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| Germany Info
By: Jonh Lauterwein
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Germany is a country in West-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. It covers a total area of 357,021 km2 and is influenced by a predominantly temperate climate.
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Germany is a federal parliamentary republic of sixteen states. The capital city and seat of government is Berlin. As a nation-state, the country was unified near the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. After World War II, Germany's territory was divided into two separate states along the lines of allied occupation in 1949.It became reunified again in 1990. Germany is a founding member of the European Union, part of the Eurozone, and with over 82 million inhabitants it has the largest population among the EU countries.
Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G4 nations, and signed the Kyoto protocol. It is the world's third largest economy by nominal GDP, the largest exporter of goods, the second largest importer of goods, ranked sixth in military expenditure, and is home to the third-highest number of international migrants. Germany has developed a high standard of living while establishing a system of social security and universal health care. In 2007 it held the rotating presidencies of both the European Council and the G8 summits.