Germanic (or German language speaking) people have occupied Europe since the Bronze Age (1800-600 BC). Under Emperor Augustus, Roman armies invaded and conquered these ìbarbaricî tribes. However, successive revolts from the Germanic Franks, Burgundians, Angles and Saxons brought the overthrow of Rome. Eventually, the Franks' rule outlasted other regional competition, resulting in the nearly one thousand year reign of The Holy Roman Empire.

Years of regional conflicts eroded and expanded borders and changed governments. But in 1871, the Empire of Germany emerged and lasted until World War I. It included vast territory, including most of modern Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Lithuania, Poland and russia. This territory shrunk considerably after the Treaty of Versailles (1919) stripped Germany of several states. The punishment Germans took after Versailles left them ready to adopt a tyrant leader in 1933 - Adolph Hitler. His Third Reich ruled World War II Europe with a vice grip until Germany's surrender to the Allies in 1945. Germany has been recovering from Hitler's legacy of genocide ever since.

After World War II, Berlin was divided into several ally-administered zones, to prevent a German return to tyranny. But the zone occupied by the Soviet Union soon became the capital of a newly formed Communist state - East Germany. This eastern sector remained a sealed Soviet satellite until 1989, when the Berlin Wall was broken, and East Germany ceased to exist. Formal unification between the two Germanys took place in 1990. In the sixteen years since unification, Germany has become the strongest economy on the continent of Europe.

Capital: Berlin
Official Language: German
Population: 82,422,299
Currency: Euro
What's Popular: Inline Skating: All German cities
have 'blade nights' once a week