Germany from Space - ©Spaceshots Buy this Poster at AllPosters.com |
pop (1995e) 82 235 000; area 357 868 sq km/138 136 sq mi. C European state formed by the political unification of West and East Germany (3 Oct 1990); consists of 16 states ( Länder); capital, Berlin (formerly, Bonn); other chief cities, Bonn, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt (am Main), Dortmund, Essen, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Leipzig; most populous state in W Europe; timezone GMT +1; population mainly Germanic, with several minorities; chief religion, Christianity (43% Roman Catholic, 42% Lutheran); chief language, German; unit of currency, the Deutsche Mark of 100 pfennig.
Physical description and climate
Lowland plains rise SW through C uplands and Alpine foothills to the Bavarian Alps; highest peak, the Zugspitze (2962 m/9718 ft); C Uplands include the Rhenish Slate Mts, Black Forest, and Harz Mts; Rhine crosses country S--N; complex canal system links chief rivers, the Elbe, Weser, Danube, Rhine, and Main; oceanic climatic influences strongest in NW, where winters are mild and stormy; continental climate elsewhere; lower winter temperatures in E and S, with considerable snowfall; average annual temperatures -0.5°C (Jan) to 19°C (Jul); average annual rainfall 600--700 mm/23--27 in.
History and government
Ancient Germanic tribes united in 8th-c within the Frankish empire of Charlemagne; elective monarchy after 918 under Otto I, with Holy Roman Empire divided into several hundred states; after Congress of Vienna (1814--15), a confederation of 39 states under Austria; under Bismarck, Prussia succeeded Austria as the leading German power; union of Germany and foundation of the Second Reich, 1871, with King of Prussia as hereditary German emperor; aggressive foreign policy, eventually leading to World War 1; after German defeat, Second Reich replaced by democratic Weimar Republic; world economic crisis led to collapse of Weimar Republic and rise of National Socialist movement, 1929; Hitler became dictator of totalitarian Third Reich, 1933; acts of aggression led to World War 2 and a second defeat for Germany, with collapse of the German political regime; partition of Germany, 1945, with occupation zones given to UK, USA, France, and USSR, who formed a Control Council; USSR withdrew from this Council, 1948, leading to the division of Germany into West and East; West Germany controlled by the three remaining powers; East administered by USSR.Former West Germany(Federal Republic of Germany) pop (1990) 62 679 035; area 249 535 sq km/96 320 sq mi; included West Berlin; established in 1949; gained full sovereignty, 1954; entered NATO, 1955; founder member of the European Economic Community, 1957; federal system of government, built around 10 provinces (Länder); two-chamber legislature, consisting of 519-member Federal Diet (Bundestag) and 45-member Federal Council (Bundesrat).Former East Germany(German Democratic Republic) pop (1990) 16 433 796; area 108 333 sq km/41 816 sq mi; Soviet model of government established, 1949; anti-Soviet demonstrations put down, 1953; recognized by USSR as independent republic, 1954; flow of refugees to West Germany continued until 1961, largely stopped by the Berlin Wall built along zonal boundary, dividing W from E sectors of Berlin; governed by the 500-member People's Chamber (Volkskammer), which elected a 29-member Council of State (Staatsrat), Council of Ministers (Ministerrat), and National Defence Council; movement for democratic reform culminated (Nov 1989) in the opening and removal of the Wall and other border crossings to the West, and a more open government policy; first free all-German elections since 1932 (Mar 1990), paving the way for a currency union with West Germany (Jul) and full political unification (Oct).United Germany.Re-establishment of the five former East German provinces (Länder), abolished after World War 2 (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia), with unified Berlin forming a sixth Land; West German electoral system adopted in East Germany; 144 delegated members of the East German Volkskammersat as interim observers in the West German Bundestaguntil the first national elections (Dec 1990); West German Bundesratreconstituted on the basis of a new system of allocating seats to each Landaccording to population (minimum three, maximum eight); governed by a president (head of state), chancellor (head of government), 68-member Federal Council (Bundesrat) and 672-member Federal Diet (Bundestag).
Germany New Year Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com |
Most powerful member of the European Union (accounts for 30% of EU output); substantial heavy industry in NW; wine in Rhine and Moselle valleys; increasing tourism, especially in S; leading manufacturer of vehicles, electrical and electronic goods; much less development in the E, after the period of socialist economy; following unification, a major socio-economic division emerged between the West and East, leading to demonstrations in the E provinces in 1991.
