Germanny

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Geography
Germany is in Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to theeast, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. It lies mostly between latitudes 47° and 55° N (the tip ofSylt is just north of 55°), andlongitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of water. It is the seventh largest country byarea in Europe and the 62nd largest in the world.
Climate
Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. The climate is moderated by the North AtlanticDrift, the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea; consequently in the northwest and the north the climate isoceanic. Rainfall occursyear-round, especially in the summer. Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C(86 °F).
Biodiversity
The territory of Germany can be subdivided intotwo ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine.[60]As of 2008 the majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (34%) or forest and woodland (30.1%); only 13.4%of the area consists of permanent pastures, 11.8% is covered by settlements and streets.
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Politics
Germany isa federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as theGrundgesetz (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirdsmajority of both chambers of parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal...