David |last2= Erichsen|first2= Casper |year=2010|title= The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism|publisher= Faber and Faber|isbn=978-0-571-23141-6}}</ref><ref name="Bazyler">{{Cite book|title=Holocaust, Genocide, and the Law: A Quest for Justice in a Post-Holocaust World|author=Michael Bazyler|author-link=Michael Bazyler|date=2016|pages=169–70|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref name="Germanyagrees">{{Cite news |last=Oltermann |first=Philip |date=28 May 2021 |title=Germany agrees to pay Namibia €1.1bn over historical Herero-Nama genocide |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/germany-agrees-to-pay-namibia-11bn-over-historical-herero-nama-genocide |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601024320/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/germany-agrees-to-pay-namibia-11bn-over-historical-herero-nama-genocide |archive-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> this was the 20th century's first [[genocide]].<ref name="Bazyler" />

[[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|The assassination]] of [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Austria's crown prince]] on 28 June 1914 provided the pretext for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia and trigger [[World War I]]. After four years of warfare, in which approximately two million German soldiers were killed,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/aged-107-last-german-world-war-i-veteran-believed-to-have-died-a-530319.html |title=Last German World War I veteran believed to have died |last=Crossland |first=David |date=22 January 2008 |work=Spiegel Online |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008172434/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/aged-107-last-german-world-war-i-veteran-believed-to-have-died-a-530319.html |archivedate=8 October 2012 }}</ref> [[Armistice with Germany|a general armistice]] ended the fighting. In the [[German Revolution]] (November 1918), Wilhelm II and the ruling princes [[abdication|abdicated]] their positions.

=== Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany ===
{{Main|Weimar Republic|Nazi Germany}}

[[File:Hitler portrait crop.jpg|thumb|[[Adolf Hitler]], dictatorial ''[[Führer]]'' of Nazi Germany from 1933 until [[Death of Adolf Hitler|his suicide]] in 1945|upright]]
<!-- deleted, see Talk page [[File:Europe under Nazi domination.png|thumb|A map of [[German-occupied Europe]] in 1942 during [[World War II]] with areas controlled by the German Reich shown in bold black]] -->
On 9 November 1918, [[Philipp Scheidemann]], a Social Democrat, [[Proclamation of the republic in Germany|proclaimed the German Republic]], marking Germany's transition to a [[Federal republic|federal democratic state]]. Germany's new leadership signed the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919, accepting defeat by the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]]. Germans perceived the treaty as humiliating, which was seen by historians as influential in the rise of [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Versailles: A Reassessment after 75 Years |last1=Boemeke |first1=Manfred F. |last2=Feldman |first2=Gerald D. |last3=Glaser |first3=Elisabeth |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-521-62132-8 |series=Publications of the German Historical Institute |pages=1–20, 203–220, 469–505 }}</ref> Germany lost around 13% of its European territory and ceded all of its colonial possessions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/media_nm.php?MediaId=1620 |title=German territorial losses, Treaty of Versailles, 1919 |publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704070745/https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/media_nm.php?MediaId=1620 |archivedate=4 July 2016 |accessdate=11 June 2016}}</ref>

On 11 August 1919, President [[Friedrich Ebert]] signed the democratic [[Weimar Constitution]].{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=156–160}} [[Bavarian Soviet Republic|Communists briefly seized power in Bavaria]] and a few larger cities, while conservative elements failed to overthrow the central government in the 1920 [[Kapp Putsch]]. The [[occupation of the Ruhr]] by Belgian and French troops and a period of [[Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic|hyperinflation]] followed. A [[Dawes Plan|plan to restructure Germany's war reparations]] and the creation of [[German Rentenmark|a new currency]] in 1924 helped stabilise the government and ushered in the [[Golden Twenties]], an era of artistic innovation and liberal cultural life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nicholls |first=AJ |title=Weimar and the Rise of Hitler |publisher=Macmillan |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-333-05806-0 |pages=56–70 |chapter=1919–1922: Years of Crisis and Uncertainty}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|jstor=3113137|title=The United States and the Reconstruction of Germany in the 1920s|first=Frank|last=Costigliola |journal=The Business History Review |volume=50 |number=4|year=1976|pages=477–502|doi=10.2307/3113137 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=86|title=The Weimar Republic|last=Kolb|first=Eberhard|edition=2nd|publisher=Psychology Press |year=2005|isbn=978-0-415-34441-8|translator1=P. S. Falla |translator2=R. J. Park}}</ref>

In 1929, the [[Great Depression]] hit Germany, and by 1932 the unemployment rate had risen to nearly 30%.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dimsdale |first1=Nicholas H. |last2=Horsewood |first2=Nicholas |last3=Van Riel |first3=Arthur |date=September 2006 |title=Unemployment in Interwar Germany: An Analysis of the Labor Market, 1927–1936 |journal=Journal of Economic History |volume=66 |issue=3 |page=778 |doi=10.1017/S0022050706000325 |id={{ProQuest|216448809}} }}</ref> The [[Nazi Party]] led by Adolf Hitler became the largest party in the Reichstag after the [[July 1932 German federal election|election of July 1932]], and [[President Hindenburg]] appointed Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933.{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=155–158, 172–177}} After the [[Reichstag fire]], [[Reichstag Fire Decree|a decree]] abrogated basic [[civil rights]], and the first [[Nazi concentration camp]] opened.<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard |last=Evans|title=The Coming of the Third Reich|publisher= Penguin|year= 2003|isbn=978-0-14-303469-8|page=344}}</ref><ref name="MNN">{{Cite journal |date=21 March 1933 |title=Ein Konzentrationslager für politische Gefangene in der Nähe von Dachau |url=http://www.holocaust-history.org/dachau-gas-chambers/photo.cgi?02 |journal=Münchner Neueste Nachrichten|language=German |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000510093525/http://www.holocaust-history.org/dachau-gas-chambers/photo.cgi?02 |archivedate=10 May 2000}}</ref> On 23 March 1933, the [[Enabling Act of 1933|Enabling Act]] gave Hitler unrestricted legislative power, overriding the constitution,<ref>{{cite web |first1=Marc |last1=von Lüpke-Schwarz |title=The law that 'enabled' Hitler's dictatorship |url=https://www.dw.com/en/the-law-that-enabled-hitlers-dictatorship/a-16689839 |date=23 March 2013 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427005942/https://www.dw.com/en/the-law-that-enabled-hitlers-dictatorship/a-16689839 |archivedate=27 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> and marked the beginning of Nazi Germany. His government established a centralised [[totalitarian state]], [[1933 German referendum|withdrew from the League of Nations]], and dramatically increased [[Germany's rearmament]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/nazi/wirtschaft/index.html |title=Industrie und Wirtschaft |publisher=Deutsches Historisches Museum |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430190641/http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/nazi/wirtschaft/index.html |archivedate=30 April 2011 |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref> A government-sponsored programme for economic renewal focused on public works, the most famous of which was the {{lang|de|[[Reichsautobahn|Autobahn]]}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Evans|first= Richard |year=2005|title=The Third Reich in Power|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-14-303790-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/thirdreichinpowe00evan/page/322 322]–326, 329 |url=https://archive.org/details/thirdreichinpowe00evan|url-access=registration}}</ref>

In 1935, the regime withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles and introduced the [[Nuremberg Laws]] which targeted [[Jews]] and other [[Minority group|minorities]].<ref>{{cite web|magazine=Prologue|last=Bradsher|first=Greg|year=2010 |title=The Nuremberg Laws |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/winter/nuremberg.html |volume=42|url-status=live|archivedate=25 April 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425130322/https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/winter/nuremberg.html}}</ref> Germany also reacquired control of the [[Territory of the Saar Basin|Saarland]] in 1935,{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=188–189}} [[remilitarization of the Rhineland|remilitarised the Rhineland]] in 1936, [[Anschluss|annexed Austria]] in 1938, [[Sudetenland#Sudetenland as part of Nazi Germany|annexed the Sudetenland]] in 1938 with the [[Munich Agreement]], and, in violation of the agreement, [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|occupied Czechoslovakia]] in March 1939.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/themes/descent-into-war.htm |publisher=National Archives|title=Descent into War|accessdate=19 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320015948/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/themes/descent-into-war.htm|archivedate=20 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|de|[[Kristallnacht]]}} (Night of Broken Glass) saw the burning of synagogues, the destruction of Jewish businesses, and mass arrests of Jewish people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007697 |title=The 'Night of Broken Glass' |publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075203/https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007697 |archivedate=11 February 2017 |accessdate=8 February 2017}}</ref>

In August 1939, [[Hitler's government]] negotiated the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]] that divided Eastern Europe into German and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] spheres of influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-soviet-pact|title=German-Soviet Pact|publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|accessdate=19 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311115713/https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-soviet-pact|archivedate=11 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> On 1 September 1939, Germany [[invasion of Poland|invaded Poland]], beginning [[European theatre of World War II|World War II in Europe]];{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=190–195}} Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hiden|first1=John|last2=Lane|first2= Thomas|year=2003|title=The Baltic and the Outbreak of the Second World War|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-53120-7 |pages=143–144}}</ref> In spring 1940, Germany [[Operation Weserübung|conquered Denmark and Norway]], [[German invasion of the Netherlands|the Netherlands]], [[German invasion of Belgium (1940)|Belgium]], [[German invasion of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], and [[Battle of France|France]]. The British repelled German air attacks in the [[Battle of Britain]] in the same year. In 1941, German troops [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|invaded Yugoslavia]], [[Battle of Greece|Greece]] and the [[Operation Barbarossa|Soviet Union]], and Germany declared war on the United States. By 1942, Germany and its allies controlled most of [[German-occupied Europe|continental Europe]] and [[North Africa]], but following the Soviet victory at the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], the Allied [[North African Campaign|reconquest of North Africa]] and [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|invasion of Italy]] in 1943, German forces suffered repeated military defeats. In 1944, the Soviets [[Eastern Front (World War II)#Summer 1944|pushed into Eastern Europe]]; the Western allies [[Operation Overlord|landed in France]] and entered Germany despite a [[Battle of the Bulge|final German counteroffensive]]. Following [[Death of Adolf Hitler|Hitler's suicide]] during the [[Battle of Berlin]], [[German Instrument of Surrender|Germany signed the surrender document]] on 8 May 1945, [[End of World War II in Europe|ending World War II in Europe]]{{sfn|Fulbrook |1991|pp=190–195}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/world-war-ii-key-dates|publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|title=World War II: Key Dates|accessdate=19 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311150818/https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/world-war-ii-key-dates|archivedate=11 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and Nazi Germany. After the war, surviving Nazi officials were tried for [[War crimes of the Wehrmacht|war crimes]] at the [[Nuremberg trials]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/nuremberg_article_01.shtml |title=Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial |last=Overy |first=Richard |date=17 February 2011 |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316053707/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/nuremberg_article_01.shtml |archivedate=16 March 2011 }}</ref><ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|first=Ian|last=Kershaw|title=Stalinism and Nazism: dictatorships in comparison|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1997|page=150|isbn=978-0-521-56521-9}}</ref>

Discrimination was institutionalised through legislation and perpetrated at an industrial scale with concentration and [[death camps]] across Europe. The [[crimes against humanity]] culminated in but were not limited to what later became known as [[the Holocaust]], the systematic murdering of around 6 million Jews. [[Holocaust victims|Several other minority groups]] were targeted: at least 130,000 [[Porajmos|Romani]], 275,000 [[Aktion T4|disabled]], thousands of [[Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany|Jehovah's Witnesses]], thousands of [[Persecution of homosexual men in Nazi Germany|homosexuals]], and hundreds of thousands of [[Nacht und Nebel|political and religious opponents]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust |url=https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetot00niew |url-access=registration |last1=Niewyk |first1=Donald L. |last2=Nicosia, Francis R. |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-231-11200-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetot00niew/page/n466 45]–52}}</ref> [[Generalplan Ost|Nazi policies in German-occupied countries]] resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2.7&nbsp;million Poles,<ref>{{cite book |title= Polska 1939–1945: Straty osobowe i ofiary represji pod dwiema okupacjami |publisher=Institute of National Remembrance|page=9|year=2009}}</ref> 1.3&nbsp;million Ukrainians, 1&nbsp;million Belarusians and 3.5&nbsp;million [[German mistreatment of Soviet prisoners of war|Soviet prisoners of war]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Maksudov|first=S|year=1994 |title=Soviet Deaths in the Great Patriotic War: A Note|journal=Europe-Asia Studies|volume=46|number=4 |pages=671–680 |doi=10.1080/09668139408412190|pmid=12288331}}</ref><ref name="books.google.com" /> [[German casualties in World War II|German military casualties]] have been estimated at 5.3&nbsp;million,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Deutsche militärische Verluste im Zweiten Weltkrieg |last=Overmans, Rüdiger |year=2000 |publisher=Oldenbourg |isbn=978-3-486-56531-7}}</ref> and around 900,000 German civilians died.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The End; Germany 1944–45 |last=Kershaw |first=Ian |publisher=Allen Lane |year=2011 |page=279}}</ref>

During the later stages of and after World War II, around 12&nbsp;million [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950)|ethnic Germans were expelled]] from across Eastern Europe, and Germany lost roughly [[Former eastern territories of Germany|one-quarter of its pre-war territory]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Demshuk |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySLyE6YJEn0C&pg=PA52 |title=The Lost German East |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-02073-3 |page=52 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201215323/https://books.google.com/books?id=ySLyE6YJEn0C&pg=PA52 |archivedate=1 December 2016}}</ref>

=== East and West Germany ===
{{Main|History of Germany (1945–1990)|Allied-occupied Germany|West Germany|East Germany}}

[[File:Thefalloftheberlinwall1989.JPG|thumb|The [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] in 1989 was one of the first developments in the end of the [[Cold War]], leading ultimately to the dissolution of the [[Soviet Union]].]]

After the surrender of Nazi Germany, the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] ''[[de jure]]'' [[Berlin Declaration (1945)|abolished the German state]] and partitioned Berlin and Germany's remaining territory into [[Allied-occupied Germany|four occupation zones]]. The western sectors, controlled by France, the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]], were merged on 23 May 1949 to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) ({{langx|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}}; BRD); on 7 October 1949, the Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR) ({{lang|de|Deutsche Demokratische Republik}}; DDR). They were informally known as West Germany and East Germany.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1093/hwj/dbp009|year=2009|title=Trabant and Beetle: the Two Germanies, 1949–89|journal=History Workshop Journal|volume=68|pages=1–2}}</ref> East Germany selected [[East Berlin]] as its capital, while West Germany chose [[Bonn]] as a provisional capital to emphasize its stance that the two-state solution was temporary.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Capital dilemma: Germany's search for a new architecture of democracy |last=Wise |first=Michael Z. |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-56898-134-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/capitaldilemmage0000wise/page/23 23] |url=https://archive.org/details/capitaldilemmage0000wise/page/23 }}</ref>

West Germany was established as a federal parliamentary republic with a [[social market economy]]. In 1948, West Germany became a major recipient of reconstruction aid under the American [[Marshall Plan]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Economic Growth in Europe Since 1945 |last=Carlin |first=Wendy |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-49964-4 |editor-last=Crafts |editor-first=Nicholas |page=464 |chapter=West German growth and institutions (1945–90) |editor-last2=Toniolo |editor-first2=Gianni}}</ref> [[Konrad Adenauer]] was elected the first [[Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany|federal chancellor of Germany]] in 1949. The country enjoyed prolonged economic growth ({{lang|de|[[Wirtschaftswunder]]}}) beginning in the early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bpb.de/izpb/10131/wirtschaft-in-beiden-deutschen-staaten-teil-1 |title=Deutschland in den 50er Jahren: Wirtschaft in beiden deutschen Staaten |first=Werner|last=Bührer |date=24 December 2002 |publisher=Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung |trans-title=Economy in both German states |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201210446/http://www.bpb.de/izpb/10131/wirtschaft-in-beiden-deutschen-staaten-teil-1 |archivedate=1 December 2017 |issue=256 |language=de}}</ref> West Germany joined [[NATO]] in 1955 and was a founding member of the [[European Economic Community]].<ref>{{cite book|page=149|title=A History of Germany 1918–2014: The Divided Nation|publisher=Wiley|last=Fulbrook|first=Mary|year=2014|isbn=978-1-118-77613-1}}</ref> On 1 January 1957, [[1955 Saar Statute referendum|the Saarland joined]] West Germany.<ref name=CS>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/germany/51.htm|title=Rearmament and the European Defense Community|work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]|accessdate=19 May 2023|archive-date=11 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011201535/http://countrystudies.us/germany/51.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

East Germany remained under political and military control by the [[Soviet Union]] via occupation forces and became an [[Eastern Bloc]] state, joining the Soviet-led [[Warsaw Pact]] and [[Comecon]]. Although East Germany claimed to be a democracy, political power was exercised solely by leading members ({{lang|de|[[Politburo|Politbüro]]}}) of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] that was closely aligned with the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]]. An extensive domestic intelligence programme led by the intelligence agency [[Stasi]] was launched that utilized a vast network of informants to crush dissent.<ref>{{cite book|pages=22, 41|title=The Workers' and Peasants' State: Communism and Society in East Germany Under Ulbricht 1945–71|last1=Major|first1=Patrick|last2=Osmond|first2=Jonathan|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7190-6289-6}}</ref> While [[Communist propaganda|East German propaganda]] was based on the benefits of the GDR's social programmes and the alleged threat of a West German invasion, many of its citizens looked to the West for freedom and prosperity.<ref name="NYT_19890822">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/world/westward-tide-of-east-germans-is-a-popular-no-confidence-vote.html |title=Westward Tide of East Germans Is a Popular No-Confidence Vote |last=Protzman |first=Ferdinand |date=22 August 1989 |work=The New York Times |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004232849/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/world/westward-tide-of-east-germans-is-a-popular-no-confidence-vote.html |archivedate=4 October 2012}}</ref> The [[Berlin Wall]], built in 1961, prevented East German citizens from [[Republikflucht|escaping to West Germany]], becoming a symbol of the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/places/berlin_wall |title=The Berlin Wall |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226011158/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/places/berlin_wall |archivedate=26 February 2017 |accessdate=8 February 2017|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

Tensions between East and West Germany were reduced in the late 1960s by Chancellor [[Willy Brandt]]'s {{lang|de|[[Ostpolitik]]}}.<ref>{{cite book|pages=122–123|last1=Williams |first1=Geoffrey Lee |last2=Williams |first2=Alan Lee |title=The European Defence Initiative |chapter=National Perspectives within the Alliance: Impediments to Defence Integration |date=1986|doi=10.1007/978-1-349-07825-7_8 |isbn=978-1-349-07827-1}}</ref> In 1989, Hungary dismantled the [[Iron Curtain]] and [[Removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria|opened its Austrian border]], triggering a mass emigration of East Germans to West Germany. This had devastating effects on the GDR, where [[Monday demonstrations in East Germany|regular mass demonstrations]] received increasing support. In an effort to help retain East Germany as a state, the East German authorities eased border restrictions, but this led to an acceleration of the {{lang|de|Wende}} reform process, culminating in the ''[[Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany|Two Plus Four Treaty]]'' under which Germany explicitly renounced claims to the former eastern territories and regained full sovereignty from the Allies. This permitted [[German reunification]] on 3 October 1990, with the dissolution of the GDR and the accession of the [[New states of Germany|five re-established states]] to the FDR.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wendemuseum.org/sites/default/files/10-9-09Iconoclash%20updated%20brochure_small.pdf|publisher=Wende Museum|title=Iconoclash! Political Imagery from the Berlin Wall to German Unification|last=Deshmukh|first=Marion|accessdate=20 March 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152657/https://www.wendemuseum.org/sites/default/files/10-9-09Iconoclash%20updated%20brochure_small.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] in 1989 became a symbol of the [[fall of Communism]], the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], German reunification and {{lang|de|[[Die Wende]]}} ("the turning point").<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/views/y/1999/11/burns.wall.nov8 |title=What the Berlin Wall still stands for |date=8 November 1999 |work=CNN Interactive |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206104205/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/views/y/1999/11/burns.wall.nov8/ |archivedate=6 February 2008}}</ref>

=== Reunified Germany and the European Union ===
{{Main|German reunification|History of Germany since 1990}}

[[File:Berlin reichstag west panorama 2.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Berlin/Bonn Act]] made [[Berlin]] the [[capital of Germany]] again, with the [[Reichstag building|Reichstag]] becoming the seat of the [[German parliament]] in 1999.]]
United Germany was considered the enlarged continuation of [[West Germany]], so it retained its memberships in international organisations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/einigvtr/art_11.html |title=Vertrag zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik über die Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands (Einigungsvertrag) Art 11 Verträge der Bundesrepublik Deutschland |publisher=Bundesministerium für Justiz und Verbraucherschutz |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225035417/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/einigvtr/art_11.html |archivedate=25 February 2015 |accessdate=15 May 2015}}</ref> Based on the [[Berlin/Bonn Act]] of 1994, [[Berlin]] again became the [[capital of Germany]], while [[Bonn]] obtained the unique status of a {{lang|de|Bundesstadt}} (federal city), retaining some federal ministries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/berlin_bonng/gesamt.pdf |title=Gesetz zur Umsetzung des Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages vom 20. Juni 1991 zur Vollendung der Einheit Deutschlands |date=26 April 1994 |publisher=Bundesministerium der Justiz |language=German |trans-title=Law on the Implementation of the Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages vom 20. Juni 1991 zur Vollendung der Einheit Deutschlands |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714155722/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/berlin_bonng/gesamt.pdf |archivedate=14 July 2016 }}</ref> The relocation of the government was completed in 1999,<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 April 1999 |title=Brennpunkt: Hauptstadt-Umzug |url=http://www.focus.de/panorama/boulevard/brennpunkt-hauptstadt-umzug_aid_175751.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430043907/http://www.focus.de/panorama/boulevard/brennpunkt-hauptstadt-umzug_aid_175751.html |archivedate=30 April 2011 |work=Focus |language=German}}</ref> and modernisation of the East German economy was scheduled to last until 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/europe/19germany.html |title=In East Germany, a Decline as Stark as a Wall |last=Kulish |first=Nicholas |date=19 June 2009 |work=The New York Times |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403073216/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/europe/19germany.html |archivedate=3 April 2011}}</ref>

Since reunification, Germany has taken a more active role in the [[European Union]], signing the [[Maastricht Treaty]] in 1992 and the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007,<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=20787989|title=Germany's EU Policy: The Domestic Discourse|last=Lemke|first=Christiane|journal=German Studies Review|volume=33|number= 3 |year= 2010|pages= 503–516}}</ref> and co-founding the [[eurozone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/europe/eurozone-fast-facts/index.html|publisher=CNN|title=Eurozone Fast Facts|date=21 January 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321015105/https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/europe/eurozone-fast-facts/index.html|archivedate=21 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the [[1999 NATO bombing in Yugoslavia|Balkans]] and sent [[Bundeswehr|German troops]] to [[Afghanistan]] as part of a NATO effort to provide [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|security in that country]] after the ousting of the [[Taliban]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/world/europe/31iht-germany.3343963.html |title=Germany is planning a Bosnia withdrawal |last=Dempsey |first=Judy |date=31 October 2006 |work=International Herald Tribune |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111000841/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/world/europe/31iht-germany.3343963.html |archivedate=11 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-extend-afghanistan-military-mission/a-47501552 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |title=Germany to extend Afghanistan military mission |first=Ben |last=Knight |date=13 February 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304064259/https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-extend-afghanistan-military-mission/a-47501552 |archivedate=4 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2005 German federal election|2005 elections]], [[Angela Merkel]] became the first female chancellor. In 2009, the German government approved a €50&nbsp;billion stimulus plan.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090106-germany-agrees-new-50-billion-euro-stimulus-plan |title=Germany agrees on 50-billion-euro stimulus plan |date=6 January 2009 |work=France 24 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513022443/http://www.france24.com/en/20090106-germany-agrees-new-50-billion-euro-stimulus-plan |archivedate=13 May 2011}}</ref> Among the major German political projects of the early 21st century are the advancement of [[European integration]], the [[Energy transition in Germany|country's energy transition]] ({{lang|de|Energiewende}}) for a [[sustainable energy]] supply, the [[Debt brake (Germany)|debt brake]] for balanced budgets, measures to increase the [[Ageing of Europe#Germany|fertility rate]] ([[Natalistic politics|pronatalism]]), and [[high-tech]] strategies for the transition of the German economy, summarised as [[Industry 4.0]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/merkel-regierungserklaerung110.html |title=Government declaration by Angela Merkel |date=29 January 2014 |publisher=ARD Tagesschau |language=German |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101010608/http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/merkel-regierungserklaerung110.html |archivedate=1 January 2015}}</ref> During the [[2015 European migrant crisis]], the country took in over a million refugees and migrants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 |title=Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts |date=28 January 2016 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131030536/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 |archivedate=31 January 2016|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Germany}}

[[File:Deutschland topo.jpg|thumb|A physical map of Germany]]
Germany is the [[List of European countries by area|seventh-largest country in Europe]].<ref name="CIA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ |title=Germany |website=World Factbook |publisher=CIA |access-date=29 March 2020 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109075739/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany |url-status=dead }}</ref> It borders [[Denmark]] to the north; [[Poland]] and the [[Czech Republic]] to the east; [[Austria]] and [[Switzerland]] to the south; and [[France]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Belgium]], and the [[Netherlands]] to the west. Germany is also bordered by the [[North Sea]] and, at the north-northeast, the [[Baltic Sea]]. German territory covers {{convert|357022|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 September 2023 |title=Germany country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |publisher=BBC |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920162801/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |archivedate=20 September 2023}}</ref> Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (with the highest point being the [[Zugspitze]] at {{convert|2963|m|ft|0|disp=or}}) in the south to the shores of the North Sea ({{lang|de|Nordsee}}) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea ({{lang|de|Ostsee}}) in the northeast. The forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany (lowest point: in the municipality [[Neuendorf-Sachsenbande]], [[Wilstermarsch]], at {{convert|3.54|m|ft|1|disp=or}} below sea level<ref>{{cite journal|title=17: Gebiet und geografische Angaben|journal=Statistische Jahrbuch Schleswig-Holstein 2019/2020|page=307|publisher=Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein|date=2020|language=de|url=https://www.statistik-nord.de/fileadmin/Dokumente/Jahrb%C3%BCcher/Schleswig-Holstein/JB19SH_17_fertig.pdf|accessdate=8 September 2020|archivedate=28 October 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028083227/https://www.statistik-nord.de/fileadmin/Dokumente/Jahrb%C3%BCcher/Schleswig-Holstein/JB19SH_17_fertig.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>) are traversed by major rivers such as the [[Rhine]], [[Danube]], and [[Elbe]]. Significant natural resources include iron ore, coal, [[potash]], timber, [[lignite]], [[uranium]], copper, natural gas, salt, and nickel.<ref name="CIA" />

=== Climate ===
Most of Germany has a [[temperate climate]], ranging from [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] in the north and west to [[Continental climate|continental]] in the east and southeast. A small portion is [[humid subtropical]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Peel |first1=M. C. |last2=Finlayson |first2=B. L. |last3=McMahon |first3=T. A. |date=11 October 2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification |url=https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html |journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |language=English |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Winters range from cold in the Southern Alps to cool and are generally overcast with limited precipitation, while summers can vary from hot and dry to cool and rainy. The northern regions have prevailing westerly winds that bring in moist air from the North Sea, moderating the temperature and increasing precipitation. Conversely, the southeast regions have more extreme temperatures.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/Climate|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|title=Germany: Climate|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323124307/https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/Climate|archivedate=23 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Climate change in Germany]] is leading to long-term impacts on agriculture, more intense [[heat wave]]s and [[cold wave]]s, flash and [[coastal flooding]], and reduced water availability.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 November 2023 |title=Consequences of the climate crisis in Germany are becoming more severe |url=https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/press/pressinformation/consequences-of-the-climate-crisis-in-germany-are |website=Umweltbundesamt }}</ref>

From February 2019–February 2020, average monthly temperatures in Germany ranged from a low of {{convert|3.3|C}} in January 2020 to a high of {{convert|19.8|C}} in June 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/982472/average-monthly-temperature-germany/|website=Statista|title=Average monthly temperature in Germany from February 2019 to February 2020|date=February 2020|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323124304/https://www.statista.com/statistics/982472/average-monthly-temperature-germany/|archivedate=23 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Average monthly precipitation ranged from 30 litres per square metre in February and April 2019 to 125 litres per square metre in February 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/982744/average-monthly-precipitation-germany/|website=Statista|title=Average monthly precipitation in Germany from February 2019 to February 2020|date=February 2020|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323124319/https://www.statista.com/statistics/982744/average-monthly-precipitation-germany/|archivedate=23 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Average monthly hours of sunshine ranged from 45 in November 2019 to 300 in June 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/982758/average-sunshine-hours-germany/|title=Average monthly sunshine hours in Germany from February 2019 to February 2020|website=Statista|date=February 2020|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323124317/https://www.statista.com/statistics/982758/average-sunshine-hours-germany/|archivedate=23 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity ===
[[File:Herbst in den Berchtesgadener Alpen.jpg|thumb|[[Berchtesgaden National Park]] in [[Bavaria]]]]
The territory of Germany is divided into five terrestrial [[ecoregion]]s: [[Atlantic mixed forests]], [[Baltic mixed forests]], [[Central European mixed forests]], [[Western European broadleaf forests]], and [[Alps conifer and mixed forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|doi-access=free|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, 51% of Germany's land area is devoted to agriculture, while 30% is forested and 14% is covered by settlements or infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/climate-impact-farming-land-use-change-and-forestry-germany|title=Climate impact of farming, land use (change) and forestry in Germany|last=Appunn|first=Kerstine|website=Clean Energy Wire|date=30 October 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513071605/https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/climate-impact-farming-land-use-change-and-forestry-germany|archivedate=13 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Plants and animals include those generally common to Central Europe. According to the National Forest Inventory, [[beeches]], [[oak]]s, and other [[deciduous]] trees constitute just over 40% of Germany's forests; roughly 60% are [[conifer]]s, particularly [[spruce]] and [[pine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundeswaldinventur.de/en/third-national-forest-inventory/the-forest-habitat-more-biological-diversity-in-the-forests/spruce-pine-beech-oak-the-most-common-tree-species/|accessdate=23 March 2020|title=Spruce, pine, beech, oak – the most common tree species|website=Third National Forest Inventory|publisher=Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324013625/https://www.bundeswaldinventur.de/en/third-national-forest-inventory/the-forest-habitat-more-biological-diversity-in-the-forests/spruce-pine-beech-oak-the-most-common-tree-species/|archivedate=24 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> There are many species of [[fern]]s, [[flowers]], [[fungi]], and [[mosses]]. Wild animals include [[Central European red deer|roe deer]], [[Central European boar|wild boar]], [[mouflon]] (a subspecies of wild sheep), [[Red fox|fox]], [[European badger|badger]], [[European hare|hare]], and small numbers of the [[Eurasian beaver]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Adventure Guide Germany |last=Bekker |first=Henk |publisher=Hunter |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-58843-503-3 |page=14}}</ref> The blue [[cornflower]] was once a German [[floral emblem|national symbol]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g5GBAAAAMAAJ |title=Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe: Herbs |last1=Marcel Cleene |last2=Marie Claire Lejeune |publisher=Man & Culture |year=2002 |pages=194–196 |isbn=978-90-77135-04-4 |accessdate=3 June 2020 |archivedate=6 June 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606042551/https://books.google.com/books?id=g5GBAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[List of national parks of Germany|16 national parks in Germany]] include the [[Jasmund National Park]], the [[Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park]], the [[Müritz National Park]], the [[Wadden Sea National Parks]], the [[Harz National Park]], the [[Hainich National Park]], the [[Black Forest National Park]], the [[Saxon Switzerland National Park]], the [[Bavarian Forest National Park]] and the [[Berchtesgaden National Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/national-parks.html|title=National Parks|publisher=Federal Agency for Nature Conservation|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324013623/https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/national-parks.html|archivedate=24 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, there are [[Biosphere Reserves in Germany|17 Biosphere Reserves]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/biosphere-reserves.html|title=Biosphere reserves|publisher=Federal Agency for Nature Conservation|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324013622/https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/biosphere-reserves.html|archivedate=24 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Nature parks (Germany)|105 nature parks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/nature-parks.html|title=Nature parks|publisher=Federal Agency for Nature Conservation|accessdate=23 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419120316/https://www.bfn.de/en/activities/protected-areas/nature-parks.html|archivedate=19 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> More than [[List of zoos in Germany|400 zoos and animal parks]] operate in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americanzoos.info/Zoofacts.html |title=Zoo Facts |publisher=Zoos and Aquariums of America |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031007010357/http://www.americanzoos.info/Zoofacts.html |archivedate=7 October 2003 |accessdate=16 April 2011}}</ref> The [[Berlin Zoological Garden|Berlin Zoo]], which opened in 1844, is the oldest in Germany, and claims the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zoo-berlin.de/zoo/unternehmen/historie.html |title=Der Zoologische Garten Berlin |publisher=Zoo Berlin |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430015152/http://www.zoo-berlin.de/zoo/unternehmen/historie.html |archivedate=30 April 2011 |accessdate=19 March 2011}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== Politics ==
{{Main|Politics of Germany}}

