what countries does germany share borders with?
Netherlands Czech Republic Salzburg Denmark Poland Luxembourg France Belgium Austria Switzerland
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 Germany is in Western and Central Europe , with Denmark bordering to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria to the southeast , Switzerland to the south @-@ southwest , France , Luxembourg and Belgium lie to the west , and the Netherlands to the northwest . It lies mostly between latitudes 47 ° and 55 ° N and longitudes 5 ° and 16 ° E. Germany is also bordered by the North Sea and , at the north @-@ northeast , by the Baltic Sea . With Switzerland and Austria , Germany also shares a border on the fresh @-@ water Lake Constance , the third largest lake in Central Europe . German territory covers 357 @,@ 021 km2 ( 137 @,@ 847 sq mi ) , consisting of 349 @,@ 223 km2 ( 134 @,@ 836 sq mi ) of land and 7 @,@ 798 km2 ( 3 @,@ 011 sq mi ) of water . It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 62nd largest in the world . 

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 Germany was a founding member of the European Union in 1993 . It is part of the Schengen Area , and became a co @-@ founder of the Eurozone in 1999 . Germany is a member of the United Nations , NATO , the G8 , the G20 , and the OECD . The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world . Known for its rich cultural history , Germany has been continuously the home of influential artists , philosophers , musicians , sportspeople , entrepreneurs , scientists and inventors . 

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 In 2014 , about seven million of Germany 's 81 million residents did not have German citizenship . Ninety @-@ six percent of these people lived in western Germany and mostly in urban areas . 

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 Germany has a network of 227 diplomatic missions abroad and maintains relations with more than 190 countries . As of 2011 it is the largest contributor to the budget of the European Union ( providing 20 % ) and the third largest contributor to the UN ( providing 8 % ) . Germany is a member of NATO , the OECD , the G8 , the G20 , the World Bank and the IMF . It has played an influential role in the European Union since its inception and has maintained a strong alliance with France and all neighboring countries since 1990 . Germany promotes the creation of a more unified European political , economic and security apparatus . 

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 Since reunification , Germany has taken a more active role in the European Union . Together with its European partners Germany signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 , established the Eurozone in 1999 , and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007 . Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the Balkans and sent a force of German troops to Afghanistan as part of a NATO effort to provide security in that country after the ousting of the Taliban . These deployments were controversial since Germany was bound by domestic law only to deploy troops for defence roles . 
