All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front is about a young German soldier Paul Baumer while he is in World War One.  While overall I can tell the book is meant to be focused on the anti-war perspective.  While all growing up, Paul's teachers encouraged him and his soon to be fellow comrades to become soldiers and fight for Germany.  All of his family and people back home don't understand what the soldiers go through on the front line.  Throughout the book, Paul more speaks of how his life has been stolen from him. Even though he may not be dead, all his comrades fighting with him are dieing and inside his soul is dieing away.  Even though he gets a chance to go back home on leave, Paul cannot seem to feel comfortable back at home.  He is losing his mother to cancer and he cannot connect with anyone back home. Even though he is still a teenager, he calls himself an old soldier and feels like he knows more than a 40 year old man that has not been apart of war. As time goes on in the book he learns that while at first he thought he had mortal enemies with the people he was shooting at, he is just like his enemy.  Both Paul and his enemy are humans fighting for their fatherland. This didn't really hit Paul until he was caught in a shell-hole where an enemy entered and he had to kill him with his bare hands.  It killed him inside to watch this man that he could relate to so much die in his arms because he killed him.  All Quiet on the Western Front is meant to give the feeling of what soldiers went through, still go through, and how it all affects them.  It also gives you a better understanding of how war is not always the right answer.

Berlin, Germany

Berlin is the largest city in Germany, its a state in Germany, and is actually the capital of Germany also.  This is what made me so interested in researching and learning more in depth about the state.

It is directly in the middle of the state Brandenburg.  Its population is 3.45 million people.  Around one third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.  The area of Berlin is recorded at 892 sq km. In US terms that would be a little over 344 square miles.  Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany and is the seat of the President of Germany, whose official residence is Schloss Bellevue. The Senate of Berlin consists of the Governing Mayor and up to eight senators holding ministerial positions, one of them holding the official title "Mayor" as deputy to the Governing Mayor. Something interesting about a connection between America and Germany is that Berlin is a "Sister City" to Los Angeles, California.  The state is made up of 41.3% of buildings and open space, 0.7% of Business and industry, 11.4% of recreational areas, 15.3% for transportation, 4.7% of agriculture, 18.1% of woodland, 6.7% of water, and 1.9% of other types of covering of land.  The total annual state budget of Berlin in 2007 exceeded $28.7 billion including a budget surplus of $112 million. The figures indicate the first surplus in the history of the city/state. In 2009, the nominal GDP of the city/state Berlin experienced a growth rate of 1.7% and totaling about $117 billion. Berlin's economy is dominated by the service sector, with around 80% of all companies doing business in services. The unemployment rate had steadily decreased over the past decade and reached a 13-year low in 2008. As of April 2010 unemployment was at 14.2%. Industries that do business in the creative arts and entertainment are an important and sizable sector of the economy of Berlin. The creative arts sector comprises music, film, advertising, architecture, art, design, fashion, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software, TV, radio, and video games. Around 22,600 creative enterprises, predominantly SMEs, generated over 18.6 billion Euro in total revenue. Berlin's creative industries have contributed an estimated 20% of Berlin's GDP in 2005.

Not only is Berlin different from most places in Germany because it is in the center of another state, it is also a city. And not only is it just a city, it is a city within a state.  Personally for myself I probably would never want to live there because it is so busy and populated, but it would be an interesting place to visit at some point in my life.

Resources Used:
Berlin-1 September 14, 2011
Berlin-2 September 14, 2011
Berlin-3 September 14, 2011
Berlin-4 September 14, 2011
Berlin-5 September 14, 2011

3 German States Decribed

Brandenburg

Economy, Main Industries, Trade Partners, and Income per Capita: Investitionsband des landes brandenburg and Brandenburg Economic Development Board are main banks in Brandenburg.
Energy, Steel, Mechanical Engineering, biotechnology, tourism, and Rolls Royce are all main industries in Brandenburg. New Hampshire is a main trade partner with Brandenburg.
GDP per capita is Euro 50 billion total.

Large Cities, Small Cities, Countryside, Location, Number of Inhabitants and Size:

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. The capital is Potsdam. The population is 2,503,273 and 11,381 square miles. The GDP is 53,89  billion euros.(2009) It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were recreated in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. It has 15 protected areas. Consisting of 11 nature parks and 1 national park. It has 14 rural distracts and 4 urban.

Brandenburg is divided into 14 rural districts:

1.    Barnim 2.    Dahme-Spreewald 3.    Elbe-Elster 4.    Havelland 5.    Märkisch-Oderland 6.    Oberhavel 7.    Oberspreewald-Lausitz

8. Oder-Spree 9. Ostprignitz-Ruppin 10. Potsdam-Mittelmark 11. Prignitz 12.   Spree-Neiße 13. Teltow-Fläming 14.  Uckermark

...And 4 urban districts:

1.    Brandenburg an der Havel

2.    Cottbus

3.    Frankfurt (Oder)

4.    Potsdam  capital

Protected areas in Brandenburg

Brandenburg is known for its well-preserved natural environment and its ambitious natural protection policies which began in the 1990s. 15 large protected areas were designated following Germany's reunification. Each of them is provided with state-financed administration and a park ranger staff, who guide visitors and work to ensure nature conservation. Most protected areas have visitor centers.

