Facts about Germany [antikvár]

The country9The countryThe Federal Republic of Germany is situated in the heart of Europe. It has nine neighbours: Denmark in the north, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the west, Switzerland and Austria in the south, and the Czech Republic as well as Poland in the east. This central location has been more pronounced since 3 October 1990 when Germany was reunited. The Federal Republic is more than ever a link between east and west, but also between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. As an integral part of the European Community and NATO, Germany is a bridge to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.The Federal Republic of Germany covers an area of 357,000 sq km. The longest distance from north to south as the crow flies is 876 km, from west to east 640 km. Its extremities are List on the island of Sylt in the north, Deschka, Saxony, in the east, Oberstdorf, Bavaria, in the south, and Selfkant, North-Rhine/Westphalia, in the west. The total length of the country's borders is 3,767 km. Germany has a population of 80 million, the largest in Europe after Russia's, followed by Italy (population 58 million), the United Kingdom (57 million) and France (56 million). In size, however, Germany is smaller than France (552,000 sq km) and Spain (505,000 sq km). Geographical features. Germany has various charming landscapes. Low and high mountain ranges intermingle with upland plains, terrace country, hilly regions and lakelands, as well as wide, open lowlands. From north to south Germany is divided into five regions with different topographical features: the North German Plain, the Central Upland Range, the terrace panorama of the southwest, the alpine foothills in the south, and the Bavarian Alps.In the north are dry, sandy lowlands with many lakes as well as heaths and moors. There is also the fertile land south of the Central Upland Range. These lowland penetrations include the Lower Rhenish Bight, the Westpha-lian Bight and the Saxon-Thuringian Bight. The marshes along the North Sea coast extend as far as the geest. Characteristic features of the Baltic Sea coastline are, in