Germany is a large Central European country. To Germans, the country is known as Deutschland. The current day Federal Republic of Germany is comprised of the former West and East Germanys. Germany borders the North and Baltic seas and Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west. The total land area is 349,223 sq km with a further 7798 sq km of inland water. The terrain of Germany is made up of mostly flat lowlands in the north, a series of rolling hills in the centre and the Bavarian Alps in the south. The highest point of elevation is Zugspitze at a height of 2963m. Important natural features include the Black Forest and the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers. Germany is famous for its grand production of cars as well as fine wine and a good selection of beers. The national beer festivals, particularly Munich's, attract scores of visitors. Germany is a land of classic fairytale stories including the legends of Hansel and Gretel, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin.

The collapse of the Berlin wall or Iron Curtain in late 1989 saw the demise of communism within the former East Germany and the unification of the East and West Germanys. The Brandenburg Gate was reopened at this time as well. Today a small section of the wall still remains as an open-air art gallery known as the 'East Side Gallery', and is covered in colourful graffiti. Berlin is the capital of Germany and always has been although in the times of East and West Germany, it was known as East and West Berlin. Other important German cities include Cologne, Munich, Dresden and Hamburg. The official language is German although English is widely spoken. The now defunct Deutschmark has been replaced by the Euro as the normal unit of currency.

Germany has the largest economy in Europe and is geared mainly towards industry and services. These account for 99% of the GNP. German car production is a large-scale industry. Others include iron and steel, coal, chemicals, machinery, food and beverages, electronics and shipbuilding. Just 2.8% of the population is employed within agriculture. The transport network consists of 44,000 km of railways and 656,140 km of highways. The national rail network is managed by the Deutsch Bundesbahn and is extremely clean, fast and efficient.

Germany has a temperate climate with mild winters over much of the country and hot summers. The far east of the country has a colder, more harsh winter than the rest of Germany due to its close proximity to Eastern Europe. Berlin is located in the far east of Germany. The coldest ever recorded temperature there was -22°C.