Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Located approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Hamburg, it sits on the mouth of the Schwentine River at the Kieler Förde inlet of the Bay of Kiel. It serves as Germany's largest city situated on the Baltic Sea.
The city is geographically significant as the terminus for the Kiel Canal in its Holtenau district. This artificial waterway, which is the busiest in the world, connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea at Brunsbüttel. While most of the city is part of Holstein, the boroughs north of the Schwentine belong to Wagria, and those north of the Kiel Canal are historically categorized as Southern Schleswig.