webcam

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 Hamburg

     Hamburg (German language pronunciation: [ˈhambʊɐk]; Low German: Hamborg, ['hambɔːx]) is the second largest city in Germany and along with Hamburg Harbour, its principal port, Hamburg is also the second largest port city in Europe, ninth largest port in the world, and the largest city in the European Union which is not a national capital.

     The official name Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (German: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; Low German: Free un Hansestadt Hamborg) refers to Hamburg's membership in the medieval Hanseatic League and the fact that Hamburg is a City State and one of the sixteen Federal States of Germany.

     Hamburg is on the southern tip of the Jutland Peninsula, centered between Continental Europe to the south, Scandinavia to the north, the North Sea to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the east. The city of Hamburg lies at the junction of the River Elbe with the rivers Alster and Bille. The city center is set around two lakes, the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and the Außenalster ("Outer Alster").

     An international trade city, Hamburg is the commercial and cultural centre of Northern Germany. Its citizens are known as Hamburgers.

     The most significant economic basis for Hamburg is the Hamburg Harbour, which ranks 2^nd only to Rotterdam in Europe and 9^th worldwide with transshipments of 9 million standard container units (TEU) and 134 million tons of goods in 2006. After the German reunification, Hamburg recovered the eastern portion of its hinterland, becoming by far the fastest growing port in Europe. International trade is also the reason for the large number of consulates in the city. Although situated 90 kilometres (60 mi) up the Elbe, it is considered a sea harbor due to its ability to handle large ocean-going vessels.

     Hamburg, after Seattle and Toulouse, is one of the most important locations of the civil aerospace industry world in the world. Airbus, which has one of its two assembly plants in Hamburg, and related companies employ over 30,000 people in or near the city.

     Other important industries are media businesses, most notably three of Germany's largest publishing companies, Axel Springer AG, Gruner + Jahr and Heinrich Bauer Verlag. About half of Germany's national newspapers and magazines are produced in Hamburg. There are also a number of music companies (the largest being Warner Music Germany) and Internet businesses (e.g. AOL, Adobe Systems and Google Germany, and also Web 2.0 companies like Qype).

      Heavy industry includes the making of steel, aluminium and Europe's largest copper plant, and a number of shipyards like Blohm + Voss.