{{See also|Taxation in Germany|Federal budget of Germany}}
{{Multiple image
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| image1            = 2025-05-28 Event, Politik- Besuch des Präsidenten der Ukraine Wolodymyr Selenskyj beim deutschen Bundespräsidenten Frank-Walter Steinmeier STP 5822 (Frank-Walter Steinmeier).jpg
| image2            = 2024-08-21 Friedrich Merz in Erfurt 2024 STP 3041 by Stepro (3x4 cropped).jpg
| caption1          = [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]]<br /><small>[[President of Germany|President]]</small>
| caption2          = [[Friedrich Merz]]<br /><small>[[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]]</small>
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Germany is a [[federal republic|federal]], [[parliamentary democratic|parliamentary]], [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic.<ref name="CIA" /> Federal [[legislative power]] is vested in the parliament consisting of the {{lang|de|[[Bundestag]]}} (Federal Diet) and {{lang|de|[[Bundesrat of Germany|Bundesrat]]}} (Federal Council), which together form the legislative body. The {{lang|de|Bundestag}} is elected through [[direct election]]s using the [[mixed-member proportional representation]] system. The members of the {{lang|de|Bundesrat}} represent and are appointed by the governments of the sixteen federated states.<ref name="CIA" />

The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitution known as the {{lang|de|[[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Grundgesetz]]}} (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a [[two-thirds majority]] of both the {{lang|de|Bundestag}} and the {{lang|de|Bundesrat}}; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the [[rule of law]], are valid in perpetuity.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.btg-bestellservice.de/pdf/80201000.pdf |title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |date=October 2010 |website=Deutscher Bundestag |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619180331/https://www.btg-bestellservice.de/pdf/80201000.pdf |archivedate=19 June 2017 |accessdate=14 April 2011}}</ref>

[[President of Germany|The president]], who has been [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] since 2017, is the [[head of state]] and invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers. He is elected by the {{lang|de|[[Bundesversammlung (Germany)|Bundesversammlung]]}} (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the {{lang|de|Bundestag}} and an equal number of state delegates.<ref name="CIA" /> The second-highest official in the [[German order of precedence]] is the {{lang|de|Bundestagspräsident}} ([[president of the Bundestag]]), who is elected by the {{lang|de|Bundestag}} and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/election-2013-the-german-parliament/a-17100952|website=DW|title=Election 2013: The German parliament|date=19 September 2013|last=Seiffert|first=Jeanette|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328230357/https://www.dw.com/en/election-2013-the-german-parliament/a-17100952|archivedate=28 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The third-highest official and the [[head of government]] is the chancellor, who is appointed by the {{lang|de|Bundespräsident}} after being elected by the party or coalition with the most seats in the {{lang|de|Bundestag}}.<ref name="CIA" /> [[Chancellor of Germany|The chancellor]], who has been [[Friedrich Merz]] since 2025, is the head of government and exercises [[executive (government)|executive power]] through [[Cabinet of Germany|his Cabinet]].<ref name="CIA" />

Since 1949, the party system has been dominated by the centre-right [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] and the centre-left [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]. So far every chancellor has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller liberal [[Free Democratic Party]] and [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] have also been [[German governing coalition|junior partners]] in [[coalition government]]s. Since 2007, the democratic socialist party [[Die Linke|The Left]] has been a staple in the German {{lang|de|Bundestag}},<ref>{{cite web |date=7 June 2019 |title=Germany's political parties CDU, CSU, SPD, AfD, FDP, Left party, Greens – what you need to know |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-political-parties-cdu-csu-spd-afd-fdp-left-party-greens-what-you-need-to-know/a-38085900 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214204745/https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-political-parties-cdu-csu-spd-afd-fdp-left-party-greens-what-you-need-to-know/a-38085900 |archivedate=14 February 2020 |website=DW}}</ref> as has the far-right [[Alternative for Germany]] since 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/german-election-results-exit-poll-2017-live-latest-afd-mps-merkel-alternative-a7964796.html|website=The Independent|title=German elections: Far-right wins MPs for first time in half a century|last=Stone|first=Jon|date=24 September 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227224650/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/german-election-results-exit-poll-2017-live-latest-afd-mps-merkel-alternative-a7964796.html|archivedate=27 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Constituent states ===
{{Main|States of Germany|Federalism in Germany|List of current heads of government of the German federal states}}

Germany is a [[federation]] comprising sixteen constituent states referred to as {{lang|de|Länder}},<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany |title=Germany |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url-status=live |accessdate=18 March 2021 |archivedate=13 June 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613043752/https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany }}</ref> thirteen of which are so-called "area-states" (''Flächenländer''). Two states, [[Berlin]] and [[Hamburg]], are [[Independent city#Stadtstaaten|city-states]] (''Stadtstaaten''), in which there is no separation between state government and local administration. The state of [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]], though officially also called a ''Stadtstaat'', consists of the cities of [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]], for which the state government also serves as the municipal administration, and the exclave of [[Bremerhaven]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Die Freie Hansestadt Bremen: Der Zwei-Städte-Staat |url=https://landesportal.bremen.de/zwei-staedte-staat |accessdate=7 March 2026 |website=landesportal.bremen.de |language=de}}</ref>

Each state ({{lang|de|Land}}) has its own constitution<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.landtag.nrw.de/portal/WWW/GB_I/I.7/Europa/Wissenswertes/English_information/North_Rhine_Westphalia_Constitution_revised.jsp |title=Example for state constitution: "Constitution of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia" |publisher=[[Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia|Landtag (state assembly) of North Rhine-Westphalia]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117011619/http://www.landtag.nrw.de/portal/WWW/GB_I/I.7/Europa/Wissenswertes/English_information/North_Rhine_Westphalia_Constitution_revised.jsp |archivedate=17 January 2013 |accessdate=17 July 2011}}</ref> and is largely autonomous in its organisation.<ref name="Britannica" /> {{As of|2017}}, Germany is divided into 401 [[Districts of Germany|districts]] ({{lang|de|Kreise}}) at a municipal level; these consist of 294 [[List of rural districts of Germany|rural districts]] and 107 [[Urban districts of Germany|urban districts]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/LaenderRegionen/Regionales/Gemeindeverzeichnis/Administrativ/Archiv/Verwaltungsgliederung/Verwalt2QAktuell.xlsx?__blob=publicationFile |title=Verwaltungsgliederung in Deutschland am 30 June 2017 – Gebietsstand: 30 June 2017 (2. Quartal) |date=July 2017 |publisher=[[Statistisches Bundesamt]] Deutschland |language=German |format=XLS |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010084800/https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/LaenderRegionen/Regionales/Gemeindeverzeichnis/Administrativ/Archiv/Verwaltungsgliederung/Verwalt2QAktuell.xlsx?__blob=publicationFile |archivedate=10 October 2017 |accessdate=9 August 2017}}</ref><!--"Kreis", "Landkreis" and 3 special regional districts count as rural districts; "Stadtkreis" and "kreisfreie Stadt" are urban districts.-->

{{German Federal States}}

{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:85%;"
|- style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:150px;" | State !! rowspan="2" style="width:70px;" |Capital !! colspan="2" style="width:80px;" | Area<ref name="Fläche">{{Cite web |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/flaeche-und-bevoelkerung |title=Fläche und Bevölkerung |website=Statistikportal.de |language=de |accessdate=15 July 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143938/https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/flaeche-und-bevoelkerung |archivedate=12 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> !! rowspan="2" style="width:60px;" | Population<br />(census 2022)<ref name="Census2022.DE"/> !! colspan="2" style="width:150px;" | [[List of German states by GRP|Nominal GDP]]<ref >{{Cite web |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/vgrdl/ergebnisse-laenderebene/bruttoinlandsprodukt-bruttowertschoepfung/bip |title=Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Bruttowertschöpfung |publisher=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder |date=28 March 2024 |language=german }}</ref>  !! rowspan="2" style="width:60px;" | [[List of German states by GRP per capita|Nominal GDP per capita]] EUR (2023)<ref >{{Cite web |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/vgrdl/ergebnisse-laenderebene/bruttoinlandsprodukt-bruttowertschoepfung#alle-ergebnisse |title=Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Bruttowertschöpfung (Inhaltsverzeichnis Reihe 1991–2023) |publisher=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder|date=28 March 2024 |language=german}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | km<sup>2</sup> !! scope="col" | mi<sup>2</sup> !! scope="col" | Billions EUR (2023) !! scope="col" | Share of<br />GDP (%)
|-
| [[Baden-Württemberg]] || [[Stuttgart]] || {{cvt|35751|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|11,104,040}} || {{right|615.071}} || {{right|14.92}} || {{right|54,339}}
|-
| [[Bavaria]] || [[Munich]] || {{cvt|70550|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|13,038,724}} || {{right|768.469}} || {{right|18.65}} || {{right|57,343}}
|-
| [[Berlin]] || [[Berlin]] || {{cvt|892|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|3,596,999}} || {{right|193.219}} || {{right|4.69}} || {{right|51,209}}
|-
| [[Brandenburg]] || [[Potsdam]] || {{cvt|29654|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|2,534,075}} || {{right|97.477}} || {{right|2.37}} || {{right|37,814}}
|-
| [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]] || [[Bremen]] || {{cvt|420|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|693,204}} || {{right|39.252}} || {{right|0.95}} || {{right|56,981}}
|-
| [[Hamburg]] || [[Hamburg]] || {{cvt|755|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|1,808,846}} || {{right|150.575}} || {{right|3.65}} || {{right|79,176}}
|-
| [[Hesse]] || [[Wiesbaden]] || {{cvt|21115|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|6,207,278}} || {{right|351.139}} || {{right|8.52}} || {{right|54,806}}
|-
| [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]] || [[Schwerin]] || {{cvt|23214|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|1,570,817}} || {{right|59.217}} || {{right|1.44}} || {{right|36,335}}
|-
| [[Lower Saxony]] || [[Hanover]] || {{cvt|47593|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|7,943,265}} || {{right|363.109}} || {{right|8.81}} || {{right|44,531}}
|-
| [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] || [[Düsseldorf]] || {{cvt|34113|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|17,890,489}} || {{right|839.084}} || {{right|20.36}} || {{right|46,194}}
|-
| [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] || [[Mainz]] || {{cvt|19854|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|4,094,169}} || {{right|174.249}} || {{right|4.23}} || {{right|41,797}}
|-
| [[Saarland]] || [[Saarbrücken]] || {{cvt|2569|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|1,006,864}} || {{right|41.348}} || {{right|1.00}} || {{right|41,617}}
|-
| [[Saxony]] || [[Dresden]] || {{cvt|18416|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|4,038,131}} || {{right|155.982}} || {{right|3.78}} || {{right|38,143}}
|-
| [[Saxony-Anhalt]] || [[Magdeburg]] || {{cvt|20452|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|2,146,443}} || {{right|78.38}} || {{right|1.90}} || {{right|35,911}}
|-
| [[Schleswig-Holstein]] || [[Kiel]] || {{cvt|15802|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|2,927,542}} || {{right|118.68}} || {{right|2.88}} || {{right|40,090}}
|-
| [[Thuringia]] || [[Erfurt]] || {{cvt|16202|km2|mi2|0|adj=ri0|abbr=values|sortable=on|disp=table}} || {{right|2,110,396}} || {{right|75.909}} || {{right|1.84}} || {{right|35,715}}
|- class=sortbottom
! style="text-align:center;" | Germany
! [[Berlin]] || 357,386 || 137,988 || 82,719,540 || 4,121.16 || 100 || 48,750
|}

=== Law ===
{{Main|Law of Germany}}

{{Further|Judiciary of Germany|Law enforcement in Germany}}

Germany has a [[civil law (legal system)|civil law system]] based on [[Roman law]] with some references to [[Germanic law]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=31–32, 62|isbn=978-0-8047-5569-6|year=2007|publisher=Stanford University Press|title=The Civil Law Tradition: An Introduction to the Legal Systems of Europe and Latin America|last1=Merryman|first1=John|last2=Pérez-Perdomo|first2=Rogelio}}</ref> The {{lang|de|[[Federal Constitutional Court of Germany|Bundesverfassungsgericht]]}} (Federal Constitutional Court) is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of [[judicial review]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/EN/Homepage/home_node.html |title=Federal Constitutional Court |publisher=Bundesverfassungsgericht |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213204356/http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/EN/Homepage/home_node.html |archivedate=13 December 2014 |accessdate=25 March 2015}}</ref> Germany's specialised supreme court system includes the [[Federal Court of Justice]] for civil and criminal cases, along with the [[Federal Labour Court]], [[Federal Social Court]], [[Federal Fiscal Court]], and [[Federal Administrative Court (Germany)|Federal Administrative Court]] for other matters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://germanlawarchive.iuscomp.org/?p=363|website=German Law Archive|title=The Federal Constitutional Court: an Introduction|last=Wöhrmann|first=Gotthard|date=22 November 2013 |accessdate=29 March 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152752/https://germanlawarchive.iuscomp.org/?p=363|url-status=live}}</ref>

Criminal and private laws are codified on the national level in the {{lang|de|[[Strafgesetzbuch]]}} and the {{lang|de|[[Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch]]}} respectively. The German penal system seeks the [[Rehabilitation (penology)|rehabilitation of the criminal]] and the protection of the public.<ref>{{Cite web |title=§&nbsp;2 Strafvollzugsgesetz |language=de |publisher=Bundesministerium der Justiz |url=http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvollzg/__2.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501122109/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvollzg/__2.html |archivedate=1 May 2011 |accessdate=26 March 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> With the exceptions of petty crimes, tried by a single professional judge, and of serious political crimes, all charges are adjudicated by mixed tribunals where [[lay judge]]s ({{lang|de|[[Schöffe]]n}}) and professional judges preside together.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-V-ng-8jOoQC&pg=PA23 |title=Criminal Justice in Germany |last1=Jehle |first1=Jörg-Martin |last2=German Federal Ministry of Justice |author2-link=Federal Ministry of Justice (Germany) |publisher=Forum-Verlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-936999-51-8 |page=23 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922094303/https://books.google.com/books?id=-V-ng-8jOoQC&pg=PA23 |archivedate=22 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Casper |first1=Gerhard |last2=Zeisel |first2=Hans |author-link2=:de:Hans Zeisel |date=January 1972 |title=Lay Judges in the German Criminal Courts |journal=[[Journal of Legal Studies]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=135–191 |doi=10.1086/467481 |jstor=724014 |author1-link=Gerhard Casper}}</ref>

In 2016, Germany's murder rate stood at a low of 1.18 murders per 100,000.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dataunodc.un.org/crime/intentional-homicide-victims|publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime|title=Intentional Homicide Victims|accessdate=30 March 2020|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726024322/https://dataunodc.un.org/crime/intentional-homicide-victims|archivedate=26 July 2019}}</ref> In 2018, the overall [[Crime in Germany|crime rate in the country]] fell to its lowest since 1992,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-crime-rate-fell-to-lowest-level-in-decades-in-2018/a-48162310 |title=Germany's crime rate fell to lowest level in decades in 2018 |date=2 April 2019 |website=DW |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517192912/https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-crime-rate-fell-to-lowest-level-in-decades-in-2018/a-48162310 |archivedate=17 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> while in 2024, it was reported that violent crime reached a 15-year high, with overall crime rising as well.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-violent-crime-reaches-15-year-high-report/a-68758122|publisher=DW|title=Germany: Violent crime reaches 15-year high — report
|date=4 June 2024|last=Martin|first=Nik}}</ref>

