From the northern plain to the Bavarian Alps, at the heart of Europe
Germany stretches from the North Sea and the Baltic in the north to the Bavarian Alps in the south. Its terrain combines the great northern plain, uplands in the centre (Black Forest, Ore Mountains) and the Alps on the Austrian border.
357,600 km²
Area
2,962 m
Highest point · Zugspitze
9
Land borders
The main rivers of Germany. Click a river to see its length, source and mouth.
Climate
Temperate oceanic climate in the west and north, more continental in the east, with alpine variations in southern Bavaria.
Bordering countries
Administrative divisions
Germany is a federal state made up of 16 Länder, each with its own government, parliament and constitution. The Länder are divided into districts (Landkreise) and district-free cities (kreisfreie Städte), themselves subdivided into municipalities.
16
Federal states, including 3 city-states.
489
Landkreise and kreisfreie Städte.
10,754
Gemeinden, mid-2024.
The 16 regions of the mainland territory of Germany.