4 Chapter 1 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Germany is a country in central Europe with many different and vibrant landscapes You can drive along twisty highways and see wide plains with farms or forests where red foxes and wild boars hide among the trees Hills and tall mountain peaks stand high over medieval castles villages and large cities
Land Germany borders the Baltic Sea to the northeast and the North Sea to the northwest It touches Austria Belgium the Czech Republic Denmark France Luxembourg the Netherlands Poland and Switzerland Germany is one of the largest countries in Europe It has many landscapes The mountains in the south are part of the Bavarian Alps Zugspitze is the highest mountain Zugspitze Mountain 5
6 Northern Germany has rolling plains Bogs and mudflats border the plains The seashore has many islands Most of Germany's rivers flow north to the sea But the Danube flows east from the Black Forest to the border of Austria The Rhine is Germany's longest river It runs through Lake Constance Lake Constance was formed about ten thousand years ago by the Rhine Glacier
The Danube is the second longest river in Europe The river used to be the northern border of the Roman Empire The Black Forest is in the southwest It is a thickly wooded area Eastern Germany has plains and lots of farmland Snow melts in the mountains and flows down to join the Danube River Germany's land has many natural resources It has fuels like coal and natural gas The land holds minerals like iron ore copper and nickel Germany's forests are a source of timber The soil is good for growing crops and raising livestock 7
