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Germany Cities with Hotels
 Germany, Federal Republic of (German Bundesrepublik Deutschland), country in central Europe, bounded on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; on the south by Austria and Switzerland; and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For much of German history, Germany was a geographical term for an area occupied by many states. A unified nation for 74 years (1871-1945), it was divided after World War II (1939-1945) into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; commonly known as West Germany), a western-style republic, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR; commonly known as East Germany), a Communist nation under the influence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). On October 3, 1990, East Germany, or the GDR, became part of the FRG, and Germany once again became a unified nation, with a total area of 356,733 sq km (137,735 sq mi). Berlin is Germany's capital and largest city.
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Germany
Land and Resources
Stretching from the Alps to the Baltic and North Seas, Germany encompasses a wide variety of landscapes. Mountains, forests, hills, plains, rivers, and seacoasts make up this large country that borders on nine European nations.
Physiographic Regions
Germany consists of three major geographical regions-lowland plain in the north, an area of uplands in the center, and a mountainous region in the south. The lowlands, called the North German Plain, have a varied topography that includes several river valleys and a large heath (the Lüneburger Heide). The lowest elevation point is sea level along the coast, where there are areas of sand dunes and marshland. Off the coast are several islands, including the North Frisian Islands and the East Frisian Islands and Helgoland, in the North Sea, and Fehmarn and Rügen, in the Baltic Sea. The eastern end of the plain provides particularly rich soil for agriculture. The central uplands region, the approximate boundaries of which are the latitude of Hannover, in the north, and the Main River, in the south, encompasses a complex terrain of low mountains, river valleys, and well-defined basins. The mountains include the Eifel and Hunsrück in the west, the Taunus and Spessart in the center, and the Fichtelgebirge in the east. Much of southwestern Germany is dominated by two branches of the Jura Mountains and a large forest, the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald. In the extreme south are the Bavarian Alps, which contain Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze (2962 m/9718 ft).
Rivers and Lakes
Most of Germany's major rivers lie in the west. The most important is the Rhine, which forms part of the borders with Switzerland and France before flowing into the Netherlands. Among the tributaries of the Rhine in western Germany are the Lahn, Lippe, Main, Mosel, Neckar, and Ruhr rivers. Other important rivers include the Elbe, which winds from the Czech border in the southeast up to the North Sea, and the Danube, which traverses much of the south before entering Austria. The Odra (Oder), along with the smaller Neisse River, forms most of eastern Germany's border with Poland. Germany has few large lakes. The largest is the Lake of Constance (German Bodensee), which lies partly in Austria and Switzerland.
Climate
Germany has a temperate climate, with an average annual temperature of 9° C (48° F). The northern region is influenced by marine weather systems, producing milder winters than in the remainder of the country but also a greater susceptibility to storms. Inland districts of the North German Plain are slightly colder in winter and warmer in summer than the coast; temperature ranges increase somewhat in the uplands of central and southern Germany. The warmest summer temperatures are found in the Rhine Valley and the coldest winter temperatures in the Alps of the far south. Average daily temperature range in Berlin on the northern plains is -3° to 2° C (26° to 35° F) in January and 14° to 24° C (57° to 75° F) in July. The range in Munich in the southern uplands is -5° to 1° C (23° to 35° F) in January and 13° to 23° C (55° to 74° F) in July. Precipitation is heaviest in the south, which gets about 1980 mm (about 78 in) of moisture per year, much of it in the form of snow. The central uplands receive a maximum of approximately 1500 mm (59 in) of precipitation per year, and the lowlands in the north get up to about 710 mm (about 28 in) of moisture per year.
"Germany, Federal Republic of," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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May 24, 2007 05:06 PM. |
