Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second largest city in Germany and the country's most important port. It is located in northern Germany along the lower reaches of the Elbe. The city's official name is a reminder of its membership in the medieval Hanseatic League and the fact that Hamburg is still a city-state and one of the sixteen German states. Hamburg's neighbouring states are Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south.
The administrative area of the city and state of Hamburg is 755 km², with a population of around 1.9 million. In addition, 750,000 inhabitants live in the urban areas surrounding Hamburg. In the broadest sense, the Hamburg metropolitan area comprises 18,100 km², with a population of around five million.
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