Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and along with Hamburg Harbour, its principal port, Hamburg is also the second largest port city in Europe, ninth largest port in the world, and the largest city in the European Union which is not a national capital. A large part of the port is a fenced-in duty-free area.
The official name Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (German: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; Low German: Free un Hansestadt Hamborg) refers to Hamburg's membership in the medieval Hanseatic League and the fact that Hamburg is a City State and one of the sixteen Federal States of Germany.
Hamburg is situated on the southern tip of Jutland Peninsula, geographically centered between Continental Europe to the south, Scandinavia to the north, the North Sea to the west and the Baltic Sea to the east. The city of Hamburg lies at the junction of the River Elbe with the rivers Alster and Bille. The city center is set around two lakes, the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and the Aussenalster ("Outer Alster").
Hamburg is an international trade city and the commercial and cultural centre of Northern Germany.