[[Same-sex marriage in Germany]] has been legal since 2017, and [[LGBT rights in Germany|LGBT rights in the country]] are generally protected.<ref>{{cite web |title=STONEWALL GLOBAL WORKPLACE BRIEFINGS 2018 – GERMANY |url=https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/global_workplace_briefing_germany_2018.pdf |website=Stonewall |accessdate=2 September 2023 |archivedate=2 September 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902193738/https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/global_workplace_briefing_germany_2018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Germany}}

[[File:Group photo of the G7 members at the Scholss Elmau summit (2).jpg|thumb|Germany hosted the [[2022 G7 summit]] at [[Schloss Elmau]] in [[Bavaria]].]]
Germany has a network of [[List of diplomatic missions in Germany|227 diplomatic missions abroad]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aamt/auslandsvertretungen |title=The German Missions Abroad |publisher=German Federal Foreign Office |accessdate=29 March 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327191034/https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aamt/auslandsvertretungen |archivedate=27 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> and maintains relations with more than 190 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aamt/auslandsvertretungen/botschaften-node |title=The Embassies |publisher=German Federal Foreign Office |accessdate=29 March 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327191019/https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aamt/auslandsvertretungen/botschaften-node |archivedate=27 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Germany is a member of the [[Council of Europe]], [[NATO]], the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], the [[G7]], the [[G20]], the [[World Bank]] and the [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]]. It has played an influential role in the European Union since its inception<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freed |first=John |date=4 April 2008 |title=The leader of Europe? Answers an ocean apart |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/world/europe/04iht-poll.4.11666423.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501031326/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/world/europe/04iht-poll.4.11666423.html |archivedate=1 May 2011 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> and has maintained [[Franco-German cooperation|a strong alliance with France]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 May 2004 |title=Declaration by the Franco-German Defence and Security Council |url=http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Declaration-by-the-Franco-German,4519.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327015942/http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Declaration-by-the-Franco-German%2C4519.html |archivedate=27 March 2014 |publisher=French Embassy UK}}</ref> and all neighbouring countries since 1990. Germany promotes the creation of a [[European integration|more unified European]] political, economic and security apparatus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/blob/610644/49a58b5ecfd5a78862b051d94465afb6/gestaltungsmaechtekonzept-engl-data.pdf|title=Shaping Globalization – Expanding Partner-ships – Sharing Responsibility: A strategy paper by the German Government|publisher=Die Bundesregierung|accessdate=29 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329142145/https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/blob/610644/49a58b5ecfd5a78862b051d94465afb6/gestaltungsmaechtekonzept-engl-data.pdf|archivedate=29 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of its [[economic power]] and political influence, Germany is widely considered to be a [[great power]].<ref name="Milena Steriob">{{cite book |last1=Sterio |first1=Milena |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-QuI6n_OVMYC |title=The right to self-determination under international law: "selfistans", secession and the rule of the great powers |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415668187 |page=xii (preface)}}</ref><ref name="PaulWirtz2004">{{cite book |last1=Paul |first1=T.V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9jy28vBqscQC&pg=PA59 |title=Balance of Power: Theory and Practice in the 21st century |last2=Wirtz |first2=James |last3=Fortmann |first3=Michel |date=2004 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-5017-2 |page=59}}</ref> 

The governments of [[Germany–United States relations|Germany and the United States]] are close political allies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-germany/|title=U.S. Relations With Germany|date=4 November 2019|publisher=US Department of State|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331094945/https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-germany/|archivedate=31 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Cultural ties and economic interests have crafted a bond between the two countries resulting in [[Atlanticism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2006 |title=U.S.-German Economic Relations Factsheet |url=http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/img/assets/9336/econ_factsheet_may2006.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511123309/http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/img/assets/9336/econ_factsheet_may2006.pdf |archivedate=11 May 2011 |accessdate=26 March 2011 |publisher=U.S. Embassy in Berlin}}</ref>

Germany's development policy functions as a distinct sector within its foreign policy framework. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and carried out by the implementing organisations. The German government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bmz.de/en/index.html |title=Aims of German development policy |publisher=Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development |date=10 April 2008 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310120541/http://www.bmz.de/en/index.html |archivedate=10 March 2011 }}</ref> Germany was the world's [[List of development aid sovereign state donors|second-biggest aid donor]] in 2019 after the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.devex.com/news/germany-foreign-aid-and-the-elusive-0-7-95389|website=Devex|title=Germany, foreign aid, and the elusive 0.7%|last=Green|first=Andrew|date=8 August 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808125018/https://www.devex.com/news/germany-foreign-aid-and-the-elusive-0-7-95389|archivedate=8 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|Bundeswehr}}

[[File:Leopard 2 A5 der Bundeswehr.jpg|thumb|[[Leopard 2]] battle tanks of the German Army]]
Germany's military, the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}} (Federal Defence), is organised into the {{lang|de|[[German Army|Heer]]}} (Army and special forces [[Kommando Spezialkräfte|{{abbr|KSK|Kommando Spezialkräfte}}]]), {{lang|de|[[German Navy|Marine]]}} (Navy), {{lang|de|[[German Air Force|Luftwaffe]]}} (Air Force) and {{lang|de|[[Cyber and Information Domain Service|Cyber- und Informationsraum]]}} (Cyber and Information Domain Service) branches.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 July 2024 |title=Bundeswehr der Zeitenwende: Kriegstüchtig sein, um abschrecken zu können |url=https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/bundeswehr-der-zeitenwende-kriegstuechtig-sein-um-abzuschrecken-5765386|website=bmvg.de |language=de}}</ref> In absolute terms, German military spending in 2025 was the [[List of countries by military expenditures|fourth-highest in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2026|title=Trends in Military Expenditure 2025|url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/2604_milex_2025.pdf#page=2|access-date=31 May 2026|publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref> In response to the 2022 [[Russo-Ukrainian War|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that German military expenditure would be increased past the NATO target of 2%, along with a one-time 2022 infusion of 100&nbsp;billion euros, representing almost double the 53&nbsp;billion euro military budget for 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany commits €100 billion to defense spending |date=27 February 2022 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-commits-100-billion-to-defense-spending/a-60933724 |website=Deutsche Welle |archive-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227113954/https://www.dw.com/en/germany-commits-100-billion-to-defense-spending/a-60933724 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Schuetze |first=Christopher F. |date=27 February 2022 |title=Russia's invasion prompts Germany to beef up military funding |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/world/europe/germany-military-budget-russia-ukraine.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227133236/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/world/europe/germany-military-budget-russia-ukraine.html |archivedate=27 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023, military spending according to NATO criteria amounted to $73.1 billion, or 1.64% of the country's GDP, well below the NATO target of 2%. In 2026, Germany reported an estimated spending of $147.002 billion to NATO, exceeding said target at 2.69% of GDP.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=9 June 2026 |title=Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2026) |url=https://www.nato.int/content/dam/nato/webready/documents/finance/def-exp-2026-en.pdf#page=8|publisher=NATO|pages=8–9 |format=PDF}}</ref>

{{as of|2024|05}}, the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}} has a strength of 180,215 active soldiers and 80,761 civilians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Personalzahlen |url=https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ueber-die-bundeswehr/zahlen-daten-fakten/personalzahlen-bundeswehr |accessdate=31 July 2024 |publisher=Bundeswehr |language=de}}</ref> Reservists are available to the armed forces and participate in defence exercises and deployments abroad.<ref name="bwzukunft">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/bwde/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP3I5EyrpHK9pPKUVL3ikqLUzJLsosTUtJJUvbzU0vTU4pLEnJLSvHRUuYKcxDygoH5BtqMiAMTJdF8!/ |title=Ausblick: Die Bundeswehr der Zukunft |publisher=[[Bundeswehr]] |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604001134/http://www.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/bwde/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP3I5EyrpHK9pPKUVL3ikqLUzJLsosTUtJJUvbzU0vTU4pLEnJLSvHRUuYKcxDygoH5BtqMiAMTJdF8!/ |archivedate=4 June 2011 |accessdate=5 June 2011}}</ref> Until 2011, [[Conscription in Germany|military service was compulsory]] for men at age 18, but this has been officially suspended and replaced with a voluntary service.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/22/germany-abolish-compulsory-military-service |title=Germany to abolish compulsory military service |last=Connolly, Kate |date=22 November 2010 |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917223043/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/22/germany-abolish-compulsory-military-service |archivedate=17 September 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/16/conscription-germany-army |title=Marching orders for conscription in Germany, but what will take its place? |last=Pidd, Helen |date=16 March 2011 |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922000942/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/16/conscription-germany-army |archivedate=22 September 2013 }}</ref> Since 2001 women may serve in all functions of service without restriction.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/bwde/!ut/p/c4/FcwxEoUgDAXAE0l6O0_x1YZ5QMSMEp2In-urs_3STC_FXzKqHIqdRpqi9KG50BK7qxpL3Qy8VHbZbk07MqtbDDerF_WJzYdGv286DbmAJj26iLgynaUMD6qutPs!/ |title=Frauen in der Bundeswehr |publisher=[[Bundeswehr]] |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429090325/http://www.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/bwde/!ut/p/c4/FcwxEoUgDAXAE0l6O0_x1YZ5QMSMEp2In-urs_3STC_FXzKqHIqdRpqi9KG50BK7qxpL3Qy8VHbZbk07MqtbDDerF_WJzYdGv286DbmAJj26iLgynaUMD6qutPs!/ |archivedate=29 April 2011 |accessdate=14 April 2011}}</ref> According to the [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]], Germany was the [[List of countries by arms exports|fourth-largest exporter of major arms in the world]] between 2021 and 2025.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 January 2024 |title=US Arms Exports Hit Record High in Fiscal 2023 |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-arms-exports-hit-record-high-in-fiscal-2023/7462237.html |website=[[Voice of America News]]}}</ref>

In peacetime, the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}} is commanded by the [[Minister of Defence (Germany)|Minister of Defence]]. In a [[state of defence]], the Chancellor would become commander-in-chief of the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/gg/gesamt.pdf |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Artikel 65a,87,115b |publisher=Bundesministerium der Justiz |language=German |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528210503/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/gg/gesamt.pdf |archivedate=28 May 2017 |accessdate=19 March 2011 }}</ref> The role of the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}} is described in the [[Constitution of Germany]] as defensive only. But after a ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1994, the term "defence" has been defined not only to include protection of the borders of Germany, but also crisis reaction and conflict prevention, or more broadly as guarding the [[security]] of Germany anywhere in the world. {{As of|2026|post=,}} the German military has about 3,000 troops stationed in foreign countries including 1,800 in [[Lithuania]] and nearby countries, about 300 in [[Kosovo]], 300 in [[Iraq]] and [[Jordan]], and 200 in [[Lebanon]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/auftrag/einsaetze/missionen |title=Die Bundeswehr im Einsatz|date=26 June 2026 |publisher=[[Bundeswehr]] |language=German |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=26 June 2026|title=Germany extends unified armed forces mission in Mali|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/nato-uebung-litauen-100.html|website=tagesschau.de|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Germany}}

{{See also|Science and technology in Germany|List of German inventions and discoveries}}
[[File:Frankfurt am Main, Central business district (2024).jpg|thumb|[[Frankfurt]], a leading business and financial centre in Europe and the seat of the [[European Central Bank]]]]

Germany has a [[social market economy]] with a highly skilled [[labour force]], a low level of [[Corruption in Germany|corruption]],<ref>{{cite web |date=24 January 2020 |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 |url=https://www.transparency.org/cpi2019 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327160133/https://www.transparency.org/cpi2019 |archivedate=27 March 2020 |accessdate=29 March 2020 |publisher=Transparency International}}</ref> and a high level of [[innovation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf|page=11|title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2018|last=Schwab|first=Klaus|accessdate=29 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224135655/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf|archivedate=24 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the [[List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (nominal)|largest economy in Europe by nominal GDP]], as well as the world's [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|third-largest by nominal GDP]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deutschland ist wieder Nummer drei der größten Volkswirtschaften|url=https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/deutschland-ist-wieder-nummer-drei-der-groessten-volkswirtschaften-der-welt-a-4983d80b-6eef-4226-b620-097934febf6c|date=15 February 2024|work=Der Spiegel|language=de|archive-date=17 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217022701/https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/deutschland-ist-wieder-nummer-drei-der-groessten-volkswirtschaften-der-welt-a-4983d80b-6eef-4226-b620-097934febf6c|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|sixth-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ny.gdp.mktp.pp.cd?most_recent_value_desc=true|publisher=World Bank|title=GDP, PPP (current international $)|accessdate=18 November 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327113849/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ny.gdp.mktp.pp.cd%3Fmost_recent_value_desc%3Dtrue|archivedate=27 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Its PPP-adjusted GDP per capita amounted to 115% of the EU average in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=GDP per capita in PPS |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tec00114/default/bar?lang=en |accessdate=9 June 2025 |publisher=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref> The [[Service sector in Germany|country's service sector]] contributes approximately 72% of the total GDP, the industrial sector 27%—with Germany having the [[List of countries by manufacturing output|largest manufacturing output in Europe]]—and [[Agriculture in Germany|its agricultural sector]] 1%, {{as of|2023|lc=y}}.<ref name="CIA" /> [[List of German states by unemployment rate|The unemployment rate]] published by [[Eurostat]] amounts to 3.2% {{as of|2020|01|lc=y}}, which is the [[List of European Union member states by unemployment rate|fourth-lowest in the EU]].<ref name="Eurostat">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics|publisher=Eurostat|title=Unemployment statistics|accessdate=29 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406062752/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics|archivedate=6 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Germany is part of the [[European single market]] which represents more than 450 million consumers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market_en|title=The European single market|date=5 July 2016|publisher=European Commission|accessdate=30 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409110216/https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market_en|archivedate=9 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, the country accounted for 28% of the [[eurozone]] economy according to the [[International Monetary Fund]].<ref name="imf.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2017/07/05/na070717-germany-spend-more-at-home|title=Germany: Spend More At Home|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=28 April 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108101740/https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2017/07/05/na070717-germany-spend-more-at-home|archivedate=8 January 2018}}</ref> Germany introduced the common EU currency, the [[euro]], in 2002.<ref name="euroc">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/world/germans-say-goodbye-to-the-mark-a-symbol-of-strength-and-unity.html |title=Germans Say Goodbye to the Mark, a Symbol of Strength and Unity |last=Andrews |first=Edmund L. |date=1 January 2002 |work=The New York Times |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501031330/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/world/germans-say-goodbye-to-the-mark-a-symbol-of-strength-and-unity.html |archivedate=1 May 2011}}</ref> Its monetary policy is set by the [[European Central Bank]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Monetary policy |url=https://www.bundesbank.de/en/tasks/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-625914 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152755/https://www.bundesbank.de/en/tasks/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-625914 |archivedate=20 June 2021 |accessdate=30 March 2020 |publisher=Bundesbank}}</ref> which is based in [[Frankfurt]], the country's largest financial centre.<ref name="frankfurt">{{cite report |url=http://speri.dept.shef.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SPERI-Brief-10-Frankfurt.pdf|title=Frankfurt as a financial centre after Brexit|last1=Lavery|first1=Scott|last2=Schmid|first2=Davide|publisher=University of Sheffield|url-status=live|series=SPERI Global Political Economy Brief|year=2018|accessdate=30 March 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152658/http://speri.dept.shef.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SPERI-Brief-10-Frankfurt.pdf}}</ref> Germany is the world's [[List of countries by exports|third-largest exporter]] and [[List of countries by imports|third-largest importer]],<ref name="CIA" /> and it has the [[List of countries by net goods exports|second-largest trade surplus]] after China. [[List of the largest trading partners of Germany|Its largest trading partners]] in 2025 were China, the United States and the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China is Germany's main trading partner |url=https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Economy/Foreign-Trade/trading-partners.html |accessdate=4 March 2026|publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office of Germany]]}}</ref> [[List of exports of Germany|Germany's main exports]] are vehicles, machinery, and chemical goods.<ref name="Destatis2">{{Cite web |title=Foreign trade |url=http://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/NationalEconomyEnvironment/ForeignTrade/_Graphic/TradingGoods.png?__blob=poster |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502033130/https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/NationalEconomyEnvironment/ForeignTrade/_Graphic/TradingGoods.png?__blob=poster |archivedate=2 May 2015 |accessdate=23 April 2015 |website=Statistiches Bundesamt}}</ref>

