20th century history, economy, size, neighbors, population, ethnicities, religion, sufferage
Condensed recent history
As Europe's largest economy, the world's 5th largest economy (used to be 2nd and 3rd before reunification) and 2nd most populous European nation after Russia, Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG/BRD) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR/DDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Size doesn't matter
Germany is slightly smaller than the US-state Montana.
Neighbors
Germany borders on Austria - Belgium - the Czech Republic - Denmark - France - Luxembourg - the Netherlands - Poland and Switzerland.
Population
82,400,996 (July 2007)
Ethnic groups
German 91.5%
Turkish 2.4%
Other 6.1% (mostly Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Religion
Protestant 34% - Roman Catholic 34% - Muslim 3.7% - unaffiliated/other 28.3%
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Source: CIA World Factbook