Germany, Europe's most populous country: geography, history and the Rhine factor
Germany is Europe's most populous country with 84 million inhabitants. How did it manage despite wars and with less land than Spain? Geography, industry and migration explain it.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Germany, Europe's most populous country: geography, history and the Rhine factor
In 1939 Germany was approaching 70 million inhabitants; today it exceeds 84. It does so with a land area smaller than Spain's, which over the same period grew from around 25 million to 47. The difference is not the result of chance or a single cause: it is the outcome of centuries of geography, politics and technology intertwined. While Spain struggled with difficult terrain and an unpredictable climate, Germany knew how to make the most of its plains, its rivers and, above all, the right historical moment to industrialise.
The weight of geography and agriculture
During the Roman Empire, the Germanic forests made intensive farming difficult. Spain, with its vast stretches of cereals and pastureland, supported a larger population. But the 19th-century Agricultural Revolution changed the picture. Chemical fertilisers and mechanisation made it possible to cultivate land that had until then been marginal. Germany, with flatter terrain, regular rainfall and an easy communications network, was able to intensify its food production far more effectively than Spain with its drylands and mountains. That agricultural leap was the foundation on which its demographic explosion was built.
The Rhine, artery of industry
The Rhine is not just a river: it is the economic backbone of Central Europe. Like the Mississippi in the United States, it connects the North Sea with the interior, facilitating trade and industry. The Rhine basin concentrates major cities, factories and ports. German decentralisation —in contrast to Spanish centralism— allowed industrial hubs to emerge across the whole country, attracting labour from within and beyond its borders. That explains why Germany is a crossroads where people stay.
Wars, expulsions and immigration
Two world wars devastated Germany, and yet its population not only recovered but grew. A key factor was the forced population movements after the Second World War: some 12 million ethnic Germans were expelled from Prussia, the Sudetenland, Posen and other regions, and resettled within the new borders. That demographic injection offset the losses of war. Afterwards, labour immigration —from Turks to recent refugees— has sustained growth. Thus Germany has become the most populous country in the European Union.
All the same, the question remains open: will this trend hold in an ageing continent? For now, the combination of favourable geography, early industrialisation and migration flows has given Germany a demographic lead that no other European nation disputes.
Related discussions in the forum
In 1939 Germany was approaching 70 million inhabitants; today it exceeds 84. It does so with a land area smaller than Spain's, which over the same period grew from around 25 million to 47. The difference is not the result of chance or a single cause: it is the outcome of centuries of geography, politics and technology intertwined. While Spain struggled with difficult terrain and an unpredictable climate, Germany knew how to make the most of its plains, its rivers and, above all, the right historical moment to industrialise.
The weight of geography and agriculture
During the Roman Empire, the Germanic forests made intensive farming difficult. Spain, with its vast stretches of cereals and pastureland, supported a larger population. But the 19th-century Agricultural Revolution changed the picture. Chemical fertilisers and mechanisation made it possible to cultivate land that had until then been marginal. Germany, with flatter terrain, regular rainfall and an easy communications network, was able to intensify its food production far more effectively than Spain with its drylands and mountains. That agricultural leap was the foundation on which its demographic explosion was built.
The Rhine, artery of industry
The Rhine is not just a river: it is the economic backbone of Central Europe. Like the Mississippi in the United States, it connects the North Sea with the interior, facilitating trade and industry. The Rhine basin concentrates major cities, factories and ports. German decentralisation —in contrast to Spanish centralism— allowed industrial hubs to emerge across the whole country, attracting labour from within and beyond its borders. That explains why Germany is a crossroads where people stay.
Wars, expulsions and immigration
Two world wars devastated Germany, and yet its population not only recovered but grew. A key factor was the forced population movements after the Second World War: some 12 million ethnic Germans were expelled from Prussia, the Sudetenland, Posen and other regions, and resettled within the new borders. That demographic injection offset the losses of war. Afterwards, labour immigration —from Turks to recent refugees— has sustained growth. Thus Germany has become the most populous country in the European Union.
All the same, the question remains open: will this trend hold in an ageing continent? For now, the combination of favourable geography, early industrialisation and migration flows has given Germany a demographic lead that no other European nation disputes.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (25 replies).
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