Germany is a large country in central Europe, home to about 83 million people. It shares borders with nine other countries, including France, Poland, and Austria, and has played a major role in European history for centuries.

Germany is known for its contributions to science, music, and engineering. Famous German inventors and thinkers include Johannes Gutenberg, who helped develop the printing press around 1440, and Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity. German composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms created some of the world's most beloved classical music. Today, Germany is famous for its precision engineering, producing high-quality cars like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.

The country's history includes both remarkable achievements and terrible mistakes. In the 1930s and 1940s, Germany under Adolf Hitler started World War II and committed horrific crimes against millions of people, including Jews and other targeted groups. After the war ended in 1945, Germany was divided into two countries: West Germany and East Germany. A wall built through the city of Berlin became a powerful symbol of this division. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down, and Germany reunified in 1990.

Modern Germany is a democracy and one of the world's largest economies. Its capital is Berlin, and people there speak German. German culture has given the world everything from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales to Oktoberfest celebrations, and German words like “kindergarten” and “gesundheit” are used in English today.