National parks

Lower Oder Valley National Park (106 km²)

Biosphere reserves

The Spreewald, a biosphere reserve by UNESCO

Spreewald Biosphere Reserve (474 km2/183 sq mi)

Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve (1.291 km2/0.50 sq mi)

            River Landscape Elbe-Brandenburg Biosphere Reserve (533 km2/206 sq mi)

Nature parks

Barnim Nature Park (750 km2/290 sq mi)

 Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park (594 km2/229 sq mi)

 High Fläming Nature Park (827 km2/319 sq mi)

 Märkische Schweiz Nature Park (204 km2/79 sq mi)

 Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft Nature Park (490 km2/189 sq mi)

 Niederlausitzer Landrücken Nature Park (580 km2/224 sq mi)

 Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park (623 km2/241 sq mi)

 Schlaube Valley Nature Parke (225 km2/87 sq mi)

 Uckermark Lakes Nature Park (895 km2/346 sq mi)

 Westhavelland Nature Park (1.315 km2/0.51 sq mi)

 Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park (1.080 km2/0.42 sq mi)

Brandenburg is bordered by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the north, Poland in the east, the Freistaat Sachsen in the south, Saxony-Anhalt in the west, and Lower Saxony in the northwest.

History, Cultural and Interesting Information:

Brandenburg in the medieval and early modern times was one of seven electoral states of the Holy Roman Empire. With Prussia it became the original core of the German Empire. It was governed by the Hohenzollern dynasty from 1415 to the end of WW I. In 1618 Brandenburg was combined with Prussia to make Brandenburg-Prussia, and in 1701 the state was the Kingdom of Prussia. In the early middle ages Slavic people were said to live there, but later was driven out by the Huns and Avars. Emperor Otto I was trying to establish margraves to have control over the Oder river. In the 12^th century the German crusade against the Wends was starting to happen, Albert the Bear took over Brandenburg and made it his own. Brandenburg converted to Protestantism in 1539, when this religion was on the up rise. Way later, after WWII, Neumark became part of Poland.

Before 1871

 Before 1918

Before 1948

Resources: 

Brandenburg-1 Sept. 7, 2011
Brandenburg-2 Sept. 7, 2011
Brandenburg-3 Sept. 7, 2011
Brandenburg-4 Sept. 7, 2011
Brandenburg-5 Sept. 7, 2011

Brandenburg-6 Sept. 7, 2011

Brandenburg-7 Sept. 7, 2011

Brandenburg-8 Sept. 7, 2011

Brandenburg-9 Sept 7, 2011
Brandenburg-10 Sept 7, 2011

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Economy, Main Industries, Trade Partners, Income Per Capita: Agriculture, fishery, fish processing, food industry, ship building, and tourism are main industries. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern trades with France and the United States.  Their Economy includes inovation, quality and tradition which are the three main pillars of Economy to them.  Three-Forth of the people work in the service sector.  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is one of the top three destinations within Germany. Income per capita is 32.6 billion euros total. 


Big Cities, Small Cities, Countryside Location, Number of Inhabitants, and Size:

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern it is located in northern Germany has a population of  1.6 million and its 8,947.5 square miles. the gdp is € 31 billion 2005 survey The capital is Schwerin, its called the “state of a thousand lakes” has 3 out Germany’s 14 national parks.Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is among the top three destinations for inner-German tourism. Mecklenburg was a constituent state of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) upon its formation in 1949. In 1952, the East Berlin government abandoned "states" in favor of districts. The largest city “Rostock” has about 200k people. Significant industries in MV include lumber, logistics, agriculture, food processing, and the service sector.

Sixth-largest in area but only fourteenth in overall population among Germany's sixteen Bundesländer, it is bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea,

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's state capital is Schwerin. The largest city is Rostock with approximately 200,000 people. Other major cities include Greifswald, Güstrow, Neubrandenburg, Stralsund and Wismar.

Germany's two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom, are part of the state as well as many smaller islands such as Hiddensee or Poel. Due to its clean air and it idyllic setting, medical tourism has become a notable tourism sector in the region

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since September 4 2011 divided into six rural Kreise (districts) and two independent urban districts

1.    Landkreis Rostock

2.    Ludwigslust-Parchim

3.    Mecklenburgische Seenplatte

4.    Nordwestmecklenburg

5.    Vorpommern-Greifswald

6.    Vorpommern-Rügen

...And 2 Urban are

1.    Rostock (HRO)

2.    Schwerin (SN)

History and Other Cultural Information:

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had human settlement after the ice age in 10,000 BC. 2,000 years ago Germanic people were recorded in the area. First off, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern use to be two separate states. Mecklenburg became duchy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1348. In the middle ages it was ruled by Pomeranian dukes. In Vorpommern, it was under the Swedish rule from 1648-1815, until it became a part of Prussia. This area remained Prussian Province until 1947. In 1945 the two places were united as one under the Soviet Union, after the Potsdam agreement was made and western allies handed Mecklenburg over.   

