About Us Germany struggled for a while after being defeated in the first two World Wars, but by the end of the Cold War the two parts of the country reunited as a whole again (Germany Country Profile). Germany is currently known for their very high tech possessions and for those possessions having a very high worth and value (Germany Country Profile). One of the main things that Germany is known for is the era while Hitler was in power, which is known as the Nazi-era. This era was the time that really puts a bad light on Germany as a country and no one will ever forget what happened during that period of time. Germany is now aware that they need to lookout against another devastation like that happening again in the Country (Germany Country Profile).
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Population |
The German Empire was founded and developed in 1871 when Germany unified. Over the years the population of Germany has changed by increasing and decreasing due to winning and losing times while the country was at war (Solsten, 1995). In the beginning when Germany was first founded there were about 41 million people who lived there, mainly in little villages or small towns (Solsten, 1995). Once the industry began to flourish and the country became more urban the population rose to about 64.6 million people in 1910. A big increase in the population around this time was due to immigrants coming in from Eastern Europe to find work in mines, farms, or factories.
In 1914 the beginning of World War I there were approximately 68 million people living in Germany (Solsten, 1995). Once the war broke out though it claimed many lives over time. By the end of the First World War there were about 2.8 million lives that were taken in Germany and the birth rate took a major hit as well (Solsten, 1995). Once Hitler took over the power in the 1930s both territory and population expanded. By 1939 there were about 79.7 million people living in Germany. Although the death toll in the First World War was pretty bad, it didn’t even compare to the death toll in the Second World War. By the end of World War II the population dropped by 7 million, and Germany was left in devastation, downfall, and separation (Solsten, 1995). The population had dropped back down to about the level it was at in 1910. Once Germany was reunited and the new Federal Republic of Germany was up and running in the 1950s the population was at about 50 million. Between the years 1950 and 1989 Germany’s population grew from about 50 million people to 62.1 million people. Most of the people came from German territories that other countries controlled after World War II such as, East Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia (Solsten, 1995). |
Settlement |
During the 11th and 13th century many peasants settled in the forests due to over population where farms and communities were set up (Bayley, 2015). The main area that was being populated were the Slavic lands just beyond the Elbe and Saale rivers (Bayley, 2015). When Black Death hit in the 14th century along with medieval wealth declining, many villages were abandoned in West Germany (Bayley, 2015). These villages are currently called the “Lost Villages”. As for East Germany during this time the wealthier men would take deserted farms and claim them as their own land.
After World War II both agriculture and settlement in Eastern and Western Germany moved away. In order to help out in Western Germany the federal and state governments gave large sums of grants to improve their existing buildings (Bayley, 2015). Most of the people stayed in their homes and commuted to work instead of picking everything up and moving into the city. The workers left most of the lands alone and only full time working farmers cultivated some of that land (Bayley, 2015). In Eastern Germany there were estates called the “Junker estates,” which are for the people who are noble or rich. These were taken and divided up into either state farms or given to peasants (Bayley, 2015). Most of the areas of land in Eastern Germany were urbanized with apartments or communities for people to live in. |
A more detailed timeline about the settlement of Germany can be found on this link: http://www.localhistories.org/germanytime.html
Written by Tim Lambert.
Written by Tim Lambert.
Maps
The Left image is showing the land usage of Eastern Germany and the Right image is showing the land usage of Western Germany. Like I listed on the settlement section Eastern Germany urbanized their land areas in some places, they didn't go overboard and build but there is a big urban area on that map compared to Western Germany. Western Germany mainly fixed up some buildings but did not add anything new or urbanize the area as much as Eastern Germany did. There isn't much forest areas left on either side of the maps which shows that most of the land on both sides were farmed in order to provide food for the people living there. Notice also that there is no big urbanization spots in Western Germany compared to Eastern Germany. There are two huge urbanized areas near East Berlin in Eastern Germany. Western Germany is focused mainly on farming and preserving the land.
Additional Information
To find out more information about the main city Frankfurt and how it became to be Germany's financial capital visit this website:
http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/germany-for-tourists/city-guides-germany/frankfurt-am-main/.
This will give you information on how Rome settled it first and after surviving all of the wars up until World War II it belonged to Western Germany.
To find out more information about Germany's History, Geography, Government, Population, and more visit this website:
http://www.factmonster.com/country/germany.html. This will give you all the information you want to find out about Germany especially the history about how it came to be and some of the battles that have happened there.
To find out more information about Germany's History, Geography, Government, Population, and more visit this website:
http://www.factmonster.com/country/germany.html. This will give you all the information you want to find out about Germany especially the history about how it came to be and some of the battles that have happened there.
Population Pyramid
The first image of the population of Germany in 1960 is showing the total population of people living in Germany in that time. Also if you look at the graph it shows how many males and females were living there as well. The numbers on the y-axis of the graph show the age of both genders. In the 1960s it looks like there were more females from age 34-44 than there were males of that age. You can also see towards the top there weren’t very many males or females that lived above age 89.
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The second image of the population of Germany in 2015 is showing the total population of people living in Germany in that time. Looking at the total population in 2015 compared to the total population in 1960, it seems to have increased over time. The graph is the same by showing the male to female comparison as well as the age on the y-axis on the left. In this graph the population of males to females look about the same. One of the main things that changed looks like both genders are living to be at least 100. Although taking a closer look at the top of the graph, it looks like more women live to be older than the men do.
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References:
Bayley, C. (2015, June 8). Germany. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/Religion#toc233612. (Settlement section)
Frankfurt am Main: "Bankfurt" -Germany's financial capital. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/germany-for-tourists/city-guides-germany/frankfurt-am-main/. (Additional Information)
Germany Country Profile. (2012, March 19). BBC News. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1047864.stm. (About Us Section)
Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.factmonster.com/country/germany.html. (Additional Information)
Population Pyramid http://populationpyramid.net/germany/ (Population Pyramid)
Solsten, E. (1995). Germany: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. (Population Section)
5 Themes of Geography: Austria v.s. Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://5themesofgeographyavsg.weebly.com/place.html. (Map Section)
Bayley, C. (2015, June 8). Germany. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/Religion#toc233612. (Settlement section)
Frankfurt am Main: "Bankfurt" -Germany's financial capital. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/germany-for-tourists/city-guides-germany/frankfurt-am-main/. (Additional Information)
Germany Country Profile. (2012, March 19). BBC News. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1047864.stm. (About Us Section)
Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.factmonster.com/country/germany.html. (Additional Information)
Population Pyramid http://populationpyramid.net/germany/ (Population Pyramid)
Solsten, E. (1995). Germany: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. (Population Section)
5 Themes of Geography: Austria v.s. Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://5themesofgeographyavsg.weebly.com/place.html. (Map Section)