Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and the eighth largest city in the European Union. It is also the thirteenth largest German state. Its population is over 1.7 million people, and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region has more than 5 million inhabitants. The city is situated on the river Elbe.

The most important ethnic group –German citizens– make up 71% of Hamburg’s inhabitants. Non-nationals make up 14% of Hamburg’s total inhabitants, and there are 26.9% inhabitants with migrant background. The largest minority group –people from Turkey– make up 5.2% of the city’s population while people from Eastern Central Europe and people from South Eastern Europe make up 4.3% and 3.4% respectively of the city’s population.