Resources:
MV-Sept. 7, 2011
MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

MV-Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen

Economy, Main Industries, Trade Partners, Income Per Capita:
Hessen's Economy is one of the highest and largest. It's main industries are textile, machinery, chemicals, metal goods, electrical products, transport and development.  About 30,000 people work in research projects.  The income per capita is 209 billion euros total. 


Big Cities, Small Cities, Countryside, Location, Number of Inhabitants, and Size:
Hessen, it is located in Germany and it has an area of 8150 square miles and  just over six million inhabitants.Hesse is one of the largest and healthiest economies in Germany. Its GDP in 2009  about 300 billon US$.This makes Hesse itself one of the largest economies in Europe and the 31st largest in the world. Some large companies headquarters in Hesse inc. After figures among the GDP per capita, Hesse is the wealthiest State in Germany. The principal cities of Hessen include Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Offenbach, Hanau, Gießen, Wetzlar, and Limburg in the greater Rhine Main Area, Fulda in the east, and Kassel and Marburg an der Lahn in the north. The most important rivers in Hesse are the Fulda and Eder rivers in the north, the Lahn in the central part of Hesse, and the Main and Rhine in the south. The countryside is hilly and there are numerous mountain ranges, including the Rhön, the Westerwald, the Taunus, the Vogelsberg, the Knüll and the Spessart.

Most of the population of Hesse is in the southern part of Hesse in the Rhine Main Area. The Rhine borders Hesse on the southwest without running through the state, only one old arm – the so-called Alt-Rhein – runs through Hesse.

Hessen is the greenest state 42% covered in forest. Population 6,067,021

Hesse has one of the best transportation networks in Europe. It has motorways, high-speed train, and waterways lines cross Hesse. Frankfurt International Airport  is Germany's largest and Europe's third largest airport. Death penalty in Hesse is still present in Hessian constitution but it's not applied at all.

Hesse is divided into 21 districts and 5 independent cities (with their abbreviations, as used on vehicle number plates):

1.    Bergstraße (Heppenheim) (HP) 2.    Darmstadt-Dieburg (Darmstadt) (DA) 3.    Groß-Gerau (Groß-Gerau) (GG) 4.    Hochtaunuskreis (Bad Homburg) (HG) 5.    Main-Kinzig-Kreis (Gelnhausen) (MKK) 6.    Main-Taunus-Kreis (Hofheim am Taunus) (MTK) 7.    Odenwaldkreis (Erbach) (ERB) 8.    Offenbach (Dietzenbach) (OF) 9.    Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis (Bad Schwalbach) (RÜD) 10. Wetteraukreis (Friedberg) (FB) 11.  Gießen (Gießen) (GI) 12. Lahn-Dill-Kreis (Wetzlar) (LDK) 13.  Limburg-Weilburg (Limburg) (LM) 14.  Marburg-Biedenkopf (Marburg) (MR) 15. Vogelsbergkreis (Lauterbach) (VB) 16.  Fulda (Fulda) (FD) 17.  Hersfeld-Rotenburg (Bad Hersfeld) (HEF) 18. Kassel (Kassel) (KS) 19. Schwalm-Eder-Kreis (Homberg (Efze)) (HR) 20. Werra-Meißner-Kreis (Eschwege) (ESW) 21. Waldeck-Frankenberg (Korbach) (KB)

Independent cities:

1.    Darmstadt (DA)

2.    Frankfurt am Main (F)

3.    Kassel (KS)

4.    Offenbach am Main (OF)

5.    Wiesbaden (WI)

Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards; therefore, it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include Mainz, Worms, Bingen, Alzey, Nieder-Olm and Ingelheim. Many inhabitants commute to work in Mainz, Wiesbaden, or Frankfurt.

 History and Other Cultural Information:

Hessen emerged as a Landgraviate in 1247. After the death of Phillip of Hesse in 1567, the state was then divided in 4 sections to his 4 sons: Kassel, Marburg, Rheinfels, and Dormstadt. In WWII all major cities in Hessen suffered severe damage. Some interesting facts are that Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was born in Frankfurt, and he was a very well known German Writer, Biologist, and Theoretical Physicist. Also, the Brothers Grimm was born in Hanau. 

Resources:

Hessen-1 Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen-2 Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen-3 Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen-4 Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen-5 Sept. 7, 2011

Hessen-6 Sept. 7, 2011