Berlin is Germany's capital, the euro its currency, and the federation is made up of 16 Laender

Background

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic with its capital at Berlin and German as its official European Union language. Its currency is the euro, and it has been in the euro area since 1 January 1999. It has been a European Union member state since 1 January 1958, making it one of the six founding members of the European Economic Community, and a Schengen area member since 26 March 1995. Eurostat figures for 2025 put its population at 83 577 140 and its geographical size at 357 569 km2, and Germany sends 96 representatives to the European Parliament, the largest national contingent. The Chancellor is head of government and the President is head of state with mainly representative duties. The federation has 16 states, of which three are city-states: Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg.