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Germany
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Government: Federal Republic
Capital City: Berlin
Language: German
Demonym: German
Religion: mostly Christianity
Germany is a country in West-Central Europe
and it is one of the largest European
countries (by size, it is the seventh-largest
European country). Germany stretches from
the Alps, across the North European Plain to
the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and it
comprises 16 federal states (two of them are
city-state).
Borders: Germany shares borders with nine
countries and two bodies of water, including:
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Denmark to the north, North Sea to
the northwest, and Baltic Sea to the
northeast;
Belgium, Luxembourg, France and
the Netherlands to the west;
Poland and the Czech Republic to the
east;
Switzerland to the south, Austria to
the the south/southeast. Germany
also shares a border on the
freshwater Lake Constance with Austria and Switzerland.
NB: no other European country has more neighbors (=
bordering countries)
Physical features: Germany's physical characteristics
include mountains, wetlands, lowlands, woodlands,
rivers, and lakes. Germany's terrain starts at sea level in
the north, gradually rising until it turns into mountains in
the south.
Wetlands are found nearby the Dutch border, and even
the littoral close to North Sea and to Baltic Sea is low and
marshy.
The northern third of the country lies in the North
German Plain, part of the wider North European Plain, a
littoral plain that continues into both Poland and the
Netherlands. Moving to south, the land rises into the
Alps. The highest peak is Zugspitze (2962 meters) and it is
located in in the Alps. Several smaller mountain ranges
move through central Germany along with woodlands
and the Thuringian Forest. The Ore Mountains border
Germany on the south, separating it from the Czech
Republic. Germany boasts many lakes, the largest of
which is Lake Constance, lying on the German-SwissAustrian border.
The major rivers in Germany are Rhine, Elbe, and
Danube. The Rhine River flows through Germany to the North Sea.
NB: The longest rivers in Europe:
1- Volga
2- Danube
… 12- Rhine
Fast Facts on Physical Geography
• Alps (= Alpi); the highest peak is Zugspitze
• Ore Mountains (= Monti Metalliferi)
• North German Plain/North European Plain (= Pianura Nord Europea)
• North Sea (= Mare del Nord) and Baltic Sea (= Mar Baltico)
• Lake Constance (= Lago di Costanza)
• Rhine (= Reno), Danube (= Danubio), and Elbe (= Elba)
Climate: Most of Germany has a temperate climate dominated by humid westerly winds. The Alpine regions in the
extreme south and some areas of the Central German Uplands have a mountain climate.
Demographics: Germany is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia. Moreover, after the United
States, it is the second most popular immigration destination in the world.
Language: German is the official and
predominant spoken language in
Germany
Cities: The capital city is Berlin. Berlin will
be the l most populous city in the
European Union (NB: now the largest city
in the EU is London, but remember
Brexit!) After World War II, Germany was
split between the two global blocs in the
East (-> Soviets) in the West (-> Allies):
West Germany and East Germany; even
Berlin was split in two parts separated by
a wall (= the Berlin Wall): West Berlin and
East Berlin. The Cold War divided
Germany between the Allies in the west
and Soviets in the east; in in 1989, with
the end of the Cold War and pressure from the East German population, the Berlin Wall fell and was subsequently
mostly demolished.
Other major cities include Hamburg (= Amburgo), Munich (= Monaco), Cologne (Colonia), Frankfurt (= Francoforte),
and Düsseldorf.
Religion: Christianity is the largest religion in Germany (about 61%: 27,9% Evangelical, 29,5% Roman Catholic, and
3,3% other Christian churches). Relative to the whole population, 34% of Germans are no religiously affiliated (=
Atheism, Agnosticism), while the 5% are Muslim (growing due to immigration).
Economy: Germany is the largest economy in the EU and the fourth largest in the world by nominal GDP (= Gross
Domestic Product -> PIL= Prodotto Interno Lordo) after the USA, China, and Japan. The German economy has its
great innovativeness and strong focus on exports to thank for its competitiveness and global networking. In highselling sectors, such as car-making, mechanical and plant engineering, the chemicals industry and medical
technology, exports account for far more than half of total sales.
Watch on youtube “Geo Focus on Germany”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyYuht9cYXY
Liechtenstein
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Government: Constitutional monarchy
Capital City: Vaduz
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Language: German
Demonym: Liechtensteiner
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Fast Facts:
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Liechtenstein is a double-landlocked microstate in West-Central
Europe.
