Area Total | 357,022 sq km |
Climate | temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind |
Natural Resources | coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land |
Imports | Netherlands 13.8%, China 7%, France 6.6%, Belgium 5.9%, Italy 5.4%, Poland 5.4%, Czechia 4.8%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2017) – machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products |
Government | federal parliamentary republic |
Capital | Berlin |
Population | 80.6 million (July 2017 est.) |
Ethnicity | German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Polish, Italian, Romanian, Syrian, and Greek) |
Language | German (official) note: Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romani are official minority languages; |
Exports | US 8.8%, France 8.2%, China 6.8%, Netherlands 6.7%, UK 6.6%, Italy 5.1%, Austria 4.9%, Poland 4.7%, Switzerland 4.2% (2017) – motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products |
News about Germany
- Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in May 2024by The Local on April 29, 2024
The weather is heating up and it feels like summer is just around the corner. Here are some events you can check out around Germany in May.
- German phrase of the day: Na gutby The Local on April 29, 2024
This innocuous sounding German phrase can be tricky to get the hang of, but once you do you'll find you can't live without it.
- 'Far too low': How millions of workers in Germany are earning less than €14 per hourby The Local on April 29, 2024
Germany is known for being a country of well-paid workers. But new statistics from the government reveal that more than eight million people are taking home less than €14 per hour, prompting fresh calls to raise the minimum wage.
- Alleged far-right plotters on trial in Germany accused of plan to overthrow stateby Kate Connolly in Berlin (Germany | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
Reichsbürger movement led by antisemitic pseudo-aristocrat driven by hatred for democracy, says ministerNine people have gone on trial amid tight security in the southern German city of Stuttgart in one of three cases linked to an alleged far-right plot to overthrow the state led by a pseudo-aristocrat businessman.The men are charged with high treason, […]
- Where to expect disruption due to rail upgrades in Germany this yearby The Local on April 29, 2024
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn is ploughing billions into rail upgrades this year, which will result in temporary detours and longer journey times. We look at the areas affected.
- Why two leading grocery delivery apps are leaving Germany in Mayby The Local on April 29, 2024
Speedy delivery services boomed during the Covid years, offering customers the chance to have groceries delivered in minutes. But now two of Germany’s bigger players are leaving the country entirely. Could this be the end of the on-demand delivery trend?
- Hamburg’s sex workers persecuted under Hitler to be commemoratedby Deborah Cole in Berlin (Germany | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
Planned memorial aims at ‘dignified remembrance’ of women of St Pauli detained as perverts under the NazisSex workers in Hamburg’s historic red-light district who were persecuted under Adolf Hitler are to get their own memorial at Herbertstraße, a notorious street in Germany’s second city still blocked off to all but sex workers and their […]
- From nudity to BBQs: What you can (and can't) do on your balcony in Germanyby The Local on April 29, 2024
When the sun is shining, there's nothing better than spending quality time on your balcony in Germany. But you may run into some problems with the neighbours if you don't follow these rules...
- Can people with a German spouse get faster citizenship under new law?by The Local on April 29, 2024
Germany's upcoming citizenship reform will drastically slash the years of residence needed for most foreigners. Does the same apply to people married to German citizens?
- The prince, the plotters and the would-be putsch: Germany to try far-right coup gangby Kate Connolly in Berlin (Germany | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
Ex-soldier, conspiracy theorist, astrologer and anti-vaxxer among the first of 27 people on trial for trying to violently topple the German government – led by Heinrich XIII Prince ReussOne of the largest legal proceedings in German history is due to start on Monday with the first of three trials of a group of far-right conspiracists who planned to […]
- Nine face trial in Germany for alleged far-right coup plotby The Local on April 29, 2024
The first members of a far-right group that allegedly plotted to attack the German parliament and overthrow the government will go on trial in Stuttgart on Monday.
- Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Mondayby The Local on April 29, 2024
Far-right party AfD loses support in European election polls, FDP reject return to nuclear power, trial against suspected Russian spy in the Bundeswehr begins, and other news from around Germany.
- Media freedom ‘perilously close to breaking point’ in several EU countriesby Jon Henley Europe correspondent (Germany | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
Civil liberties network warns of decline across the bloc as a result of harm or neglect by governmentsMedia freedom is declining across the EU and “perilously close to breaking point” in several countries, a leading civil liberties network has said, highlighting widespread threats against journalists and attacks on the independence of public […]
- Two Ukrainians killed outside shopping centre in Bavariaby The Local on April 28, 2024
Two men were killed in front of a shopping centre in Murnau, a town in the Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, on Saturday.
- 'Umpf': Six noises to help you sound like a Germanby The Local on April 28, 2024
You may think fancy vocab is the only way to impress your friends in German, but these quirky noises could actually be the key to sounding like a local.
- 'Forget about bilingual Kitas': Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germanyby The Local on April 28, 2024
With greater numbers of international workers choosing to settle in Germany and raise a family, the question of how to best raise bilingual children is often considered.
- From petri dish to plate: meet the company hoping to bring lab-grown fish to the tableby Sophie Kevany in Hamburg (Germany | The Guardian) on April 28, 2024
People want more seafood than the oceans can sustainably supply, so a German firm aims to plug that gap with cultivated fish – but are consumers ready to buy it?The redbrick offices, just north of Hamburg’s River Elbe and a few floors below Carlsberg’s German headquarters, are an unexpectedly low-key setting for a food team gearing up to produce […]
- Does hiring a lawyer speed up your German citizenship application?by The Local on April 27, 2024
Contracting a lawyer to help you with your German citizenship application isn't likely to help you get an appointment faster. But it may help you in other ways, particularly if your citizenship authority starts ghosting you.
- Inside Germany: Spy scandals, coalition upset and German noisesby The Local on April 27, 2024
In our revamped weekly newsletter, we look at spy drama, rocky politics, German noises and culture.
- France and Germany sign deal on 'tank of the future'by The Local on April 27, 2024
France and Germany on Friday firmed up plans to jointly develop a next-generation battle tank equipped with artificial intelligence and laser technology, billed as a game changer in modern warfare.
- FACT CHECK: Are foreign language protests really forbidden in Germany?by The Local on April 27, 2024
After a group of Irish protestors were told by Berlin police to stop singing songs in Gaelic while they held a pro-Palestine event, The Local looks at whether foreign language protests are really outlawed in Germany's capital.
- Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?by The Local on April 27, 2024
The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.
- 'Turbo spring': Germany to see temperatures above 25Cby The Local on April 26, 2024
Germany is set for a blast of warm weather in the coming week as the colder spell eases off.
- Has Germany avoided 'driving bans' by loosening its climate rules?by The Local on April 26, 2024
After threats of weekend driving bans to hit emissions targets, Germany's Bundestag has passed reforms to climate protection rules. Here's what you need to know.
- TELL US: Have you tried to lower your rent in Germany?by The Local on April 26, 2024
Many people in Germany may be getting charged too much rent. We want to know your experiences of challenging landlords to try and get your rental payments down.
- Tesla among electric carmakers forced to cut prices as market stallsby Jasper Jolly (Germany | The Guardian) on April 26, 2024
EV sales have plateaued across the world but the newfound glut of vehicles may just be temporaryElon Musk became the world’s richest man by evangelising about electric cars – and delivering them by the million. Yet in recent months his company, Tesla, has struggled to maintain its momentum: sales have dropped this year, and so has its share price.Those […]
- Like Germany’s president, I love a good kebab. Cosying up to autocrats like Erdoğan, less so | Fatma Aydemirby Fatma Aydemir (Germany | The Guardian) on April 26, 2024
Germany’s complicity with Turkey’s repressive regime worries me more than its döner diplomacy“Nazis eat döner kebabs in secret,” must be one of the dumbest slogans I have seen at German protests against the far right. Yes, the popularity of the kebab in Germany has become something of a symbol of labour migration from Turkey after the second world […]
- ‘It should feel like an extension of the living room’: radical study centre is named best building in Europeby Oliver Wainwright (Germany | The Guardian) on April 25, 2024
A ‘non-hierarchical’ university space that can be continually altered or even moved has won the EU’s biennial prize for contemporary architecture A lightweight university study centre designed to be easily disassembled has won the prize for the best building in Europe. Longevity, permanence and a sense of immutability might be the ambition of most […]
- German MPs break taboo by backing first post-unification Veterans’ Dayby Deborah Cole in Berlin (Germany | The Guardian) on April 25, 2024
Annual event in June is designed to make service in volunteer army more attractive amid looming threatsThe German parliament has passed a bill creating the first post-unification Veterans’ Day, breaking with a long-held taboo around veneration of soldiers as the country faces up to new looming threats.MPs in the Bundestag lower house approved the proposal […]
- Georgians arrested over cross-Europe thefts of rare library booksby Lisa O'Carroll and Philip Oltermann (Germany | The Guardian) on April 25, 2024
Suspects alleged to have posed as academics to access books and replace them with copies, says EuropolPolice have arrested nine Georgians suspected of running a sophisticated criminal operation stealing valuable antique books – including an original Alexander Pushkin manuscript – from national libraries across Europe.Shelves of 19th-century […]