Germany,
officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country at the
intersection of Central and Western Europe. It is situated between the
Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south; covering
an area of 357,022 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), with a population
of over 83 million within its 16 constituent states. It borders Denmark
to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and
Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the
Netherlands to the west. Germany is the second-most populous country in
Europe after Russia, as well as the most populous member state of the
European Union. Its capital and largest city is Berlin, and its
financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr.
Various
Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany
since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented before
AD 100. In the 10th century, German territories formed a central part
of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German
regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. Following the
Napoleonic Wars and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806,
the German Confederation was formed in 1815. In 1871, Germany became a
nation-state when most of the German states unified into the
Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German
Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the
semi-presidential Weimar Republic. The Nazi seizure of power in 1933 led
to the establishment of a dictatorship, World War II, and the
Holocaust. After the end of World War II in Europe and a period of
Allied occupation, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of
Germany, generally known as West Germany, and the German Democratic
Republic, East Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany was a founding
member of the European Economic Community and the European Union, while
the German Democratic Republic was a communist Eastern Bloc state and
member of the Warsaw Pact. After the fall of communism, German
reunification saw the former East German states join the Federal
Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990 - becoming a federal parliamentary
republic led by a chancellor.
Germany
is a great power with a strong economy; it has the largest economy in
Europe, the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP, and the
fifth-largest by PPP. As a global leader in several industrial,
scientific and technological sectors, it is both the world's
third-largest exporter and importer of goods. As a developed country,
which ranks very high on the Human Development Index, it offers social
security and a universal health care system, environmental protections,
and a tuition-free university education. Germany is also a member of the
United Nations, NATO, the G7, the G20, and the OECD. It also has the
fourth-greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