The [[German automotive industry]] is among the most competitive and innovative in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electrive.com/2019/12/10/cam-study-reveals-german-manufacturers-as-innovative/|publisher=Electrive|title=CAM study reveals: German carmakers are most innovative|date=10 December 2019|last=Randall|first=Chris|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510175816/https://www.electrive.com/2019/12/10/cam-study-reveals-german-manufacturers-as-innovative/|archivedate=10 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the [[List of countries by motor vehicle production|sixth-largest by production]] and largest by export value in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cars |url=https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/cars |accessdate=8 March 2025 |website=The Observatory of Economic Complexity}}</ref> Germany is home to [[Volkswagen Group]], the world's [[List of automotive manufacturers by production|second-largest automotive manufacturer by vehicle production]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 December 2022 |title=Hyundai, Now the No. 3 Carmaker, Takes Aim at Toyota and Volkswagen |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-20/now-the-world-s-third-biggest-carmaker-hyundai-takes-aim-at-toyota-volkswagen |archive-date=7 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207223928/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-20/now-the-world-s-third-biggest-carmaker-hyundai-takes-aim-at-toyota-volkswagen |url-status=live }}</ref>

Of the world's 500 largest stock market-listed companies by revenue in 2024, the [[Fortune Global 500|''Fortune'' Global 500]], 29 were based in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/global500/2019/search/?hqcountry=Germany|website=Fortune|title=Global 500|accessdate=30 March 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152854/https://fortune.com/global500/2019/search/?hqcountry=Germany|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[DAX]], Germany's stock market index operated by the [[Frankfurt Stock Exchange]], includes 30 major Germany-based companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/DAX:IND|publisher=Bloomberg|title=DAX|accessdate=30 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521105452/https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/DAX:IND|archivedate=21 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Prominent [[German companies]] include [[Mercedes-Benz]], [[BMW]], [[Volkswagen]], [[Audi]], [[Porsche]], [[Siemens]], [[Adidas]], [[SAP]], [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] and [[BASF]]. [[Berlin]] is a [[Startup ecosystem|hub]] for [[Startup company|startup companies]] and has become the leading location for venture capital-funded firms in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frost |first=Simon |date=28 August 2015 |title=Berlin outranks London in start-up investment |url=http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-industry/berlin-outranks-london-start-investment-317140 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106224621/http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-industry/berlin-outranks-london-start-investment-317140 |archivedate=6 November 2015|website=euractiv.com}}</ref> Germany is recognised for its large portion of specialised [[small and medium enterprises]] known as the {{lang|de|[[Mittelstand]]}};<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/small-business/driving-growth/secrets-growth-power-of-germany-mittelstand/|website=The Telegraph|title=Secrets of growth: the power of Germany's Mittelstand|last=Dakers|first=Marion|date=11 May 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306134928/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/small-business/driving-growth/secrets-growth-power-of-germany-mittelstand/|archivedate=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> these companies represent around 48% of the global market leaders in their segments, labelled [[hidden champions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40796571|work=BBC News|title=Germany's 'hidden champions' of the Mittelstand|last=Bayley|first=Caroline|date=17 August 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522010803/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40796571|archivedate=22 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Research and development]] efforts form an integral part of the German economy,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bmbf.de/pub/Federal_Report_on_Research_and_Innovation_2014.pdf |title=Federal Report on Research and Innovation 2014 |date=2014 |publisher=Federal Ministry of Education and Research |archiveurl=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160514110947/http://www.bmbf.de/pub/Federal_Report_on_Research_and_Innovation_2014.pdf |archivedate=14 May 2016 |accessdate=26 March 2015}}</ref> with the country [[List of sovereign states by research and development spending|ranking fourth]] in research and development expenditure since 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gross domestic spending on R&D |url=http://data.oecd.org/rd/gross-domestic-spending-on-r-d.htm |accessdate=17 December 2023 |publisher=[[OECD]] |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215212810/https://data.oecd.org/rd/gross-domestic-spending-on-r-d.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, Germany [[List of countries by number of scientific and technical journal articles|ranked fourth]] globally in terms of number of science and engineering research papers published<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/top-ten-countries-leading-scientific-publications-in-the-world/|last=McCarthy|first=Niall|title=The countries leading the world in scientific research|publisher=World Economic Forum|date=13 January 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312073822/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/top-ten-countries-leading-scientific-publications-in-the-world|archivedate=12 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and third in the quality-adjusted [[Nature Index]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Plackett |first1=Benjamin |date=18 June 2024 |title=Nature Index 2024 Research Leaders: India follows in China's footsteps as top ten changes again |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news/nature-index-research-leaders-india-follows-china-footsteps |website=Nature Index }}</ref> Well-known research institutions in Germany include the [[Max Planck Society]], the [[Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres|Helmholtz Association]], the [[Fraunhofer Society]], and the [[Leibniz Association]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Nature|title=An introduction to the complexities of the German research scene|date=27 March 2019|first=Hristio|last=Boytchev|volume=567|issue=7749|pages=S34–S35|doi=10.1038/d41586-019-00910-7|pmid=30918381|doi-access=free }}</ref> Germany is the largest contributor to the [[European Space Agency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2019/04/20191128_esa-ministerial-2019.html|publisher=German Aerospace Centre|date=28 November 2019|title=Germany invests 3.3 billion euro in European space exploration and becomes ESA's largest contributor|accessdate=17 May 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152742/https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2019/04/20191128_esa-ministerial-2019.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The country was ranked 11th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19}}</ref>

=== Infrastructure ===
{{Main|Transport in Germany|Energy in Germany|Telecommunications in Germany|Water supply and sanitation in Germany}}

[[File:ICE 3 Oberhaider-Wald-Tunnel.jpg|thumb|High-speed trains like this [[ICE 3]] connect the [[High-speed rail in Germany|whole of Germany]].]]
With its central position in Europe, Germany is a transport hub for the continent.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/statistics/investment/Country-responses/Germany.pdf |title=Assessment of strategic plans and policy measures on Investment and Maintenance in Transport Infrastructure |year=2012 |publisher=[[International Transport Forum]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101013052/http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/statistics/investment/Country-responses/Germany.pdf |archivedate=1 January 2015 |accessdate=15 March 2014}}</ref> Its road network is among the [[List of countries by road network density|densest in Europe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Archive:Transport_infrastructure_at_regional_level|publisher=Eurostat|title=Transport infrastructure at regional level|accessdate=30 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915230224/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Archive:Transport_infrastructure_at_regional_level|archivedate=15 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The motorway (''[[Autobahn]]'') is widely known for having no general federally mandated [[Speed limits in Germany|speed limit]] for some classes of vehicles.<ref name="wa 16-09-2013">{{cite news |last=Jeremic |first=Sam |title=Fun, fun, fun on the autobahn |url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/motors/a/-/motors/18958067/fun-fun-fun-on-the-autobahn/ |date=16 September 2013 |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020747/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/motors/a/-/motors/18958067/fun-fun-fun-on-the-autobahn/ |archivedate=12 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Intercity Express]] or ''ICE'' train network serves major German cities as well as destinations in neighbouring countries with speeds up to {{convert|300|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurail.com/en/get-inspired/trains-europe/high-speed-trains/ice|title=ICE High-Speed Trains|publisher=Eurail|accessdate=3 April 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011052444/http://eurail.com/en/get-inspired/trains-europe/high-speed-trains/ice|archivedate=11 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest [[List of airports in Germany|German airports]] are [[Frankfurt Airport]], [[Munich Airport]] and [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adv.aero/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/12.2022-ADV-Monatsstatistik.pdf |title=ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2022 |publisher=Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. |date=13 February 2023 |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216140438/https://www.adv.aero/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/12.2022-ADV-Monatsstatistik.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Port of Hamburg]] is the [[List of busiest ports in Europe|third-busiest port in Europe]] and one of the twenty [[List of world's busiest container ports|largest container ports in the world]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hafen-hamburg.de/en/statistics/top-20-container-ports|publisher=Port of Hamburg|title=Top World Container Ports|accessdate=3 April 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010080235/https://www.hafen-hamburg.de/en/statistics/top-20-container-ports|archivedate=10 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2019|alt=In 2019}}, Germany was the world's [[List of countries by energy consumption|seventh-largest consumer of energy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Germany |url=https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/DEU |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605135256/https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/DEU |archivedate=5 June 2023 |accessdate=30 August 2023 |publisher=US Energy Information Administration}}</ref> All [[Nuclear power plants in Germany|German nuclear power plants]] were phased out in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Paddison |last2=Schmidt |last3=Kappeler |first1=Laura |first2=Nadine |first3=Inke |date=15 April 2023 |title='A new era': Germany quits nuclear power, closing its final three plants |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/15/europe/germany-nuclear-phase-out-climate-intl/index.html |publisher=CNN |archive-date=22 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422050759/https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/15/europe/germany-nuclear-phase-out-climate-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Germany meets its power demands using 40% [[renewable energy|renewable sources]] (2018),<ref>{{cite web |last=Wettengel |first=Julian |date=2 January 2019 |title=Renewables supplied 40 percent of net public power in Germany in 2018 |url=https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/renewables-supplied-40-percent-net-public-power-germany-2018 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152813/https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/renewables-supplied-40-percent-net-public-power-germany-2018 |archivedate=20 June 2021 |accessdate=10 April 2020 |website=Clean Energy Wire}}</ref> and has been called an "early leader" in [[solar panel]]s and [[Offshore wind power|offshore wind]].<ref name="International Energy Agency-2021">{{Cite web |publisher=International Energy Agency |date=16 December 2021 |title=Germany |url=https://www.iea.org/countries/germany |accessdate=24 May 2022 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524012051/https://www.iea.org/countries/germany |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Energy transition in Germany|German energy transition]] ({{lang|de|Energiewende}}) is the recognised move to a sustainable economy by means of energy efficiency and renewable energy,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Federal Ministry for the Environment |url=http://www.dlr.de/dlr/Portaldata/1/Resources/bilder/portal/portal_2012_1/leitstudie2011_bf.pdf |title=Langfristszenarien und Strategien für den Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien in Deutschland bei Berücksichtigung der Entwicklung in Europa und global |date=29 March 2012 |publisher=Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) |trans-title=Long-term Scenarios and Strategies for the Development of Renewable Energy in Germany Considering Development in Europe and Globally |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921145218/http://www.dlr.de/dlr/Portaldata/1/Resources/bilder/portal/portal_2012_1/leitstudie2011_bf.pdf |archivedate=21 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="International Energy Agency-2021"/> with the country being called "the world's first major renewable energy economy".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany: The World's First Major Renewable Energy Economy |url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/04/germany-the-worlds-first-major-renewable-energy-economy |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329212358/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/04/germany-the-worlds-first-major-renewable-energy-economy |archivedate=29 March 2015 |accessdate=24 February 2024}}</ref> Germany has reduced its [[primary energy consumption]] by 11% between 1990 and 2015<ref>{{cite web |date=25 September 2023 |title=China and Germany – Working for an Energy Efficient Future |url=https://www.energypartnership.cn/newsroom/energy-efficiency/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204135141/https://www.energypartnership.cn/newsroom/energy-efficiency/ |archive-date=4 February 2024 |website=Energiepartnershcaft}}</ref> and set itself goals of reducing it by 30% until 2030 and 50% by 2050.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.energypartnership.cn/fileadmin/user_upload/china/media_elements/Documents/200407_BMWi_Dossier_Energy_Efficiency_Strategy_2050.pdf |title=Germany's Energy Efficiency Strategy 2050 |date=March 2020 |publisher=Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130115350/https://www.energypartnership.cn/fileadmin/user_upload/china/media_elements/Documents/200407_BMWi_Dossier_Energy_Efficiency_Strategy_2050.pdf |archive-date=30 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The country is committed to the [[Paris Agreement]] and several other treaties promoting biodiversity,<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Committed to Biodiversity |url=https://www.cbd.int/financial/2017docs/germany-commitment2016.pdf |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212170157/https://www.cbd.int/financial/2017docs/germany-commitment2016.pdf |archivedate=12 February 2020 |accessdate=10 April 2020 |publisher=Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development}}</ref> low emission standards,<ref>{{cite news |last=Eddy |first=Melissa |date=15 November 2019 |title=Germany Passes Climate-Protection Law to Ensure 2030 Goals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/world/europe/germany-climate-law.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313200755/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/world/europe/germany-climate-law.html |archivedate=13 March 2020 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> and [[water management]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://humanright2water.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WL-Country-Mapping-Germany.pdf|title=Legal Country Mapping: Germany|publisher=WaterLex|date=6 July 2018|accessdate=27 March 2021|archivedate=28 September 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928114238/http://humanright2water.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WL-Country-Mapping-Germany.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2017, Germany's household recycling rate is among the [[Recycling rates by country|highest in the world]], at around 65%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.climateaction.org/news/germany-is-the-worlds-leading-nation-for-recycling|publisher=Climate Action|title=Germany is the world's leading nation for recycling|date=11 December 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911230531/http://www.climateaction.org/news/germany-is-the-worlds-leading-nation-for-recycling|archivedate=11 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023, Germany was the 14th highest emitting nation of [[greenhouse gas]]es.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Olefs |first1=M. |last2=Formayer |first2=H. |last3=Gobiet |first3=A. |last4=Marke |first4=T. |last5=Schöner |first5=W. |last6=Revesz |first6=M. |date=1 June 2021 |title=Past and future changes of the Austrian climate – Importance for tourism |journal=Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism|volume=34 |article-number=100395 |doi=10.1016/j.jort.2021.100395|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in Germany}}

[[File:Brandenburger Tor abends.jpg|thumb|The [[Brandenburg Gate]] in Berlin]]
Domestic and international travel and tourism directly contributed over €105.3&nbsp;billion to German GDP in 2015.<ref name=":1" /> Including indirect and induced impacts, the industry supported nearly 4.2&nbsp;million jobs in 2015.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/wirtschaftsfaktor-tourismus-in-deutschland-lang.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|title=Tourism as a driver of economic growth in Germany|publisher=Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy|date=November 2017|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=8 July 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708124326/https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/wirtschaftsfaktor-tourismus-in-deutschland-lang.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2024, Germany is the [[World Tourism rankings|seventh-most-visited country]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-05/UNWTO_Barom23_02_May_EXCERPT_final.pdf?VersionId=gGmuSXlwfM1yoemsRrBI9ZJf.Vmc9gYD|journal=World Tourism Barometer|volume=21|issue=2|date=May 2023|title=International Tourism – 2023 starts on a strong note with the Middle East recovering 2019 levels in the first quarter|archive-date=2 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802171252/https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-05/UNWTO_Barom23_02_May_EXCERPT_final.pdf?VersionId=gGmuSXlwfM1yoemsRrBI9ZJf.Vmc9gYD|url-status=live}}</ref> Its most popular landmarks include [[Cologne Cathedral]], the [[Brandenburg Gate]], the [[Reichstag building|Reichstag]], the [[Dresden Frauenkirche]], [[Neuschwanstein Castle]], [[Heidelberg Castle]], the [[Wartburg]], and [[Sanssouci Palace]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-most-visited-landmarks/a-19432005|publisher=DW|title=Germany's most visited landmarks|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=6 July 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706112642/https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-most-visited-landmarks/a-19432005|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Europa-Park]] near [[Freiburg im Breisgau|Freiburg]] is Europe's second-most popular theme park resort.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/236193/attendance-at-the-europa-park-rust-theme-park/|publisher=Statista|title=Attendance at the Europa Park Rust theme park from 2009 to 2018 (in millions)|date=19 June 2020|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=1 August 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801004437/https://www.statista.com/statistics/236193/attendance-at-the-europa-park-rust-theme-park/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Germany}}

