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Germany (German: Deutschland), officially the Federal Republic of
Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a country in
central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark,
and the Baltic Sea, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic,
to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France,
Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Within its borders are
a portion of the Alps mountains, the famous Rhine and Danube
rivers, and the Black Forest.
Germany is a democratic parliamentary federal republic, made up of
16 states (Länder), which in certain spheres act independently of the
federation. Historically consisting of several sovereign states with their
own history, distinct german tribe dialects, culture and religious beliefs,
Germany was unified as a nation state during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/1871.
The Federal Republic of Germany is a member state of the United Nations,
NATO, the G8 and the G4 nations, and is a founding member of the
European Union. It is the European Union's most populous and most
economically powerful member state.
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