Tyskland

Tyskland, the Swedish name for Germany, is a country in Central Europe. The capital and largest city is Berlin. With roughly 83 million inhabitants, it is the most populous country in the European Union. It borders Denmark to the north; Poland and the Czech Republic to the east; Austria and Switzerland to the south; France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west, and it has coastlines on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 16 states (Länder). The Bundestag is the lower house of parliament, and the Bundesrat represents the states in the upper house. The chancellor is the head of government; the president is largely ceremonial. The capital is Berlin, which also hosts the federal government and many cultural institutions.

Historically, the region comprised numerous states within the Holy Roman Empire. A unified German Empire was proclaimed in 1871. After World War II, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (West) and the German Democratic Republic (East) until reunification in 1990. Since then it has been a federal republic and a member of the European Union.

Germany has the largest economy in Europe, with strengths in automotive manufacturing, mechanical engineering, chemicals, and information technology. Major companies include Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW, Siemens and BASF. The country is known for its engineering prowess, research institutions, and a strong social market economy.

Germany has contributed to philosophy, literature, music, and the arts, and hosts numerous cultural events, from book fairs to festivals, with diverse landscapes from the Alps to the North Sea.