Germany vs. Switzerland
Geography
| Germany | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 51 00 N, 9 00 E | 47 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 357,022 sq km land: 348,672 sq km water: 8,350 sq km | total: 41,277 sq km land: 39,997 sq km water: 1,280 sq km |
| Area - comparative | three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana | slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
| Land boundaries | total: 3,694 km border countries (9): Austria 801 km, Belgium 133 km, Czechia 704 km, Denmark 140 km, France 418 km, Luxembourg 128 km, Netherlands 575 km, Poland 447 km, Switzerland 348 km | total: 1,770 km border countries (5): Austria 158 km, France 525 km, Italy 698 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 348 km |
| Coastline | 2,389 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
| Terrain | lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m mean elevation: 263 m | highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m mean elevation: 1,350 m |
| Natural resources | coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land | hydropower potential, timber, salt |
| Land use | agricultural land: 48% (2018 est.) arable land: 34.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 13.3% (2018 est.) forest: 31.8% (2018 est.) other: 20.2% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.) forest: 31.5% (2018 est.) other: 29.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 6,500 sq km (2012) | 630 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | flooding | avalanches, landslides; flash floods |
| Environment - current issues | emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power by 2022; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from agricultural fertilizers; chemical contaminants and erosion damage the soil and limit productivity; loss of biodiversity |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea; most major rivers in Germany - the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe - flow northward; the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps |
| Total renewable water resources | 154 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 53.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia | population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement |
Source: CIA Factbook
