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
Law of Belgium Law of Belgium The Belgian Law (; ) is very similar to that of neighbouring France, as a result of Belgium having adopted the Napoleonic code which governs French society. It also derives from the Constitution of Belgium and the European Convention on Human Rights. Due to a series of state reforms in Belgium, the country has been transformed from a unitary to a federal state. Consequently, in addition to the federal level, the communities and regions have legislative authority in certain matters. Federal legislation is called a "law" whereas regional legislation is called a "decree" ("decreet, décret"), except for