Germany: Introduction. Germany is a country located in the heart of Western Europe. It is bordered by Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Germany has a strategic location on the North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea. The government system is a federal republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the chancellor. Germany has a mixed economic system which includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. Germany is a member of the European Union (EU). ## Country Comparator. Select variable and countries to compare in table format. ## Country Rankings. Show how this country compares to others. Germany: U.S. Commercial Service - Country Commercial Guide open_in_new. Germany: World Bank - Doing Business Indicators open_in_new. Germany: BBC - Country Profile open_in_new. Germany: U.S. Department of State - Country Travel Information open_in_new.

Germany. Germany's location at the heart of Europe has shaped its history both for good and bad. There are 97 nature reserves in Germany, the biggest of which is the Black Forest. After losing World War II, Germany was in ruins. West Germany recovered to become Europe's richest country, but East Germany, under communist control, fell far behind. It was still thousands of years, though, before Germany was created. In the late 19th century Germany began competing with other European countries to set up colonies in Africa and Asia. Germany and its allies lost the war to Britain, France, the Soviet Union (now called Russia), and the United States. During the war, Hitler created camps in Germany where millions of Jewish people and others were murdered. After World War II, Germany was divided into West and East. This confrontation, which lasted 44 years, was called the Cold War. In 1989, East Germany opened its borders and the Cold War came to an end.

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. German audio sample: Religions. Roman Catholic 27.1%, Protestant 24.9%, Muslim 5.2%,
Achieving national unity later than other European nations, Germany quickly caught up economically and militarily, before defeats in World War One and World War Two left it shattered, facing the difficult legacy of Nazism and divided between Europe's Cold War blocs. 1914-1918 - World War One. Germany is defeated and becomes a republic. 1948-49 - Berlin Blockade: Amid worsening East-West relations and the introduction of the new Deutschmark currency in western zones, Soviet authorities block road and rail access from western Germany to West Berlin. 1949 - The US, French and British zones in the west become the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD); the Soviet zone in the east becomes the communist German Democratic Republic (DDR). 1969 - Social Democrat Willy Brandt becomes chancellor and seeks better ties with the Soviet Union and East Germany under Ostpolitik (eastern policy). 1973 - East and West Germany join the UN. East and West Berlin are united into a single city and eventually becomes the capital of a reunited Germany.

Germany in the EU. EU Member State: since 1 January 1958. The Commission is represented in each EU country by a local office, called a "representation". Germany has 24 representatives on the European Committee of the Regions, the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives. As Germany’s "embassy to the EU", its main task is to ensure that the country's interests and policies are heard and pursued as much as possible in the EU. ### How does Germany benefit from the EU budget? How much each EU country pays into the EU budget is calculated fairly. EU budget spending and revenue per country and per year. ### EU-funded projects in Germany. Money from the EU budget helps fund programmes and projects in all EU countries – for example to build roads, subsidise researchers and protect the environment. Find out more about how Germany benefits from EU funding and recovery funds in your country or region.