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Germany • • • • • 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: • • • • 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 • • Government: Constitutional monarchy Capital City: Vaduz • • • Language: German Demonym: Liechtensteiner Religion: Roman Catholicism Fast Facts: • • • • • • 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 • • • • • Government: Federal republic Capital City: Bern Language: German, French, Italian, and Romansch Demonym: Swiss Religion: Christianity (mostly Roman Catholicism) Fast facts: • • 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 • • • 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 • • • • • Government: Federal Republic Capital City: Vienna Language: German (Austrian German) Demonym: Austrian Religion: mostly Christianity Fast facts: • • • • 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. • • • • 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