

In 1871, Germany became a nation-state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire.

Following the Napoleonic Wars and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German Confederation was formed in 1815. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. In the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. A region named Germania was documented before AD 100. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity. The nation's capital and largest city is Berlin, and its financial centre is Frankfurt the largest urban area is the Ruhr. 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 is situated between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south it covers an area of 357,022 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), with a population of over 83 million within its 16 constituent states. It is the second-most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany ( German: Deutschland, pronounced ( listen)), officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe.
