Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in West-central Europe. It is bordered on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; on the south by Austria and Switzerland; and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Germany is a parliamentary federal republic of sixteen states (Bundesländer), and sovereign state to the west of mainland Europe. The capital city and seat of government is Berlin. As a nation-state, the country was unified amidst the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. After its defeat in World War II Germany was divided, and it became reunified in 1990. It is a founding member of the European Union, and with over 82 million people it has the largest population among the EU member states.
The Federal Republic of Germany is a modern great power, a member state of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G4 nations and ranks fourth worldwide in defence spending. Germany is the world's third largest economy by nominal GDP, the world's largest exporter of goods, and the world's second largest importer of goods. In 2007 it holds the rotating presidencies of both the European Council and the G8 summits.