{{See also|Germans}}
With a population of 84.7&nbsp;million according to the 2023 German census,<ref>{{cite news |title=Immigration Drives Germany's Population Growth to 84.7 Million |url=https://etias.com/articles/germany-population-growth-2023 |work=[[European Travel Information and Authorisation System|ETIAS]] |date=30 January 2024}}</ref> Germany is the most populous [[member state of the European Union]], the [[List of European countries by population|second-most populous country in Europe]]{{efn|Excluding [[Turkey]], which only has around 3% of its territory and 10% of its population in Europe<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/turkey/18.htm |editor=Metz, Helen |title=Turkey: A Country Study &#124; Geography |year=1995 |publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20251115045721/https://countrystudies.us/turkey/18.htm |archivedate=15 November 2025}}</ref>|name="turkey"}} after [[Russia]],<ref name="CIA" /> and the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|nineteenth-most populous country in the world]]. Its [[population density]] stands at {{convert|236|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|inhabitants&nbsp;|inhabitants|}}. The [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]] of 1.57 children born per woman (2022 estimates) is below the replacement rate of 2.1 and is one of the [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by fertility rate|lowest in the world]].<ref name="CIA" /> Since the 1970s, Germany's [[death rate]] has exceeded its [[birth rate]]. However, the country is witnessing increased birth and migration rates since the early 2010s. Germany has the [[List of countries by median age|fourth oldest population in the world]], with an average age of 47.8 years.<ref name="CIA" />
[[File:Hubschrauberflug Hamburg.jpg|thumb|[[Hamburg]] is Germany's [[List of cities in Germany by population|second-most populous city]], with [[Port of Hamburg|its seaport]] being the country's largest by volume.]]
Four sizeable groups of people are referred to as national minorities because their ancestors have lived in their respective regions for centuries:<ref name="BMI 2010">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Broschueren/2010/nat_minderheiten.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |title=National Minorities in Germany |date=May 2010 |publisher=[[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421151141/http://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Broschueren/2010/nat_minderheiten.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |archivedate=21 April 2013 |accessdate=23 June 2014}}</ref> There is a [[Danes|Danish]] minority in the northernmost state of [[Schleswig-Holstein]];<ref name="BMI 2010" /> the [[Sorbs]], a [[Slavic people|Slavic population]], are in the [[Lusatia]] region of [[Free State of Saxony|Saxony]] and [[Brandenburg]]; the [[Romani people|Roma]] and [[Sinti]] live throughout the country; and the [[Frisians]] are concentrated in Schleswig-Holstein's western coast and in the north-western part of [[Lower Saxony]].<ref name="BMI 2010" />

Germany is [[Immigration to Germany|a major destination for immigrants]], ranking second in the world after the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Webb |first=Alex |date=20 May 2014 |title=Germany Top Migration Land After U.S. in New OECD Ranking |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-05-20/immigration-boom-propels-germany-past-u-k-in-new-oecd-ranking |archive-date=17 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317014944/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-05-20/immigration-boom-propels-germany-past-u-k-in-new-oecd-ranking |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, following the [[2015 European migrant crisis|2015 refugee crisis]], the Population Division of the [[United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs]] listed Germany as host to the [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|second-highest number of international migrants worldwide]], about 5% or 12&nbsp;million of all 244&nbsp;million migrants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2015_Highlights.pdf |title=International Migration Report 2015 – Highlights |year=2015 |publisher=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513001608/http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2015_Highlights.pdf |archivedate=13 May 2016 |accessdate=9 June 2016}}</ref> Refugee crises have resulted in substantial population increases;<ref>{{cite news |title=Germany: Asylum applications rose sharply in 2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-asylum-applications-rose-sharply-in-2023/a-67928269 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=9 January 2024}}</ref> for example, the major influx of Ukrainian immigrants following the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], whereby over 1.06&nbsp;million refugees from Ukraine were recorded in Germany as of April 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Current population |url=https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Current-Population/_node.html |date=20 June 2023 |publisher=Federal Statistical Office |archive-date=26 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826024032/https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Current-Population/_node.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, Germany ranked seventh among EU countries in terms of the percentage of migrants in the country's population, at 13.1%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.oecd.org/migration/foreign-population.htm#indicator-chart|publisher=OECD|title=Foreign population|accessdate=28 October 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313152632/https://data.oecd.org/migration/foreign-population.htm#indicator-chart|archivedate=13 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, there were 23.8 million people—28.7 percent of the total population—who had a [[migration background]].<ref>{{cite web|date=20 April 2023|publisher=Statistisches Bundesamt|title=Pressemitteilung Nr. 158 vom 20. April 2023|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/04/PD23_158_125.html|archive-date=7 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107012216/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/04/PD23_158_125.html|url-status=live}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> 

Germany has [[List of cities and towns in Germany|over 2,000 cities and towns]], and 11 officially recognised [[metropolitan regions in Germany|metropolitan regions]]. The [[List of cities in Germany by population|country's most populous city]] is [[Berlin]], and its largest urban area is the [[Ruhr]].<ref name="Demographia">{{cite web|url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |work=Demographia|title= World Urban Areas|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archivedate=3 May 2018|accessdate=31 July 2016}}</ref>
{{Largest cities of Germany}}

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Germany}}

{{See also|German language}}
[[File:Bilinguale Straßenbeschilderung Cottbus b.jpg|thumb|A bilingual street sign in both [[German language|German]] and [[Lower Sorbian language|Lower Sorbian]] in [[Cottbus]] (''Chóśebuz''), [[Brandenburg]]]]

German is the official and predominantly spoken language in Germany.<ref name="Eurobarometer Languages">{{Cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer 243: Europeans and their Languages (Survey) |year=2006 |publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414102658/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf |archivedate=14 April 2016 |accessdate=28 March 2011}}<br />{{Cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer 243: Europeans and their Languages (Executive Summary) |last=[[European Commission]] |year=2006 |publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430202903/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf |archivedate=30 April 2011 |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref> It is one of 24 official and working [[languages of the European Union]], and one of the three procedural languages of the [[European Commission]], alongside English and French.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MEMO_13_825|title=Frequently asked questions on languages in Europe|date=26 September 2013|publisher=European Commission|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=5 July 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705223150/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MEMO_13_825|url-status=live}}</ref> German is the most widely spoken first language in the European Union, with around 100 million native speakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/the-german-language-surprising-facts-and-figures|title=The German Language|date=20 February 2018|publisher=FAZIT Communication GmbH|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=2 October 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002203206/https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/the-german-language-surprising-facts-and-figures|url-status=live}}</ref>

Recognised native minority languages in Germany are [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Low German]], [[Low Rhenish]], [[Sorbian languages|Sorbian]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[North Frisian language|North Frisian]] and [[Saterland Frisian language|Saterland Frisian]]; they are officially protected by the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]. The most used immigrant languages are [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Arabic]], [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Serbo-Croatian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] and other [[Balkan languages]], as well as [[Russian language|Russian]]. Germans are typically multilingual: 74% of German citizens claim to be able to communicate in at least one foreign language and 35% in at least two.<ref name="EU-Lang">{{Cite book|publisher=European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication |title=Special Eurobarometer survey "Europeans and their languages" |date=May 2024|url=https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979|isbn=978-92-68-12045-3}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Germany}}

{{further|Catholic Church in Germany|Evangelical Church in Germany|History of the Jews in Germany|Islam in Germany}}

[[File:Kölner Dom, Köln-Altstadt-Nord - Luftaufnahme-0276 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Cologne Cathedral]], a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]]]
According to the 2022 census, [[Christianity in Germany|Christianity]] is the largest religion in Germany at 49.7% of the population; 23.1% identified as [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and 25.1% as [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerung nach Religionszugehörigkeit im Zensus 2022 und im Zensus 2011 - je Bundesland |url=https://www.zensus2022.de/DE/Ergebnisse-des-Zensus/Sonderauswertung_Religionszugehoerigkeit.html |date=2 July 2024 |publisher=Statistisches Bundesamt |language=de}}</ref>

A study, based primarily on church membership rolls, estimated that in 2025 48.1% of the population are not members of any religious organisation or [[religious denomination|denomination]] and 46.3% are Christians.<ref name="FOWID2025A">{{cite web |date=4 July 2026 |title=Religionszugehörigkeiten 2025 |trans-title=Religious denominations 2025 |url=https://fowid.de/meldung/religionszugehoerigkeiten-2025 |publisher={{ill|fowid|de|Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland}} ('Worldviews in Germany Research Group') |language=de}}</ref><ref name="FOWID2025B">{{Cite web |date=16 March 2026 |title=Kirchenmitglieder Ende 2025: 43,8 Prozent. |trans-title=Membership of churches at the end of 2025: 43.8% |url=https://fowid.de/meldung/kirchenmitglieder-ende-2025-43-8-prozent|publisher=Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland (fowid) |language=de}}</ref> [[Irreligion in Germany]] is strongest in major metropolitan areas and throughout the former [[East Germany]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/22/atheism-east-germany-godless-place |title=Eastern Germany: the most godless place on Earth |last=Thompson|first=Peter |date=22 September 2012 |work=The Guardian|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929114047/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/22/atheism-east-germany-godless-place |archivedate=29 September 2013 }}</ref><ref name="georgetown1">{{Cite web |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/germany |title=Germany |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324170951/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/germany |archivedate=24 March 2015 |accessdate=27 March 2015}}</ref>

[[Islam]] is the second-largest religion in the country.<ref name="Zensus 2011">{{Cite web |url=https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/#StaticContent:00,BEG_4_2_6,m,table |title=Bevölkerung im regionalen Vergleich nach Religion (ausführlich) -in %- |date=9 May 2011 |website=Zensus 2011 |publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office of Germany]] |page=Zensus 2011 – Page 6 |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621101339/https://ergebnisse.zensus2011.de/#StaticContent:00,BEG_4_2_6,m,table |archivedate=21 June 2013 }}</ref> In the 2011 census, 1.9% of respondents (1.52&nbsp;million people) gave their religion as Islam, but this figure is deemed unreliable because a disproportionate number of adherents of this faith (and other religions, such as Judaism) are likely to have made use of their right not to answer the question.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Zensus 2011 – Fakten zur Bevölkerung in Deutschland" am 31. Mai 2013 in Berlin |publisher=[[Federal Statistical Office of Germany]] |url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressekonferenzen/2013/Zensus2011/Statement_Egeler_zensus_PDF.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |language=German |accessdate=28 September 2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010094954/https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressekonferenzen/2013/Zensus2011/Statement_Egeler_zensus_PDF.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |archivedate=10 October 2017 |trans-title=2011 Census – Facts about the population of Germany on 31 May 2013 in Berlin |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, there were an estimated 5.3–5.6 million Muslims with a [[migrant background]]{{efn|A migrant background is defined as having been born or having at least one parent born in a country from a prespecified list of countries with a significant Muslim population, or as having citizenship or at least one parent with citizenship of one of these countries.<ref name=BAMF2020/>}} (6.4–6.7% of the population), in addition to an unknown number of Muslims without a migrant background.<ref name="BAMF2020">{{cite web|title=Muslimisches Leben in Deutschland 2020|publisher=[[Federal Office for Migration and Refugees]]|date=April 2020|url=https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Forschung/Forschungsberichte/fb38-muslimisches-leben.html|accessdate=9 August 2021}}</ref> Most of the Muslims are [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] and [[Alevism|Alevis]] from Turkey, but there are a small number of [[Shia Islam|Shi'ites]], [[Ahmadiyya]]s and other denominations. Other religions each comprise less than one percent of Germany's population.<ref name="Zensus 2011" />

In 2011, formal members of the [[History of the Jews in Germany|Jewish community]] represented no more than 0.2% of the total German population, and 60% of them resided in [[Berlin]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Germany: Berlin Facing Challenge Of Assimilating Russian-Speaking Jews|date=8 April 2008|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1078688.html|publisher=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty|access-date=12 March 2017|archive-date=29 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029115657/http://www.rferl.org/a/1078688.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 80 to 90 percent of these Jews in Germany are Russian-speaking immigrants from the [[Post-Soviet states|former Soviet Union]] who came to Germany from the 1980s onwards.<ref>{{cite web|title=German Jews more than victims, community head says|url=http://jewishjournal.com/news/world/86509/|work=Jewish Journal|date=5 January 2011|archivedate=31 October 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031005406/http://jewishjournal.com/news/world/86509/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jewish Berlin: Myths and Fragmentation|url=http://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledgebase/109-jewish-berlin-myths-and-fragmentation|publisher=Humanity in Action|accessdate=12 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313043802/http://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledgebase/109-jewish-berlin-myths-and-fragmentation |archivedate=13 March 2017}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Germany}}

[[File:Heidelberg Universitätsbibliothek 2003 b.jpg|thumb|[[Heidelberg University]], Germany's oldest institution of higher learning and generally considered one of its most renowned]]
Responsibility for educational supervision in Germany is primarily organised within the individual [[States of Germany|states]]. Optional [[kindergarten]] education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which [[Schulpflicht|school attendance is compulsory]] for at least nine years depending on the state. Primary education usually lasts for four to six years.<ref name="ED">{{Cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Germany.pdf |title=Country profile: Germany |date=April 2008 |publisher=Library of Congress |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060904/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Germany.pdf |archivedate=27 April 2011 |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref> Secondary schooling is divided into tracks based on whether students pursue [[college-preparatory school|academic]] or [[vocational education]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wenr.wes.org/2016/11/education-in-germany|title=Education in Germany|author=Trines, Stefan|date=8 November 2016|website=World Education News and Reviews|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=5 April 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405120422/https://wenr.wes.org/2016/11/education-in-germany|url-status=live}}</ref> A system of apprenticeship called {{lang|de|[[Dual education system|Duale Ausbildung]]}} leads to a skilled qualification which is almost comparable to an academic degree. It allows students in vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a state-run trade school.<ref name="ED" /> This model is well regarded and reproduced all around the world.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4f43b5c4-a32b-11e1-8f34-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RApE4hJA |title=A German model goes global |website=Financial Times |date=21 May 2012 |url-access=registration |accessdate=28 September 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728095341/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f43b5c4-a32b-11e1-8f34-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RApE4hJA |archivedate=28 July 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most of the [[List of universities in Germany|German universities]] are public institutions, and students traditionally study without fee payment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://theconversation.com/should-we-follow-the-german-way-of-free-higher-education-23970 |title=Should we follow the German way of free higher education? |first1=Tim |last1=Pitman |date=18 March 2014 |work=The Conversation |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318031926/http://theconversation.com/should-we-follow-the-german-way-of-free-higher-education-23970 |archivedate=18 March 2014 |last2=Hannah Forsyth}}</ref> The general requirement for attending university is the {{lang|de|[[Abitur]]}}. According to an OECD report from 2014, Germany is the world's third leading destination for international study.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/growing-popularity-international-study-germany |title=The Growing Popularity of International Study in Germany |first=Laura|last=Bridgestock |date=13 November 2014 |website=QS Topuniversities |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413063050/http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/growing-popularity-international-study-germany |archivedate=13 April 2016}}</ref> The established universities in Germany include some of the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest in the world]], with [[Heidelberg University]] (established in 1386), [[Leipzig University]] (established in 1409) and the [[University of Rostock]] (established in 1419) being the [[List of oldest German universities|oldest in the country]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/university/rankings/ |title=Rankings: Universität Heidelberg in International Comparison|publisher=Universität Heidelberg |first=Björn |last=Bertram |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921065348/http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/university/rankings/ |archivedate=21 September 2014 |accessdate=28 September 2014}}</ref> The [[Humboldt University of Berlin]], founded in 1810 by the liberal educational reformer [[Wilhelm von Humboldt]], became the academic [[Humboldtian model of higher education|model for many Western universities]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/humboldt-university-berlin|website=Times Higher Education|title=Humboldt University of Berlin|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=15 June 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615201758/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/humboldt-university-berlin|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drc.uns.ac.rs/presentations/05_DS/03-Prof.Dr.HeinrichKern.pdf|website=26th Annual Meeting of the Danube Rectors Conference|title=Humboldt's educational ideal and modern academic education|author=Kern, Heinrich|year=2010|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=24 February 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224180046/http://www.drc.uns.ac.rs/presentations/05_DS/03-Prof.Dr.HeinrichKern.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> 

