With 1.77 (2015) million inhabitants, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and one of the 16 states of the German Democratic Federation.
Hamburg is considered the economic and cultural centre of Northern Germany. About five million people live in the region around Hamburg and for them, Hamburg is a shopping and cultural metropolis. 60 museums, 60 theatres, more than 100 music venues and 30 cinemas dot the seven districts of the city.
Even though Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city by population, its nearly two-million citizens enjoy seas of space: With an average of 2,300 inhabitants per square kilometre, Hamburg has one of the lowest population density averages compared to other major cities around the world. Plus, as much as 14% of the city area is made up of green spaces and recreational areas. This is just one of many factors that made Hamburg rank among the 10 most livable cities in the World (August 2016).
International Hamburg
Hamburg is and has always been very internationally-minded: with over 90 diplomatic missions ─ some dating back to the 1500s ─ Hamburg is second only to New York City, and roughly 30% of the inhabitants are (children of) migrants. The city remains Northern Germany’s most significant trading port and is home to around 500 Chinese companies, making Hamburg the number one location for Chinese businesses in Northern and Central Europe.
The port makes up nearly 10% of Hamburg's total surface of 755 square kilometres and, with an annual container volume of 9,73 million TEUs, is the second busiest port in Europe. And did you know that Hamburg has more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam combined? The total stands at 2,302. The New Elbe Tunnel, at 3,325 metres, is the fourth-longest tunnel in Germany. It takes a good three minutes to drive through!
The highest building in the city is the Heinrich-Hertz TV tower, at 278 metres. At 116 metres, Hamburg’s highest elevation (one of the Harburg hills) only so remotely resembles anything close to a mountain that it doesn’t even have a proper name. After all, this is not Bavaria.
