Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
_#_Terrain: mostly flat plain, mountains along southern border
_#_Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt
_#_Land use: arable land 46%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 28%; other 12%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: plain crossed by a few north-flowing, meandering streams; severe air and water pollution in south
_#_Note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain
_*People #_Population: 37,799,638 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)