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Germany}}

{{Further|Healthcare in Germany}}
[[File:Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (Lübeck).jpg|thumb|The [[Hospital of the Holy Spirit]] in [[Lübeck]], established in 1286, is a precursor to modern hospitals.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/discover/sights/hospital-of-the-holy-spirit.html |title=Hospital of the Holy Spirit Lübeck |publisher=Lübeck + Travemünde |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215044833/http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/discover/sights/hospital-of-the-holy-spirit.html |archivedate=15 December 2014 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref>]]

Germany's system of hospitals, called {{lang|de|Krankenhäuser}}, dates from medieval times, and the country has the world's oldest [[universal health care]] system, dating from [[Otto von Bismarck#Social legislation|Bismarck's social legislation]] of the 1880s.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/80776/E68952.pdf |title=Health Care Systems in Transition: Germany |publisher=European Observatory on Health Care Systems |year=2000 |page=8|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513054407/http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/80776/E68952.pdf |archivedate=13 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the 1880s, reforms and provisions have ensured a balanced [[health care system]]. The population is covered by a health insurance plan provided by statute, with criteria allowing some groups to opt for a private health insurance contract. According to the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO), Germany's health care system was 77% government-funded and 23% privately funded in 2013.<ref name="health">{{Cite web |url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.country.country-DEU?lang=en |title=Germany statistics summary (2002–present) |publisher=World Health Organization |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606194340/http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.country.country-DEU?lang=en |archivedate=6 June 2016 |accessdate=4 June 2016}}</ref> In 2024, Germany spent 12.27% of its GDP on health care.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS |title=Global Health Expenditure Database |date=December 2025 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]]}}</ref>

Germany [[List of countries by life expectancy|ranked 21st]] in the world in 2019 in life expectancy with 78.7 years for men and 84.8 years for women according to the WHO, and it had a very low [[infant mortality rate]] of 4 deaths per 1,000 [[Live birth (human)|live births]]. {{As of|2019|alt=In 2019}}, the principal cause of death was cardiovascular disease, at 37%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/419459/Country-Health-Profile-2019-Germany.pdf?ua=1|publisher=WHO|title=Germany Country Health Profile 2019|accessdate=9 March 2020|archivedate=20 June 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620152704/https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/419459/Country-Health-Profile-2019-Germany.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Obesity in Germany]] has been increasingly cited as a major health issue: a 2014 study showed that 52 percent of the adult German population was overweight or obese.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics|title=Overweight and obesity – BMI statistics|publisher=Eurostat|accessdate=14 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325112121/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics|archivedate=25 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Germany has an extensive psychiatric care system, with rising demand for mental health services; roughly 27.8% of adults experience a mental disorder annually.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jacobi |first1=Frank|first2=M |last2=Höfler|first3= J |last3=Strehle|first4= S|last4= Mack|first5= A |last5=Gerschler|first6= L |last6=Scholl|first7= M A |last7=Busch|first8= U|last8= Maske|first9= U |last9=Hapke|first10= W|last10= Gaebel|first11= W |last11=Maier|first12= M |last12=Wagner|first13= J|last13= Zielasek|first14= H-U |last14=Wittchen|title=Mental disorders in the general population : Study on the health of adults in Germany and the additional module mental health (DEGS1-MH)|journal=Der Nervenarzt|doi=10.1007/s00115-013-3961-y |year=2014|volume=85|issue=1|pages=77&ndash;87 |pmid=24441882 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Trautmann |first1=Caroline |last2=Kleißle |first2=Christian |last3=Müller |first3=Christoph |title=Guide to: The Psychiatric Health Care System in Germany |url=https://www.bapk.de/fileadmin/user_files/bapk/projekte/bapk_ratgeber_02_gesundheitssystem_ENGL_v2_FERTIG.pdf |publisher=Bundesverband der Angehörigen psychisch kranker Menschen e.V.|date=2017}}</ref> While the system offers comprehensive, insurance-covered care, it faces a shortage of psychotherapists and [[Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic|a pandemic-driven surge]] in anxiety and depression.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stoffers-Winterling |first1=J. M. |last2=Wiegand |first2=H. F. |last3=Broll |first3=J. |last4=Schäfer |first4=S. K. |last5=Adorjan |first5=K. |last6=Tüscher |first6=O. |last7=Lieb |first7=K. |date=3 April 2025 |title=[The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: mental health trajectories, resilient and vulnerable groups] |journal=Der Nervenarzt |volume=96 |issue=3 |pages=266–271 |doi=10.1007/s00115-025-01824-8 |pmc=12058912 |pmid=40180657}}</ref> In 2023, 37.7% of adults rated their mental health as excellent or very good.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Self-rated mental health (from 18 years) |url=https://www.gbe.rki.de/EN/Topics/HealthStatus/SubjectiveHealth/Self-ratedHealth/Self-ratedMentalHealth/Self-ratedMentalHealth_node.html? |accessdate=24 March 2026|publisher=[[Robert Koch Institut]]}}</ref> Germany had the third-highest rate of chronic depression among EU countries in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=7.2% of people in the EU suffer from chronic depression |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20210910-1 |date=10 September 2021 |website=Eurostat}}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Germany}}

[[File:Striezelmarkt 2009 00950.jpg|thumb|The [[Striezelmarkt]], a [[Christmas market]] in [[Dresden]]]]
Culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and [[secularism|secular]], and [[List of German scientists by century|German scientists]], writers and philosophers have played a significant role in the development of Western thought.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |title=Germany country profile |date=25 February 2015 |website=BBC News|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602194632/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |archivedate=2 June 2015}}</ref> Global opinion polls from the [[BBC]] revealed that Germany is recognised for having the most positive influence in the world in 2013<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 May 2013 |title=BBC poll: Germany most popular country in the world |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523014312/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104 |archivedate=23 May 2013 |newspaper=BBC News}}</ref> and 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/world-service-country-poll |title=World Service Global Poll: Negative views of Russia on the rise |date=4 June 2014 |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812221010/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/world-service-country-poll |archivedate=12 August 2014 }}</ref>

Germany is well known for such folk festivals as the [[Oktoberfest]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=MacGregor, Neil |date=28 September 2014 |title=The country with one people and 1,200 sausages |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29380144 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210062000/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29380144 |archivedate=10 December 2014 |work=BBC News}}</ref> and [[Weihnachten|Christmas customs]], which include [[Advent wreath]]s, [[Nativity play|Christmas pageants]], [[Christmas tree]]s, [[Stollen]] cakes, and other practices.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/ |title=Christmas Traditions in Austria, Germany, Switzerland |publisher=German Ways |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225193546/http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/ |archivedate=25 December 2014 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2025}}, [[UNESCO]] inscribed [[World Heritage Sites in Germany|55 properties in Germany on the World Heritage List]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/de |title=World Heritage Sites in Germany |publisher=UNESCO |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323055317/https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/de |archivedate=23 March 2016 |accessdate=22 March 2016}}</ref> There are a number of [[public holidays in Germany]] determined by each state; 3 October has been a [[national day]] of Germany since 1990, celebrated as the {{lang|de|Tag der Deutschen Einheit}} ([[German Unity Day]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.buzer.de/s1.htm?g=Einigungsvertrag&a=2 |title=Artikel 2 EV – Vertrag zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik über die Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands (Einigungsvertrag – EV k.a.Abk.) |publisher=buzer.de |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224034/http://www.buzer.de/s1.htm?g=Einigungsvertrag&a=2 |archivedate=23 September 2015 |accessdate=15 May 2015}}</ref>

=== Art, design and architecture ===
{{Main|German art|Architecture of Germany|German fashion}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| width1            = 132
| image1            = Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.jpeg
| caption1          = [[Caspar David Friedrich|C.D. Friedrich]], ''[[Wanderer above the Sea of Fog]]'' (1818)
| width2            = 155
| image2            = Franz Marc 020.jpg
| caption2          = [[Franz Marc]], ''Roe Deer in the Forest'' (1914)
}}

[[German painters]] have influenced [[Art of Europe|Western art]]. [[Albrecht Dürer]], [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], [[Matthias Grünewald]] and [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] were important German artists of the [[Renaissance]], [[Johann Baptist Zimmermann]] of the [[Baroque]], [[Caspar David Friedrich]] and [[Carl Spitzweg]] of [[Romanticism]], [[Max Liebermann]] of [[Impressionism]] and [[Max Ernst]] of [[Surrealism]]. Several German art groups formed in the 20th century; {{lang|de|[[Die Brücke]]}} (The Bridge) and {{lang|de|[[Der Blaue Reiter]]}} (The Blue Rider) influenced the development of [[German Expressionism|expressionism]] in Munich and Berlin. The [[New Objectivity]] arose in response to expressionism during the Weimar Republic. After World War II, broad trends in German art include [[neo-expressionism]] and the [[New Leipzig School]].<ref name="groveart">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Grove Art Online|author1=David Jenkinson|author2=Günther Binding|author2-link=Günther Binding|author3=Doris Kutschbach|author4=Ulrich Knapp|author5=Howard Caygill|author5-link=Howard Caygill|author6=Achim Preiss|author7=Helmut Börsch-Supan|author8=Thomas Kliemann|author9=April Eisman|author10=Klaus Niehr|author11=Jeffrey Chipps Smith|author12=Ulrich Leben|author13=Heidrun Zinnkann|author14=Angelika Steinmetz|author15=Walter Spiegl|author16=G. Reinheckel|author17=Hannelore Müller|author18=Gerhard Bott|author19=Peter Hornsby|author20=Anna Beatriz Chadour|author21=Erika Speel|author22=A. Kenneth Snowman|author23=Brigitte Dinger|author24=Annamaria Giusti|author25=Harald Olbrich|author26=Christian Herchenröder|author27=David Alan Robertson|author28=Dominic R. Stone|author29=Eduard Isphording|author30=Heinrich Dilly|title=Germany, Federal Republic of|date=10 December 2018|doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T031531|isbn=978-1-884446-05-4}}</ref>

German designers became early leaders of modern [[product design]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design |title=Bauhaus: The Single Most Influential School of Design |date=13 June 2012 |website=Gizmodo |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221015122/http://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design |archivedate=21 December 2014}}</ref> The [[Berlin Fashion Week]] and the fashion trade fair [[Bread & Butter (tradeshow)|Bread & Butter]] are held twice a year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/germanys-fashion-capital-the-improbable-rise-of-berlin-2012011713844 |title=Berlin as a fashion capital: the improbable rise |date=12 January 2012 |publisher=Fashion United UK |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508051452/http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/germanys-fashion-capital-the-improbable-rise-of-berlin-2012011713844 |archivedate=8 May 2015}}</ref>

Architectural contributions from Germany include the [[Carolingian architecture|Carolingian]] and [[Ottonian architecture|Ottonian]] styles, which were precursors of [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]. [[Brick Gothic]] is a distinctive medieval style that evolved in Germany. Also in [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] and [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] art, regional and typically German elements evolved (e.g. [[Weser Renaissance]]).<ref name="groveart" /> [[Vernacular architecture]] in Germany is often identified by [[Fachwerkhaus|its timber framing]] ({{lang|de|Fachwerk}}) traditions and varies across regions, and among carpentry styles.<ref name="Heinrich Stiewe 2007">{{cite book|first=Heinrich |last=Stiewe|year=2007|title=Fachwerkhäuser in Deutschland: Konstruktion, Gestalt und Nutzung vom Mittelalter bis heute|publisher=Primus Verlag|isbn=978-3-89678-589-3}}</ref> When industrialisation spread across Europe, [[classicism]] and a distinctive style of [[Historicism (art)|historicism]] developed in Germany, sometimes referred to as {{lang|de|[[Gründerzeit]]}} ''style''. [[Expressionist architecture]] developed in the 1910s in Germany and influenced [[Art Deco]] and other modern styles. Germany was particularly important in the early [[modern architecture|modernist movement]]: it is the home of [[Deutscher Werkbund|Werkbund]] initiated by [[Hermann Muthesius]] ([[New Objectivity (architecture)|New Objectivity]]), and of the [[Bauhaus]] movement founded by [[Walter Gropius]].<ref name="groveart" /> [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] became one of the world's most renowned architects in the second half of the 20th century; he conceived of the glass façade [[skyscraper]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch00curl_0 |title=A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-860678-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch00curl_0/page/880 880] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Renowned contemporary [[List of German architects|German architects]] and offices include [[Pritzker Prize]] winners [[Gottfried Böhm]] and [[Frei Otto]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=100 Contemporary Architects |last=Jodidio |first=Philip |year=2008 |publisher=Taschen |isbn=978-3-8365-0091-3 |edition=1}}</ref>

=== Literature and philosophy ===
{{Main|German literature|German philosophy}}

[[File:Grimm.jpg|thumb|[[Brothers Grimm]], who collected popular German folk tales and published them in [[Grimms' Fairy Tales|a collection]]]]
German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the works of writers such as [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] and [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]]. Well-known German authors include [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]], [[Friedrich Schiller]], [[Gotthold Ephraim Lessing]] and [[Theodor Fontane]]. The collections of folk tales published by the [[Brothers Grimm]] popularised [[German folklore]] on an international level.<ref name="D99ff">{{cite journal |last=Dégh|first= Linda |year=1979|title=Grimm's Household Tales and its Place in the Household|journal=Western Folklore|volume=38 |number=2|pages=99–101|doi=10.2307/1498562 |jstor=1498562}}</ref> The Grimms also gathered and codified regional variants of the German language, grounding their work in historical principles; their {{lang|de|[[Deutsches Wörterbuch]]}}, or German Dictionary, sometimes called the Grimm dictionary, was begun in 1838 and the first volumes published in 1854.<ref name="DWBhistory">{{cite web|title=History of the ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' |url=http://150-grimm.bbaw.de/start.htm |website=DWB 150th Anniversary Exhibition and Symposium|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015142342/http://150-grimm.bbaw.de/start.htm |archivedate=15 October 2015|publisher= Humboldt-Universität|year= 2004|language=de|accessdate= 27 June 2012}}</ref>

Influential authors of the 20th century include [[Gerhart Hauptmann]], [[Thomas Mann]], [[Hermann Hesse]], [[Heinrich Böll]], and [[Günter Grass]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Kjell Espmark|Espmark, Kjell]] |year=2001 |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html |title=The Nobel Prize in Literature |publisher=Nobelprize.org |url-status=live |archivedate=26 April 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426075458/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html}}</ref> The German book market is the third-largest in the world, after the United States and China.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/2014/IPA-annual-report-2014.pdf |accessdate=6 July 2016 |title=Annual Report |date=October 2014 |publisher=International Publishers Association |page=13 |archivedate=11 July 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711214707/http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/2014/IPA-annual-report-2014.pdf}}</ref> The [[Frankfurt Book Fair]] is the most important in the world for international deals and trading, with a tradition spanning over 500 years.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History of the Frankfurt Book Fair |last1=Weidhaas |first1=Peter |last2=Gossage |first2=Carolyn |last3=Wright |first3=Wendy A. |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffrankfu0000weid |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-1-55002-744-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyoffrankfu0000weid/page/n143 11] |url-access=registration}}</ref> The [[Leipzig Book Fair]] also retains a major position in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dw.de/leipzig-book-fair-cultural-sideshow-with-a-serious-side/a-18313879 |title=Leipzig Book Fair: Cultural sideshow with a serious side |last=Chase |first=Jefferson |date=13 March 2015 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425203420/http://www.dw.de/leipzig-book-fair-cultural-sideshow-with-a-serious-side/a-18313879 |archivedate=25 April 2015 }}</ref>

German philosophy is historically significant: [[Gottfried Leibniz]]'s contributions to [[rationalism]]; the [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] philosophy by [[Immanuel Kant]]; the establishment of classical [[German idealism]] by [[Johann Gottlieb Fichte]], [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]] and [[Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling]]; [[Arthur Schopenhauer]]'s composition of metaphysical pessimism; the formulation of [[communist theory]] by [[Karl Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels]]; [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s development of [[perspectivism]]; [[Gottlob Frege]]'s contributions to the dawn of [[analytic philosophy]]; [[Martin Heidegger]]'s works on Being; [[Oswald Spengler]]'s historical philosophy; and the development of the [[Frankfurt School]] have all been very influential.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy |last=Searle, John |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=1987 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Germany}}

