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About Germany

     Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland (help·info), IPA: [ˈbundəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant]), is a country in West-central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

     Germany is a parliamentary federal republic of sixteen states (Bundesländer). The capital city and seat of government is Berlin. As a nation-state, the country was unified near the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. After World War II, Germany's government was re-formed, its territory was divided into two separate states along the lines of allied occupation in 1949 and then was reunified in 1990. Germany is a founding member of the European Union, and with over 82 million people it has the largest population among the EU member states.

     The Federal Republic of Germany is a modern great power, a member state of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G4 nations and, as of 2006, ranked sixth in military expenditure. Germany is the world's third largest economy by nominal GDP, the world's largest exporter of goods, and the world's second largest importer of goods. In 2007 it held the rotating presidencies of both the European Council and the G8 summits.

About Essen

     Essen [ˈɛsn̩] is a city in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr River, its population of approximately 582,000 (as of December 31, 2006) makes it the 7th- or 8th-largest city in Germany. The city was recently appointed European Capital of Culture for 2010 representing the whole Ruhr Area and is both member of and seat to several regional authorities, most importantly the Regionalverband Ruhr.

     Formerly one of Germany's most important coal and steel centers, Essen has developed a strong tertiary sector of industry and is home to 13 of the 100 largest German corporations. Historically, it has been linked to the centuries-old Krupp family iron works. The city was chosen in 1958 to serve as the seat of a Roman-Catholic diocese, the Diocese of Essen (Ruhrbistum). In early 2003, the universities of Essen and its neighboring city of Duisburg (both established in 1972) were merged into the University of Duisburg-Essen with campuses in both cities and a university hospital in Essen.

     Essen is subdivided into nine suburban districts, called Stadtbezirke. Each Stadtbezirk has a local body (of nineteen members each) that has limited authority. Stadtbezirke have names that are often derived from the boroughs they comprise. Additionally, Stadtbezirke are assigned Roman numerals. Essen has a total of fifty boroughs, most of which have originally been independent municipalities but were gradually incorporated from 1901 - 1975. The long-lasting process of city growth incorporation has led to a strong identification of the population with "their" boroughs and to a rare peculiarity: The borough of Kettwig, located south of the Ruhr river, and which was not incorporated until 1975, has its own area code. Additionally (allegedly due to relatively high church tax incomes), the Archbishop of Cologne managed to keep Kettwig direct subject to the Archbishopric of Cologne, whereas all other boroughs of Essen and some neighboring cities constitute the Diocese of Essen.