Germany Germany Germany ( ), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders 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. Germany includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With nearly 83 million inhabitants, it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia, the
Economy of Germany BMW, Deutsche Telekom, Bayer, BASF, Munich Re and SAP. Germany is the world's top location for trade fairs. Around two thirds of the world's leading trade fairs take place in Germany. The largest annual international trade fairs and congresses are held in several German cities such as Hanover, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig and Düsseldorf. The Industrial Revolution in Germany got underway approximately a century later than in England, France, and Belgium, partly because Germany only became a unified country in 1871. The establishment of the Deutscher Zollverein (German Customs Union) in 1834 and the expansion of railway systems were the main