Germany (German: Deutschland, pronounced [ˈdɔʏtʃlant] (listen)), formally the Federal Republic of Germany , is a nation in Central Europe. It is the second-most populated nation in Europe after Russia, and also the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated in between the Baltic and North seas to the north, as well as the Alps to the south; it covers a location of 357,022 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), with a populace of over 83 million within its 16 basic states. It surrounds Denmark to the north, Poland as well as Czechia to the east, Austria as well as Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The country s funding and also largest city is Berlin, and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr. Different Germanic tribes have actually lived in the north parts of modern Germany because classic antiquity. An area called Germania was documented prior to AD 100. In the 10th centu...