Germany lies in the middle of Europe and southeast of the UK. It has only a small coastline. Its main land neighbours are France and Poland.
Germany is in the middle of northern Europe. The northern boundary is on the Baltic Sea and it stretches south to the Alps mountains.
It has 82 million people, making it the largest country in Western Europe. It is also the richest.
Germany is sometimes called the ‘powerhouse of Europe’ because its factories make so many things that sell across the world. Some of them are very famous, such as Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen cars, but Germany makes all kinds of machines. It is also famous for making chemicals, medicines, plastics and many other things.
Germany is one of the countries that uses the Euro for its money.
Germany is not a kingdom, but a federation, meaning it is like the United States, made up of, in this case, 16 fairly independent states that have all joined together.
Germany as a single country is not very old. The states were independently ruled by kings, princes and bishops for many centuries. Germany came together to make a single country in 1871, less than 150 years ago.
Germany was one of the places in the 16th century where there was a rebellion against the Pope, and Martin Luther, one of the founders of Protestantism, was a German.
Most Protestants live in the North of Germany, while most of those who stayed Catholic live in the South.
Germany has been involved in many wars over the last few hundred years. Sometimes they were on the side of Britain or France and at other times at war with Britain or France. The most recent wars are, of course, the First and Second World Wars.
After the Second World War, Germany was ruined by bomb damage (just as Britain was) but Germany was divided into two parts. One part was controlled by the Communists, and the other (western) part by the western allies. Berlin, the capital city of Germany, was in the eastern part of divided Germany and was also divided into two.
It was a long struggle to get the two parts of Germany reunited, and this only happened in 1990, just over twenty years ago, when communism collapsed and all communist countries became independent again.
Britain, Germany, France and many other countries are now all part of the European Union (EU).
Germany has been home to many of the world’s most famous artists, musicians, scientists and inventors.
Because Germany is in the middle of Europe, many major roads and railways criss-cross the country. The main rivers flowing through Germany are the Rhine, the Elbe and the Danube. All are used by barges to carry goods. The Rhine, which is the biggest river in Germany, flows through very spectacular scenery and is an important river for tourist boats.
There are some very big cities in Germany. Berlin is the capital and largest city. Other very big cities are Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg. The biggest collection of industrial cities is just north of Cologne, on a river called the Ruhr. These cities grew up over a coalfield, just as did many cities in northern Britain.
Germany has a number of traditional foods. It is especially famous for its meats, often eaten in the form of sausages called ‘wurst’. Germans, especially in the south, are also famous for drinking lager beer. Many areas of southern Germany also grow grapes and make fine wines. Germany is also famous for its cakes. A big cherry cake is called Black Forest Gateau, and a cake especially eaten at Christmas is called Stollen.
The video below shows barges and the famous Rhine Gorge.