{{See also|Opera in German}}
[[File:Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis.jpg|thumb|[[Ludwig van Beethoven]] (1770–1827), one of the most famed composers of [[classical music]], was born in [[Bonn]].]]
German [[classical music era|classical music]] includes works by some of the world's most well-known composers. [[Dieterich Buxtehude]], [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] and [[George Frideric Handel|Georg Friedrich Händel]] were influential composers of the [[Baroque music|Baroque period]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] was a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and [[Romantic music|Romantic]] eras. [[Carl Maria von Weber]], [[Felix Mendelssohn]], [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Johannes Brahms]] were significant Romantic composers. [[Richard Wagner]] was known for his operas. [[Richard Strauss]] was a leading composer of the late Romantic and early [[20th-century classical music|modern]] eras. [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] and [[Wolfgang Rihm]] are important composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|title=Germany, Federal Republic of|last1=Kmetz |first1=John |first2=Ludwig |last2=Finscher |first3=Giselher |last3=Schubert |first4=Wilhelm |last4=Schepping |first5=Philip V. |last5=Bohlman|date=20 January 2001|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40055 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 }}</ref>

In 2013, Germany was the second-largest music market in Europe, and [[List of largest recorded music markets|fourth-largest in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/issue/pdf/RIAJ2013E.pdf |title=The Recorded Music Industry in Japan |year=2013 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of Japan |page=24 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818080109/http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/issue/pdf/RIAJ2013E.pdf |archivedate=18 August 2013 |accessdate=8 February 2014 }}</ref> German popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries includes the movements of [[Neue Deutsche Welle]], [[Pop music|pop]], [[Ostrock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]/[[German rock|rock]], [[German punk|punk]], [[pop rock]], [[Indie rock|indie]], [[Volksmusik]] (folk music), [[Schlager music|schlager pop]] and [[German hip hop]]. German [[electronic music]] gained global influence, with [[Kraftwerk]] and [[Tangerine Dream]] pioneering in this genre.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.dw.de/kraftwerk-maintain-their-legacy-as-electro-pioneers/a-6497092 |title=Kraftwerk maintain their legacy as electro-pioneers |date=8 April 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404040323/http://www.dw.de//kraftwerk-maintain-their-legacy-as-electro-pioneers//a-6497092 |archivedate=4 April 2013 |website=Deutsche Welle}}</ref> DJs and artists of the [[techno]] and [[house music]] scenes of Germany have become well known (e.g. [[Paul van Dyk]], [[Felix Jaehn]], [[Paul Kalkbrenner]], [[Robin Schulz]] and [[Scooter (band)|Scooter]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nye |first=Sean |title=Minimal Understandings: The Berlin Decade, The Minimal Continuum, and Debates on the Legacy of German Techno |url=https://www.academia.edu/3813069 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Popular Music Studies |date=2013 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=154–184 |doi=10.1111/JPMS.12032 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101013427/http://www.academia.edu/3813069/Minimal_Understandings_The_Berlin_Decade_The_Minimal_Continuum_and_Debates_on_the_Legacy_of_German_Techno |archivedate=1 January 2015 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref>

=== Media ===
{{Main|Media of Germany}}

{{Further|Cinema of Germany}}
[[File:Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang.jpg|thumb|[[Babelsberg Studio]] in [[Potsdam]], the first large-scale film studio in the world]]
The largest internationally operating [[Mass media|media]] companies in Germany are [[Bertelsmann]], [[Axel Springer AG|Axel Springer SE]] and [[ProSiebenSat.1 Media]]. [[Television in Germany|Germany's television market]] is the largest in Europe, with over 38&nbsp;million TV households as of 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.astra.de/16795168/tv-verbreitung_in_deutschland |title=Distribution of TV in Germany (German) |work=Digitaler Sat-Empfang via ASTRA: Überirdisch fernsehen |date=19 February 2013 |publisher=Astra Sat|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101012509/http://www.astra.de/16795168/tv-verbreitung_in_deutschland |archivedate=1 January 2015 }}</ref> Around 90% of German households have cable or satellite TV, with a variety of [[Public broadcasting#Germany|free-to-view public]] and [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial]] channels.<ref name="media" /> There are more than [[List of radio stations in Germany|300 public and private radio stations in Germany]]; Germany's national radio network is the [[Deutschlandradio]], while the public [[Deutsche Welle]] is the main radio and television broadcaster in foreign languages.<ref name="media" /> Germany's print media market is the largest in Europe.<ref name="media">{{cite web|url=https://medialandscapes.org/country/germany|title=Germany|publisher=Media Landscapes|accessdate=14 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327081145/https://medialandscapes.org/country/germany|archivedate=27 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[German newspapers]] with the highest circulation are {{lang|de|[[Bild]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Die Welt]]}}.<ref name="media" /> The largest [[German magazines]] include {{lang|de|[[ADAC Motorwelt]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Der Spiegel]]}}.<ref name="media" /> Germany has [[Video gaming in Germany|a large video gaming market]], with over 34 million players nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-16-german-consumers-spent-4-4bn-on-video-games-in-2018|title=German consumers spent €4.4bn on video games in 2018|last=Batchelor|first=James|date=16 July 2019|website=GamesIndustry.biz|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509014644/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-16-german-consumers-spent-4-4bn-on-video-games-in-2018|archivedate=9 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The annual [[Gamescom]] held in [[Cologne]] is the world's largest [[gaming convention]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Keza |date=23 August 2022 |title=Pushing Buttons: What to expect from the world's biggest games convention |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/aug/23/pushing-buttons-gamescom-worlds-biggest-gaming-convention |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726020832/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/aug/23/pushing-buttons-gamescom-worlds-biggest-gaming-convention |url-status=live }}</ref>

German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film. The first works of the [[Max Skladanowsky|Skladanowsky Brothers]] were shown to an audience in 1895. The renowned [[Babelsberg Studio]] in [[Potsdam]] was established in 1912, thus being the first large-scale film studio in the world. Early German cinema was particularly influential with [[German expressionist cinema|German expressionists]] such as [[Robert Wiene]] and [[Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau]]. Director [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' (1927) is referred to as the first major science-fiction film. After 1945, many of the films of the immediate post-war period can be characterised as {{lang|de|[[Rubble film|Trümmerfilm]]}} (rubble film). East German film was dominated by the state-owned film studio [[DEFA (film studio)|DEFA]], while the dominant genre in West Germany was the {{lang|de|[[Heimatfilm]]}} ("homeland film").<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=Brockmann|title=A Critical History of German Film|url=https://archive.org/details/criticalhistoryg00broc |url-access=limited |publisher=Camden House|year= 2010|page= [https://archive.org/details/criticalhistoryg00broc/page/n296 286]|isbn=978-1-57113-468-4}}</ref> The [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] ("Oscar") went to the German production ''[[The Tin Drum (film)|The Tin Drum]]'' ({{lang|de|Die Blechtrommel}}) in 1979, to ''[[Nowhere in Africa]]'' ({{lang|de|Nirgendwo in Afrika}}) in 2002, and to ''[[The Lives of Others]]'' ({{lang|de|Das Leben der Anderen}}) in 2007. [[List of German-speaking Academy Award winners and nominees|Various Germans]] won an Oscar for their performances in films. The annual [[European Film Award]]s ceremony is held every other year in Berlin, home of the [[European Film Academy]]. The [[Berlin International Film Festival]] known as "Berlinale", awarding the "[[Golden Bear]]" and held annually since 1951, is one of the world's leading [[film festival]]s. The "Lolas" are annually awarded in Berlin, at the [[Deutscher Filmpreis|German Film Awards]].<ref>{{cite book|page=331|title=Historical Dictionary of German Cinema|author1=Reimer, Robert |author2=Reimer, Carol|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2019|isbn=978-1-5381-1940-2}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|German cuisine}}

[[File:BavarianLunch.jpg|thumb|Bavarian [[Bratwurst]] with mustard, a [[pretzel]], and [[Beer in Germany|German beer]]]]
[[German cuisine#Bread|Bread]] is a significant part of German cuisine, with German bakeries producing about 600 main types of bread and 1,200 types of pastries and [[Bread roll|rolls]] ({{lang|de|Brötchen}}).<ref>{{cite book|page=344|title=The World of Wine and Food: A Guide to Varieties, Tastes, History, and Pairings|last=Philpott|first=Don|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4422-6804-3}}</ref> [[List of German cheeses|German cheeses]] account for about 22% of all cheese produced in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190119-1|publisher=Eurostat|title=Where does our cheese come from?|date=19 January 2019|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204144839/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190119-1|archivedate=4 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Germans produce their ubiquitous sausages in almost 1,500 varieties, including [[Bratwurst]] and [[Weißwurst]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/german-hams-sausages-meats-guide/ |title=Guide to German Hams and Sausages |publisher=German Foods North America |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322084957/http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/german-hams-sausages-meats-guide/ |archivedate=22 March 2015 |accessdate=26 March 2015 }}</ref>

The national alcoholic drink is [[Beer in Germany|beer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/lifestyle/recipes/in-depth-look-at-germanys-national-drink-beer/videoshow/16419704.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=16 September 2012|title=In-depth look at Germany's national drink – beer|archivedate=30 September 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930074944/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/lifestyle/recipes/in-depth-look-at-germanys-national-drink-beer/videoshow/16419704.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> Germany's beer consumption per capita stood at {{convert|110|litres|0}} in 2013 and remains among the [[List of countries by beer consumption per capita|highest in the world]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-10-heaviest-beer-drinking-countries-czech-republic-germany-sink-most-pints-1475764 |title=Top 10 Heaviest Beer-drinking Countries: Czech Republic and Germany Sink Most Pints |first=Samantha |last=Payne |date=20 November 2014 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513195740/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-10-heaviest-beer-drinking-countries-czech-republic-germany-sink-most-pints-1475764 |archivedate=13 May 2015 |work=International Business Times}}</ref> [[Reinheitsgebot|German beer purity regulations]] date back to the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/492-years-of-good-beer-germans-toast-the-anniversary-of-their-beer-purity-law-a-549175.html |title=492 Years of Good Beer: Germans Toast the Anniversary of Their Beer Purity Law |date=23 April 2008 |work=Spiegel Online |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506121630/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,549175,00.html |archivedate=6 May 2008}}</ref> [[German wine|Wine]] has become popular in many parts of the country, especially near the [[List of German wine regions|German wine regions]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.germanwineusa.com/press-trade/statistics.html |title=German Wine Statistics |publisher=Wines of Germany, Deutsches Weininstitut |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217205618/http://www.germanwineusa.com/press-trade/statistics.html |archivedate=17 December 2014 |accessdate=21 February 2026}}</ref> In 2019, Germany was the [[List of countries by wine production|ninth-largest wine producer in the world]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/240638/wine-production-in-selected-countries-and-regions/|website=Statista|title=Wine production worldwide in 2019, by country (in million hectoliters)|accessdate=14 March 2021|archivedate=1 April 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401002003/https://www.statista.com/statistics/240638/wine-production-in-selected-countries-and-regions/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2018 ''[[Michelin Guide]]'' awarded [[List of Michelin starred restaurants#Germany|eleven restaurants in Germany three stars]], giving the country a cumulative total of [[List of Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany|300 stars]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/germany-michelin-stars|website=Food and Wine|title=Germany Was Just Awarded Its 300th Michelin Star|last=Heller|first=Charlie|date=15 November 2017|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228210645/http://www.foodandwine.com/news/germany-michelin-stars|archivedate=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Germany}}

[[File:Germany champions 2014 FIFA World Cup.jpg|thumb|The [[Germany national football team|German national football team]] after winning the [[FIFA World Cup]] for the fourth time in 2014]]
[[Football in Germany|Football]] is the most popular sport in Germany. With more than 7&nbsp;million official members, the [[German Football Association]] (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund'') is the largest single-sport organisation worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/dfb-presidential-candidate-fritz-keller-promises-no-more-one-man-show/a-50119403|website=DW|title=DFB: presidential candidate Fritz Keller promises 'no more one-man show'|last=Schalling|first=Herbert|date=21 August 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329034515/https://www.dw.com/en/dfb-presidential-candidate-fritz-keller-promises-no-more-one-man-show/a-50119403|archivedate=29 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and the German top league, the [[Bundesliga]], attracts the second-highest [[List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues|average attendance]] of all professional sports leagues in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/attendance-sports-leagues-world-2015-5|website=Business Insider|title=The NFL and Major League Baseball are the most attended sports leagues in the world|last=Gaines|first=Cork|date=22 May 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831191916/https://www.businessinsider.com/attendance-sports-leagues-world-2015-5|archivedate=31 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Germany national football team|German men's national football team]] won the [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], and [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/archive/|publisher=FIFA|title=FIFA World Cup Timeline|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305190808/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/archive/|archivedate=5 March 2020}}</ref> the [[UEFA European Championship]] in [[1972 UEFA European Championship|1972]], [[UEFA Euro 1980|1980]] and [[UEFA Euro 1996|1996]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/|publisher=UEFA|title=History|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050335/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/index.html|archivedate=18 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[FIFA Confederations Cup]] in [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup|2017]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/|publisher=FIFA|title=Confederations Cup|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312140436/https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/|archivedate=12 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Germany is one of the world's leading [[Motorsport in Germany|motor sports]] countries, with constructors such as [[BMW]] and [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] playing prominent roles in international competition. [[Porsche]] has won the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] race 19 times, and [[Audi]] 13 times, {{As of|2024|04|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Damien|title=Porsche to make Le Mans 24 Hours return in 2023|url=https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport-news/porsche-make-le-mans-24-hours-return-2023|work=Autocar|date=15 December 2020|accessdate=12 April 2021|archivedate=12 April 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412125853/https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport-news/porsche-make-le-mans-24-hours-return-2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The driver [[Michael Schumacher]] has set many motor sport records, having won seven [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Drivers' Championships]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/23/formulaone.sport |title=What we will miss about Michael Schumacher |last=Ornstein |first=David |date=23 October 2006 |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108044532/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/23/formulaone.sport |archivedate=8 January 2014 }}</ref> [[Sebastian Vettel]] is also among the most successful [[Formula One]] drivers of all time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/vettel-makes-formula-one-history-with-eighth-successive-victory-29761655.html |title=Vettel makes Formula One history with eighth successive victory |date=17 November 2013 |work=Irish Independent|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024830/http://www.independent.ie/sport/vettel-makes-formula-one-history-with-eighth-successive-victory-29761655.html |archivedate=3 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Germany at the Olympics|German athletes]] historically have been successful contenders in the [[Olympic Games]], ranking third in an [[all-time Olympic Games medal count]] when combining [[East Germany|East]] and [[West German]] medals prior to [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite book|page=99|title=Success and Failure of Countries at the Olympic Games|doi=10.4324/9781315757308|publisher=Routledge|last=Reiche|first=Danyel|year=2016|isbn=978-1-317-63277-1}}</ref> In 1936, Berlin hosted the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer Games]] and the [[1936 Winter Olympics|Winter Games]] in [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Large |first=David Clay |url=https://archive.org/details/nazigamesolympic00larg |title=Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-393-05884-0 |pages=136, 337 |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Munich]] hosted the [[1972 Summer Olympics|Summer Games of 1972]].{{sfn|Large|2007|p=337}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Germany|Countries|Europe|European Union
}}
* [[Outline of Germany]]
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book|last=Fulbrook|first=Mary|year=1991|title=A Concise History of Germany|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-36836-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780521368360}}
* {{cite book |last1=Murdoch |first1=Adrian |year=2004 |chapter=Germania Romana |editor1-last=Murdoch |editor1-first=Brian |editor1-link=Brian O. Murdoch |editor2-last=Read |editor2-first=Malcolm |title=[[Early Germanic Literature and Culture]] |url= |publisher=[[Boydell & Brewer]] |pages=55–73 |isbn=1-57113-199-X}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=27 May 2023|Germany 2023.ogg}}
{{Sister project links|Germany|collapsible=collapsed|voy=Germany}}
<!--Wikipedia is not a link list nor a web directory. If your link points to a site that does not cover many subjects about Germany, put it in a more specific article.-->
* [https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en Official site of the federal government]
* [https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html Official tourism site]
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 Germany] from [[BBC News]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20260115204708/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ Germany]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://data.oecd.org/germany.htm Germany] from the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]]
* [https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries/germany_en Germany] at the [[European Union|EU]]
* {{osmrelation-inline|51477}}

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