GERMANY The country consists of 16 states and its capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 80.3 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. Germany is the major economic and political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many cultural, theoretical and technical fields. Germany has the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth-largest by purchasing power parity. As a global leader in several industrial and technological sectors, it is the second-largest exporter and third-largest importer of goods. It is a developed country with a very high standard of living, featuring comprehensive social security that includes the world's oldest universal health care system. Known for its rich cultural and political history, Germany has been the home of many influential philosophers, music composers, scientists, and inventors. Germany was a founding member of the European Community in 1957, which became the EU in It is part of the Schengen Area, and has been a member of the euro zone since 1999.

GERMANY AS FACTS Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark Coordinates: N, 9 00 E Area: total: 357,021 sq km water: 7,798 sq km land: 349,223 sq km Area comparative: slightly smaller than Montana Land boundaries: total: 3,621 km border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Facts about Germany Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster m highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land Natural hazards: flooding Environment current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive Geography - note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

NAZI GERMANY Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are common names for Germany during the period from 1933 to 1945, when its government was controlled by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party. Population: million (1941) Capital: Berlin Founded: 1933 Area: 633,786 km² Currency: German Reichsmark Continent: Europe Government: Dictatorship, Totalitarianism, Semi-presidential system, Autocracy