bundesland

hamburg

As "Deutschlands Tor zur Welt,"  Hamburg is Germany's most important gateway to the sea, and it is Europe's second largest harbor behind Rotterdam.  It is also Germany's second largest industrial city. 

Many industries can be found here, including petroleum refineries, raw material processing, consumer products manufacturing, and shipyards.  As would be expected, Hamburg's location on the mouth of the Elbe River makes Hamburg one of the North Sea's largest fishing ports as well. 

Hamburg's main business comes from foreign trade.  Additionally, the city is Germany's second most important financial center.  The people of Hamburg take pride in the fact that although their city accounts for only 2.1% of Germany's population, it accounts for 4% of the GDP.

The city is increasingly cosmopolitan.  Five of Germany's six largest publishing houses have their headquarters in Hamburg, and more than twenty advertising agencies call Hamburg home.  The city is also one of the most important shopping centers in Northern Europe.