The German Empire, also referred to simply as Germany, is a country in central Europe. It shares a frontier to the north with Denmark, the North and Baltic Seas; to the east with Poland and Lithuania; to the South with Austria and Czechoslovakia; and to the west with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Germany's territory covers 668,483 sq km and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With over 122 million inhabitants, it is the second largest state in Europe after Russia.