Germany in Perspective Geography Introduction the Federal Republic of Germany Sits in the Heart of Europe
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COUNTRY IN PERSPECTIVE GERMANY Schloss Neuschwanstein.Palace in Bavaria Flickr / Kay Gaensler DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER COUNTRY IN PERSPECTIVE | GERMANY TABLE OF CONTENT Geography Introduction ................................................................................................................... 5 Geography and Topological Features ...................................................................... 6 Northern German Plain ......................................................................................6 Central Uplands ...................................................................................................6 The Alpen Foreland and the Alps .....................................................................7 Climate ..................................................................................................................7 Bodies of Water ............................................................................................................ 8 Rivers .....................................................................................................................8 Lakes and Seas ...................................................................................................9 Major Cities ..................................................................................................................10 Berlin ....................................................................................................................10 Hamburg ............................................................................................................. 11 München (Munich) ............................................................................................. 11 Köln (Cologne) ....................................................................................................12 Frankfurt am Main ............................................................................................. 14 Environmental Concerns ...........................................................................................15 Natural Hazards ..........................................................................................................16 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 22 History Introduction ................................................................................................................. 23 Ancient History ........................................................................................................... 25 Medieval Germany .................................................................................................... 25 The Carolingian Dynasty and the Beginning of the First Reich ................25 The Saxons and Salians (919-1125) ...............................................................26 The Hohenstaufen and Habsburg Dynasties ................................................26 Reformation and Conflict .......................................................................................... 27 The Protestant Reformation ............................................................................27 The Thirty Years’ War .......................................................................................27 The Peace of Westphalia (1648) .....................................................................28 The End of the Holy Roman Empire and the Rise of Prussia (1789-1871) ................................................................................................... 28 The Second Reich (1871-1914) ............................................................................... 29 World War I (1914-1918) ........................................................................................... 30 The Weimar Republic (1918-1933) ..........................................................................31 The Third Reich and World War II (1933-1945).................................................... 32 The Holocaust (1938-1945) ..................................................................................... 33 2 COUNTRY IN PERSPECTIVE | GERMANY The Cold War Era ...................................................................................................... 34 The Partitioning of Germany (1945-1990) .....................................................34 The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) ...................................................................35 East and West German States ........................................................................35 Reunited Germany .................................................................................................... 36 Current Events............................................................................................................ 37 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 45 Economy Introduction ................................................................................................................. 46 Agriculture ....................................................................................................................47 Industry ........................................................................................................................ 48 Energy.......................................................................................................................... 49 Natural Resources ..................................................................................................... 50 Trade ............................................................................................................................ 50 Tourism .........................................................................................................................51 Banking and Finance ................................................................................................ 52 Standard of Living ...................................................................................................... 53 Employment ................................................................................................................ 54 Outlook ........................................................................................................................ 54 Assessment .................................................................................................................61 Society Introduction ................................................................................................................. 62 Ethnic Groups and Language .................................................................................. 64 Demographics ....................................................................................................64 Language .................................................................................................................... 65 Religion ........................................................................................................................ 66 Cuisine ......................................................................................................................... 67 Traditional Dress ........................................................................................................ 69 Gender Issues ............................................................................................................ 70 Arts ................................................................................................................................71 Literature ............................................................................................................. 71 Visual Arts ...........................................................................................................72 Music and Dance ...............................................................................................73 Sports and Recreation .............................................................................................. 75 Sports ..................................................................................................................75 Traditional Games .............................................................................................76 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 83 3 COUNTRY IN PERSPECTIVE | GERMANY Security Introduction ................................................................................................................. 84 Relations with the United States ............................................................................. 86 Relations with Neighbors ......................................................................................... 87 Austria..................................................................................................................89 Belgium ...............................................................................................................89 Czech Republic .................................................................................................90 Denmark ..............................................................................................................90 France ..................................................................................................................91 Luxembourg 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