GERMANY and the Alpine Countries Chapter 6 Section 3

Location Germany shares its boarders with Poland, The Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. This makes up Germany’s relative location.

Place Capital = BERLIN When traveling through Germany, tourists will find many plateaus and forested mountains in the southern regions. For the most part, Germany’s climate is temperate. There are wet winters and summers. The population in Germany is over 80 million.

Place Continued… About 38% of the population is Protestant, mostly in the north, and 34% is Roman Catholic, primarily in the south and west. Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as “The Land of Poets and Thinkers”. The official language of Germany is German.

Movement Germany is one of the World’s largest exporters. Some of the major materials they export are steel, cars, electronics and chemicals. The majority of Germany’s population is centered around Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich. The reason for this is due to the many industries in those areas. Autobahns - superhighways

Government Germany is a federal republic (national and state governments) –Chancellor Reunification – bringing East and West Germany back together

Human-Environmental Interactions Due to the heavy industrial sections, those areas tend to have heavy air pollution. Black Forest – beautiful scenery and wood products; damaged by acid rain

ALPINE COUNTRIES Switzerland Austria Liechtenstein

SWITZERLAND Center of Western Europe Capital = Berne Neutrality – refusing to take sides in wars GENEVA – peace negotiations Continental Divide – The ALPS Landlocked country

AUSTRIA Capital = Vienna Landlocked country Alps provide Hydroelectric Power and many tourists