Germany is the largest country in Central Europe. A number of islands belong to its territory, the most famous of which are Ruegen, Hiddensee and Femarn in the Baltic Sea and the North Frisian and Eastern Frisian Islands in the North Sea.
The terrain of Germany is diverse. It has a lot of lowlands and high mountains. South of the valley of the Danube is Germany’s highest part, which includes the Bavarian plateau and the northern slopes of the Bavarian Alps, with its highest peak Mount Zug (2,966 m).

In the Bavarian Forest Mountain, located at the German-Czech frontier, is the largest deciduous forest in Europe, preserved in its original, natural state. The territory of the entire mountain is declared a national park. One of its landmarks is the museum of the forest in the town of Zwiesel. The Schwarzwald Mountain, located in the southwestern part of the country, is famous for its clocks with cuckoos and attracts thousands of tourists not only with wonderful forest landscapes, but also with its beautiful lakes and the springs of the Danube.

Germany is located entirely in the temperate climactic zone but the peculiarities of the terrain and the remoteness from the Atlantic Ocean impose an impact on the climate of the different region.

The agriculture in Germany is highly productive, with stock breeding accounting for 80% of the agricultural production. Germany is one of the biggest manufacturers of sugar beet, rye and barley in the world. It comes second after the USA beer production from hops and is one of the ten biggest wine producers in the world (the famous Mosel wine). However, import of fruits, vegetables and other foods is necessary.

The largest river in Germany – the Rhein, rises in the Swiss Alps and is deep throughout the year. With the opening of the Rhein-Mein-Danube canal, the Rhein became a basic part of the transcontinental river route, connecting the North and the Black Sea. On the Rhein is located the biggest river port in Germany – Duisburg, known as “The door to the Ruhr”.

The Elba is the other big navigable river. It crosses a picturesque area in the northeast, which is often called “Saxon Switzerland”.
The rivers in Germany are connected in a dense network of navigable canals. A river ship can make an almost full tour of Germany on the river.
The economic power and stability of Germany are due to the highly developed industry. The heavy industry is concentrated in the Ruhr area, which is developed due to the local high quality resources – black coal for coke and iron ore.
Machine building forms the largest part in the industry production – cars, sea and river ships, agricultural machines, etc.

The German chemical industry is highly developed. As per production of plastics, artificial fibres, potassium fertilisers, paints, varnishes, medicines, etc., Germany ranks third in the world.

Frankfurt-am-Mein is a financial, commercial, fair and transport centre. Here is the seat of the European Central Bank. Some of the biggest fairs in the world are organised every year in the city (of the book, of the musical instruments, of general consumption goods). Here is located the biggest and most modern airport in the world.

Germany takes one of the top places in Europe according to the density of the road and railway network. It has a large fleet – oceanic and sea ships. The Kiel Canal, connecting the Baltic and the North Sea, is of great significance not only to the German, but also to the international shipping business. It was built in 1895 and is about 100 km long and approximately 90,000 ships sail through it annually.

An interesting landmark in Germany is the Brandenburg Gate, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, erected in 1791 in Berlin. Together with the Berlin Wall it used to separate East and West Berlin. After 1990 the 19-metre arch became a symbol of united Germany.