Germany in Our World

Germany in Our World — page 1 — DENMARK Hamburg North Sea Introducing Germany Germany is one of the most powerful nations in Europe with the largest economy and the second-largest population The Germans are famous for their hard work and skill with advanced technology The country’s great wealth makes it a world leader in economic and political affairs Where in the World Germany lies in the center of Europe It is bordered to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic To the south are Austria and Switzerland On Germany’s western border lie France Luxembourg Belgium and the Netherlands To the north is Denmark as well as the North and Baltic seas A Troubled Past For centuries the area that is now Germany was made up of separate states ruled by dukes and princes By 1871 many of these small German speaking countries had united to form the German Empire After losing World War I 1914 18 life was difficult for the German people In 1939 the German leader Adolf Hitler tried to expand the country’s borders by invading other countries This sparked World War II 1939 45 and led to the Holocaust the killing of six million European Jews Hitler had also ordered the murders of five million other innocent people including gypsies Catholics and people with disabilities Today people around the world still try to understand how this event happened They also try to make sure nothing like it ever happens again Leipzig GERMANY THURINGIA Frankfurt er A L P S Zugspitze AUSTRIA Zugspitze Dan u b e R iv er BAVARIA Munich Wittenberg Berlin Berlin Ruhr River Cologne CK FOREST Elbe River Moselle River THE NETHERLANDS R h i n e R i v e r BLA Lake Constance Main Riv Darmstadt LUXEMBOURG FRANCE Stuttgart SWITZERLAND BELGIUM 4 Germany’s position in the 쒀 heart of Europe has helped it become a powerful leader in areas such as trade and politics Baltic Sea Usedom Island O d erRiver Cottbus 00 milesmiles 100100 00 kilometers kilometers 100100 POLAND NN W W E E SS CZECH REPUBLIC KeyKey Capital city Capital city Other cities Other cities Mountain Mountain

Germany in Our World — page 2 — INTRODUCING GERMANY BASIC DATA Building a New Germany After losing the war Germany was divided into two nations West Germany and East Germany West Germany became one of the world’s strongest economies The communist Soviet Union gained control over East Germany resulting in their limited freedom In 1989 the Soviet Union gave up its control and the two German nations soon reunited as a free country Since then Germans have worked to overcome problems of the past The west still has many more people and a stronger economy but all Germans are proud of their country and work to make it better The Brandenburg Gate in the capital Berlin 쑽 was built in the 1800s as a symbol of peace Official name The Federal Republic of Germany Capital Berlin Size 134,847 sq miles 357,022 sq km Population 82,282,988 2010 est Currency Euro

Germany in Our World — page 3 — GERMANY IN OUR WORLD World Connections Today Germany is the wealthiest member of the European Union EU an association of 27 countries that work together on issues of trade security and human rights Germany is a world leader in international trade and is also generous in aiding other nations In 2009 it spent almost US 8 billion on foreign aid and plans to give more in the future Language and People Within Europe Germany has a language link to several German speaking lands around it including Austria Liechtenstein and Switzerland where German is commonly spoken Small groups of German-speakers also live in countries such as Belgium and Poland and even in Germany’s former colonies in Africa including Namibia and Rwanda Over the centuries Germans have also migrated to the United States Canada and Brazil The culture they brought their language food religion and music helped shape the growth of their adopted homelands The German influence can be 쑺 seen in the architecture of many of its former African colonies This German-style church is in Windhoek Namibia

Germany in Our World — page 4 — INTRODUCING GERMANY Literacy rates are high in Germany About 쒀 99 percent of the population can read and write Looking Ahead Germany recovered more quickly than other European nations from the global recession that began in 2008 Its strong economy means Germany will continue to play an important role in international affairs At home the biggest challenge the country faces is a shrinking population This means that German companies may need to find workers from overseas However developing technology may help the country find ways of doing business with fewer workers which could help keep Germany strong 7 IT STARTED HERE Printing Books were rare in Europe until a German named Johannes Gutenberg created a new printing process The Chinese had already printed books but during the 1450s Gutenberg developed metal type and a press to print the type on to paper These improvements made book printing much easier Today Germany publishes about 95,000 book titles each year one of the highest rates in the world

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