Kiel, Germany

Kiel
Mid-August 2003 aerial view of the city centre
Flag Coat of arms
Kiel
Coordinates: 54°20′N 10°8′E / 54.333°N 10.133°E / 54.333; 10.133Coordinates: 54°20′N 10°8′E / 54.333°N 10.133°E / 54.333; 10.133
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Urban district
Government
• Lord Mayor	Ulf Kämpfer
• Governing parties	SPD / Greens / South Schleswig Voter Federation
Area
• City	118.6 km2 (45.8 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• City	246,306
• Density	2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi)
• Metro	643,594
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	24103–24159
Dialling codes	0431
Vehicle registration	KI
Website	www.kiel.de

Kiel (German: [ˈkiːl]) is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 240,832 (June 2014).

Kiel lies approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, Kiel has become one of the major maritime centres of Germany. For instance, the city is known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week, which is the biggest sailing event in the world. The Olympic sailing competitions of the 1936 and the 1972 Summer Olympics#Venues were held in Bay of Kiel.

Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. Located in Kiel is the GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel at the University of Kiel. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on the Kiel Fjord (Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). A number of passenger ferries to Sweden, Norway, Russia, and other countries operate from here. Moreover, today Kiel harbour is an important port of call for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea.