germany

Germany Germany  ( German :  Deutschland ,  German pronunciation:  [ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ), officially the  Federal Republic of Germany  (German:  Bundesrepublik Deutschland ,  listen   ( help · info ) ) [g]  is a country in  Central  and  Western Europe , lying between the  Baltic  and  North  Seas to the north and the  Alps ,  Lake Constance  and the  High Rhine  to the south. It borders  Denmark  to the north,  Poland  and the  Czech Republic  to the east,  Austria  and  Switzerland  to the south,  France  to the southwest, and  Luxembourg ,  Belgium  and the  Netherlands  to the west. Germany includes 16  constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres (137,988 sq mi), [7]  and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 83 million inhabitants, it is the second most populous state of  Europe  after  Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe, as well as the most populous  member state  of the  European Union . Germany is a very  decentralised  co