Area comparison map:

three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 3,714 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (9): Austria 801 km, Belgium 133 km, Czech Republic 704 km, Denmark 140 km, France 418 km, Luxembourg 128 km, Netherlands 575 km, Poland 467 km, Switzerland 348 km

Coastline:
2,389 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
More Climate Details

Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Elevation:
mean elevation: 263 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Natural resources:
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 48% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 34.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 13.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 31.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 20.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
6,500 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
most populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power by 2022; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea; most major rivers in Germany - the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe - flow northward; the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward