Western/Central Europe.

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

357,021 sq km (137,847 sq miles).

82.6 million (UN estimate 2007).

231 per sq km.

Berlin. Population: 3.4 million (2007).

The Federal Republic of Germany shares frontiers with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. The northwest of the country has a coastline on the North Sea with islands known for their health resorts, while the Baltic coastline in the northeast stretches from the Danish to the Polish border.

The country is divided into 16 states (Bundesländer), including the formerly divided city of Berlin. The landscape is exceedingly varied, with the Rhine, Bavaria and the Black Forest being the three most famous features of western Germany. In eastern Germany, the country is lake-studded with undulating lowlands which give way to the hills and mountains of the Lausitzer Bergland, the Saxon Hills in the Elbe Valley and the Erzgebirge, while the once divided areas of the Thuringian and Harz ranges in the central part of the country are now whole regions again. River basins extend over a large percentage of the eastern part of Germany, the most important being the Elbe, Saale, Havel, Spree and Oder.

The western area of the country consists of the Rhineland, the industrial sprawl of the Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Hessen, the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and the Saarland. In the southern area of the country are the two largest states, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria (Bayern), which contain the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Lake Constance (Bodensee) and the Bavarian Alps.

Member since 1958.

Federal Republic.

President Horst Köhler since 2004.

Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2005.

From 1995 onwards, a new leadership under would-be chancellor Gerhard Schröder emerged to challenge the long-standing Helmut Kohl Christian Democrat (CDU) government. The Social Democratic (SPD) party won the 1998 general election and Kohl stood down. Schröder held on to power in September 2002, and then sought to continue Helmut Kohl's aim of a more activist German foreign policy. Along with former French president Jacques Chirac, Schröder opposed much Anglo-American policy in the Middle East.

However, Schröder's reign came to an end amid confusion following September 2005's inconclusive election. Germany faced weeks of uncertainty resulting in a deal between the CDU and the SPD that October. Angela Merkel was declared Germany's first woman chancellor and sworn in late in November, as the first chancellor to have grown up in the former Communist east. Merkel is more pro-US than her predecessor, and has pledged to overhaul the ailing economy, suffering since reunification in 1990. It is gradually improving.

German. Some English is spoken and French is also spoken, particularly in the Saarland. In the north of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish is spoken by the Danish minority and taught in schools. In eastern Brandenburg and Saxony, Sorbic is spoken by the Slavic minority called the Sorbs and is also taught in about 50 schools. Regional dialects often differ markedly from standard German.

Approximately 34% Protestant, 34% Roman Catholic, 4% Muslim, with Jewish and other non-Christian minorities.

230 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style round two-pin plugs are in use.

Handshaking is customary, and it is considered rude to address people by their first name unless invited to do so. Normal courtesies should be observed. Before eating, it is normal to say Guten Appetit to the other people at the table to which the correct reply is Gleichfalls. It is customary to present the hostess with unwrapped flowers (according to tradition, one should always give an uneven number and it is worth noting that red roses are exclusively a lover's gift).

Courtesy dictates that visitors should utter a greeting such as Guten Tag (or Grüss Gott in Bavaria) before saying what it is that they want; to leave without saying Auf Wiedersehen or Tschüss can also cause offence. Similarly, when making a telephone call, asking for the person you want to speak to without stating first who you are is impolite. Casual wear is widely acceptable, but more formal dress is required for some restaurants, the opera, theatre, casinos and important social functions. Smoking is prohibited where notified and on public transport and in most public buildings.