Officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a federal parliamentary republic in west-central Europe. The country consists of 16 states (Bundesländer), and its capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometers (137,847 square miles) and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
During the Cold War, Germany was split into two countries: East Germany and West Germany. The two countries existed between 1949 to 1990. The two countries reunified back into Germany about a year after the Berlin Wall was torn down.