Germany Country Profile
Germany
Germany is a country of rich heritage and a long history. From early tribes to wars, a widely used language to automobiles, Germany is a common meeting ground for many things.
Germany has been around for a very long period of time, so it would be rather difficult to go in depth on its history. Germany’s history began way back around 100 BC with the first Germanic tribes moving in. Very little is known about these tribes, other than what is found in Roman documents and the findings of archaeologists. Between 300 and 843 AD migration of the Franks, Goths, and Vandals began. In this same period, Germany began to convert to Roman Catholicism. From 1814 to 1871, Germany began its revolution. They had seen the French revolution and had decided it was their own time to revolt. Many scholars from all classes of society had teamed up to discuss the possibility of a revolution. Following the German Revolution in November of 1918, voters began to support anti-democratic parties, including Communists and Nazis. In the 1930s, Germany was very close to starting a civil war. After numerous Presidential cabinets failing, President von Hindenburg, with almost no other options, chose Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on January 29, 1933. The views of Hilter and Hitler’s actions, like gaining control of a large portion of Europe, later lead to World War II after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Germany in the mid to late 1900s was divided, at first into four sections and then later into two. In the summer of 1989, Germany began to reunite. As stated before, there is not enough time to discuss Germany’s full history.
Germany has a distinctive geography. The capital of Germany is Berlin, with a population of 3,391,407 (as of March 31, 2005). Germany is made up of 16 states, 3 of which are city-states. A city-state is a single city declaring itself as a state. The highest point in Germany is the Zugspitze, towering at 9,718 feet. The lowest point within this country is Wilstermarsch, measuring 11.6 feet below sea level. Because Germany is located for the most part in the center of Europe, it shares borders with 9 different countries.
Germans have a fairly diverse heritage and customs. 33% of the people are Protestants, while another 33% are Catholic. The current Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, is German. Another 30 percent of Germany’s people are considered...