Germany or the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Deutschland or Bundesrepublik ) is located in the heart of Europe. Germany is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark , and the Baltic Sea, to the south by Austria and Switzerland , to the west by France , Belgium , The Netherlands and Luxembourg and to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic .
Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary nation, made up of 16 federal states ( Länder or, more commonly, Bundesländer ), which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation.
The capital of Germany is Berlin .
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Central European Standard Time = GMT+1
Central European Summer Time = GMT+2
Germany is in the Central European Time Zone . Central European Standard Time ( CET ) is 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT+1 ).
Like most states in Europe, Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time is observed in Germany, where the time is shifted forward by 1 hour; 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT+2 ).
After the Summer months the time in Germany is shifted back by 1 hour to Central European Time (CET) or ( GMT+1 )