| 009 Sound System - with a spirit Beautiful clouds over Germany / wunderschöne Wolken über Deutschland Germany Germany (i /ˈdʒɜːməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)),[5] is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357021 square kilometers (137847 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants in January 2010,[2] it is the most populated country located entirely in Europe, has the largest population among member states of the European Union, and it is also home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.[6] A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, has been known and documented before AD 100. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. During the 16th century, northern Germany became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. As a modern nation-state, the country was first unified amidst the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. In 1949, after World War II, Germany was divided into two separate states—East Germany and West Germany—along the lines of Allied occupation. Germany ... |
