After the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into zones of occupation by the victorious powers. From the beginning of 1947 onward, it became increasingly apparent that the interests and aims of the former allies were irreconcilable. In the struggle for power and the ideological conflict between East and West, Germany came to be the theater in which the Cold War was waged. This conflict culminated in the Soviet Union’s blockade of the land routes to Berlin (West) from June 1948 to May 1949.

In August 1948 a constitutional convention convened by the minister-presidents of the western German states met on the island of Herrenchiemsee and formulated a draft of the Basic Law. Many individual proposals were submitted as well. The regaining of Germany’s national unity in 1990 was preceded by a revolution that was without historical parallel, for it took place peacefully and without any bloodshed

Germany has an extraordinary variety of 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 stretching southward to the central Upland Rhenish Bight, the westphalian 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 Schleswig-Holstein the fjords, in Mecklenbug-western Pomerania the lakes and the counterbalancing coastline. The main islands in the North Sea are the east frisian Islands, among them Borkum and Norderney, the North frisian Islands of Amrum, Foehr and Sylt(and the Halligen), as well as Helgoland in the Helgoland Bight. Situated in the Baltic Sea are the islands of Ruegen, Hiddensee and fehmarn. Some parts the Baltic coast have flat, sandy shores; others have steep cliffs. Between the North sea and the Baltic Sea lies the low-hill country called Holsteinische Schweiz"

(Holstein Switzerland).

Germany is situated in the moderately cool west wind zone between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental climate in the East. Sharp changes in the temperature are rare. There is precipitation all the year round. In the winter the average temperature is between 1.5C in the lowland areas and –6C in the mountains.

In the warmest month of the year, July, temperatures are between 18C in low-lying regions, and 20C in the scheltered vallleys of the south. Exceptions are the Upper bavaria with its regularly occurring warm Alpone wind (Foehn) from the south, and the Harz Mountains, a climatic zone of its own with cold winds, cool summers and heavy snow in winter.

Germany has a population of approximately 82.0 million(including 7.3 million foreigners ) and is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe (230 people per square kilometer). Only Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have a higher population density. These densely popolated regions contrast with very thinly populated areas such as the heathlands and moorlands of the North German Plain, parts of the Eifel Mountains, the bavarian Forest, the Upper Plalatinate, the March of Brandenburg and large parts of Mecklenbug-Western Pomerania

German is one of the large group of Indo-Germanic languages, and within that one of the Germanic languages. It is thus related to Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch and Flemish, but also to English. The emergence of a common High German language is attributed to Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible.

Germany has a wealth of dialects. It is usually possible to determine a German’s native region from his or her dialect and pronunciation. These dialects differ greatly: If, for instance, a Frisian or a Mecklenburger and a Bavarian were to carry on a conversation in their respective pure dialects, they would have great difficulty understanding each other.

German is also spoken as the native language in Austria Liechtenstein, most in small areas of Belgium, France (alsace) and Luxembourg along the German border. The German minorities in Poland, Romania and the countries of the former Soviet Union have partly retained the German language as well.

German is the native language of more than 100 million people. About one in ten books published throughout the world has been written in German. As regards translations into foreign languages, German is third after English and French, and more works have been translated into German than into any other language