Kiel location

Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein and, with approximately 237,000 inhabitants, the largest city in this northern German state. The city of Kiel lies on the Kiel Fjord and the Kiel Canal. Hamburg is about 90 km south of Kiel. Key economic sectors include medicine, science, research, the Port of Kiel on the Baltic Sea, local shipbuilding, and the service sector.

Kiel is also a base for the German Navy and home to the Christian-Albrechts-University, founded in 1665. With the Kiel Fjord as its deep-sea port, Kiel has the most important seaport connection to the Baltic Sea and extends in a wedge shape around its natural harbor. The watershed between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea runs through Kiel. Thus, the Eider River, which flows into the North Sea, as well as the Schwentine River, borders the city of Kiel. The Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal) ends in the Kiel-Holtenau district.