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AT A GLANCE
GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE
LOCATION
Central Europe
Germany lies at the heart of Europe. It shares
its borders with nine other nations. No other
European country has more neighbours. In
the north, Germany has access to the North
and Baltic Seas. In the south it borders on the
Alps. At 2,962 metres the Zugspitze in Bavaria is its highest peak. At 3.54 metres below
sea level the lowest point on land is near
Neuendorf-Sachsenbande in Schleswig-Holstein. Measuring 357,340 square kilometres,
Germany is the fourth largest country in the
European Union (EU) after France, Spain,
and Sweden. Forests cover almost a third of
its total surface area. Lakes, rivers, and other
SURFACE AREA
357,340 km2
inland waters account for more than two
percent. The Rhine is the longest river. In the
southwest it marks the border between Germany and France, further north Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf all lie on its banks. The
Elbe, the second longest river, links Dresden,
Magdeburg, and Hamburg and flows into the
North Sea.
Germany enjoys a moderate climate. In July,
the mean maximum temperature is 21.8 degrees Celsius, the minimum 12.3 degrees. In
CAPITAL
January, the mean maximum is 2.1 degrees,
the minimum –2.8 degrees. The highest tem-
Berlin
perature since records began was recorded on
891.70 km2
5 July 2015 in Kitzingen am Main, namely
40.3 degrees Celsius.