Germany is the fourth largest country in area in Europe, with a total area of 356, 970 square kilometers (137, 827 square miles).
The country hasa varied terrain that ranges from low-lying coastal flats along the North and Baltic seas, to a central area of rolling hills and river valleys, to heavily forested mountains and snow-covered Alps in the south. Germany has a long, complex history and rich culture, but it did not become a unified nation until 1871. Before that time, Germany had been a confederacy (1815-1867).
The country has a total of 82, 071, 765 people (1997 estimate).
Germany is overwhelmingly urban, and most people lead a prosperous, comfortable lifestyle, with adequate leisure time and comprehensive social welfare benefits.
Berlin is the capital and largest city, although Bonn, which was the provisional capital of West Germany, is still home to some government offices. The principal language is German, and about 70 percent of the people are either Roman Catholic or Protestant. Germany has a very large and modern industrial economy and is a leading producer of such products as iron and steel, machinery and machine tools, and automobiles. Germany is an economic powerhouse in the European Union (EU), and its currency, the deutsche mark (DM), is among the strongest in the world.
Germany ranks as the fourth largest country in Europe, after European Russia (the part of Russia west of the Ural Mountains), France, and Spain. Germany is bounded on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, Baltic Sea, on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, on the south by Austria and Switzerland, and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Stretching from the Baltic and North seas to the Alps, Germany measures about 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) from north to south; the country extends about 600 km (about 400 miles) from west to east. In addition to coastline and mountains, the varied terrain includes forests, hills, plains, and river valleys. Several navigable rivers traverse the uplands, and canals connect the river systems of the Elbe, Rhine, and Danube rivers and link the North Sea with the Baltic. Germany has a mostly moderate climate, characterized by cool winters and warm summers.
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River valleys, such the Rhine, tend to be humid and somewhat warmer in both winter and summer, whereas mountain areas can be much colder. Precipitation on the average is much heavier in the south, especially along the Alpine slopes, which force incoming weather fronts to rise and let off moisture in the form of rain and snow. Germany does not have large pockets of poverty or great economic disparity. Crime levels are substantially lower than those in the United States, and the possession of guns is controlled. However, there are substantial numbers of homeless people and problems of violence, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
Nonviolent crimes, such as theft and burglary in urban areas, have increased since the 1970 s. They occur often enough to make law and order a recurrent political campaign issue.