What does it mean “double-landlocked”?
A country is "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded entirely
by one or more landlocked countries. Liechtenstein is bordered by
Switzerland to the west and south, and Austria to the east and
north (Switzerland and Austria are landlocked countries).
NB: The other double-landlocked country is Uzbekistan.
Liechtenstein is one of the smallest countries in Europe: it is the
sixth smallest nation in the world.
Physical geography: Liechtenstein is an alpine country (= Alps
stretch across this country) and it is mainly mountainous with the
he Rhine River valley in the western third of the country; the
western border of Liechtenstein (= Swiss border) is formed by the
Rhine River.
NB: Liechtenstein's highest point is Grauspitz (2,599 m).
The capital city is Vaduz.
Economically, Liechtenstein has the third highest GDP per capita in the world, after Qatar and Luxembourg
(-> Liechtenstein is one of the richest countries in the world). Liechtenstein is a business hub and financial
center with very low corporate tax rate.
Switzerland provides army and defense for Liechtenstein.
Watch on youtube “Geo Focus on Liechtenstein”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rYTkJnACJw
Switzerland
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Government: Federal republic
Capital City: Bern
Language: German, French, Italian, and Romansch
Demonym: Swiss
Religion: Christianity (mostly Roman Catholicism)
Fast facts:
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Switzerland is a landlocked country in West-Central
Europe, and it is bordered by Italy to the south,
France to the west, Germany to the north, and
Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Physical geography:
Switzerland is an alpine
country (-> Alps stretch
across this country and
occupy the greater part of
the territory) and it is
geographically divided
between the Alps, the Swiss
Plateau (= Altopiano
Svizzero)and the Jura
Mountains (= Massiccio del
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Giura); Mount Rosa (= Monte Rosa; 4,634 m) is the highest peak. The major rivers in Switzerland are Rhine
(= Reno) and Rhone (Rodano), while the major lakes are Lake Geneva (= Lago di Ginevra), Lake Constance (=
Lago di Costanza) and Lake Maggiore.
Switzerland is a federal republic in Europe and it consists of 26 cantons (= states with a high degree of
autonomy). The capital city is Bern, other important cities are Zürich and Geneva.
Switzerland is a multilingual nation and represents a model of coexistence: spanning the intersection of
Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic regions (German, French, Italian
and Romansch). The majority of the population are German speaking (Swiss German -> 63,5%), while the
other parts of Swiss people are French-speaking (French -> 22,5%), Italian-speaking (Italian -> 8,1%), and
Romansch-speaking (Romansch -> 0,5%); about 10% speak other languages (the largest is Serbo-Croatian).
All of these languages are national languages, but only German, French and Italian are official languages of
administration (= used for communications, in parliament, and in federal government offices).
English is becoming the lingua franca, due to the growing importance of English in Switzerland and to the
globalization.
Watch on youtube “Geo Focus languages of Switzerland”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p8GgX_hWyA
Switzerland has a stable, prosperous and high-tech economy and it has the world's nineteenth largest
economy by nominal GDP.
Austria
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Government: Federal Republic
Capital City: Vienna
Language: German (Austrian German)
Demonym: Austrian
Religion: mostly Christianity
Fast facts:
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Austria is a landlocked country in Central
Europe.
Austria borders with eight countries: Czech
Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary
and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to
the south, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to
the west.
Phisical Geography: Austria is an alpine
country and it is largely mountainous, due to
its location within the Alps.
The most part of Austria consists of the Alps
(= Alpi), which cover about the 62% of total
land area. To the east, lies a part of the
Pannonian Plain (= Pianura Pannonica).
The Danube (= Danubio) is the largest river of
Austria and runs across the country from west
to east; the economic role of the Danube, as a
waterway, has increased in recent years, due
to the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, which
allows direct traffic anywhere between the
North Sea and the Black Sea.
One of the most important lake is the
Constance Lake (= Lago di Costanza) on the
Austrian-Swiss-German border.
Austria is a federal republic and it is divided into 9 states; the capital city is Vienna.
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German (-> Austrian German) is the official language of the country.
About the 90 % of Austria's population are Austrian, while the 10% come from other countries, including
Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey.
About 74% of Austria's population are Roman Catholic, while about 5% consider themselves Protestants.
Austria is one of richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita, and it has a well-developed
economy, and high standard of living.
Watch on youtube “Geography Now! Austria”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKsGmyhsKFA