GERMANY

The Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western-Central Europe. Germany is a democratic parliamentary federal republic of 16 states (Bundesländer). The country previously consisted of several sovereign states with their own history, culture, and religious affiliation. Germany was first unified as a nation-state amidst the Franco-Prussian War in 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 has the largest population and largest economy of all European Union member states. As a modern great power, Germany is the world's third largest economy (after the United States and Japan), the world's largest exporter of goods, and the world's second largest importer of goods. Currently, Germany has the rotating presidencies of both the EU and the G8.