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As Western Europe's richest and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945.

With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries formed a common European currency, the euro.

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Koln Dom Koln Dom

Frankfurt City View Frankfurt City View

Allianz Arena - Munchen Allianz Arena - Munchen

Munchen Town Hall Munchen Town Hall

Stuttgart Sightseeing Stuttgart Sightseeing

Hamburg Binnenalster Hamburg Binnenalster

NurnbergNurnberg

Rin in Koln Rin in Koln

Berlin Berlin

The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall

Berlin Zweifellarg Berlin Zweifellarg

Berlin at Night Berlin at Night

Bremen Vegesac Bremen Vegesac

Bremen Sightseeing Bremen Sightseeing

Frankfurt Frankfurt