Located in central Europe, Germany is made up of the North German Plain, the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge), and the Southern German Highlands. The Bavarian plateau in the southwest averages 1,600 ft (488 m) above sea level, but it reaches 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Zugspitze Mountains, the highest point in the country. Germany’s major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, the Weser, and the Rhine. Germany is about the size of Montana.

History

The Celts are believed to have been the first inhabitants of Germany. They were followed by German tribes at the end of the 2nd century B.C. German invasions destroyed the declining Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuriesA.D. One of the tribes, the Franks, attained supremacy in western Europe under Charlemagne, who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800. By the Treaty of Verdun (843), Charlemagne’s lands east of the Rhine were ceded to the German Prince Louis. Additional territory acquired by the Treaty of Mersen (870) gave Germany approximately the area it maintained throughout the Middle Ages. For several centuries after Otto the Great was crowned king in 936, German rulers were also usually heads of the Holy Roman Empire.

By the 14th century, the Holy Roman Empire was little more than a loose federation of the German princes who elected the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1438, Albert of Hapsburg became emperor, and for the next several centuries the Hapsburg line ruled the Holy Roman Empire until its decline in 1806. Relations between state and church were changed by the Reformation, which began with Martin Luther’s 95 theses, and came to a head in 1547, when Charles V scattered the forces of the Protestant League at Mühlberg. The Counter-Reformation followed. A dispute over the succession to the Bohemian throne brought on the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), which devastated Germany and left the empire divided into hundreds of small principalities virtually independent of the emperor.

Education

The educational system of Germany is underlying to continuous changes and reforms. Main point in the last years was the reorganization of the Gymnasium. The nine year education was changed into an eight year education to get the Abitur. Furthermore, the academic system had changed because of the Bologna reform. The degrees obtained are now called Bachelor and Master.

Studying in German

1. Top universities in North Rhine-Westphalia

   The most populous German state, North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the west of Germany and is home to approximately 17.5 million, some 22% of the nation’s population. A prime location to study in Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia claims the highest number of top German universities (nine) and is home to the city of Düsseldorf (its capital) and Cologne (its largest city). Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische HochschuleAachen is the top ranked university in North Rhine-Westphalia, at 147^th in the world. It is the only TU9 member in the state and one of two institutions in the region to receive funding from the government’s Excellence Initiative. The other is Universität Köln. The top universities in North Rhine-Westphalia are:

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (147^th in the world; 9^th in Germany)

   • Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (177^th in the world; 11^th in Germany)
   • Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (249^th in the world; 16= in Germany)
   • Universität zu Köln (305^th in the world; 23^rd in Germany)
   • Ruhr-Universität Bochum (388^th in the world; 28^th in Germany)
   • Universität Düsseldorf (411-420 in the world; 32^nd in Germany)
   • Technische Universität Dortmund (TU Dortmund, 491-500 in the world; 36= in Germany)
   • Universität Bielefeld (501-550 in the world; 38= in Germany)
   • Universität Duisburg-Essen (501-550 in the world; 38= in Germany)

2. Top universities in Baden-Württemberg

   The third largest German state in terms of both population and size, Baden-Württemberg is home to 11 million people. As well as thriving automobile, engineering and metallurgical sectors, Baden-Württemberg is famous for its fairytale forests and historic towns. Baden-Württemberg is home to two TU9 members (Universität Stuttgart and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT) as well as the highest-ranked university at which to study in Germany –Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg.

   The capital and largest city of Baden-Württemberg is Stuttgart. The top universities are:

   • Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (49^th in the world; 1^st in Germany)
   • Universität Freiburg (121^st in the world; 4^th in Germany)
   • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, 127^th in the world; 5^th in Germany)
   • Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (141^st in the world; 7^th in Germany)
   • Universität Ulm (249^th in the world; 16= in Germany)
   • Universität Stuttgart (274^th in the world; 19^th in Germany)
   • Universität Konstanz (310^th in the world; 24^th in Germany)
   • Universität Mannheim (328^th in the world; 25^th in Germany)

3. Top universities in Bavaria
   

   The biggest state by size and the second-largest by population, Bavaria is home to 12.5 million people. With diverse industry in technology, engineering, beer and tourism (anyone for lederhosen?), the state’s top two universities two are Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and Technische Universität München (TU München), which both gain funding from the government’s Excellence Initiative and one of which, TU München, is a member of TU9.

   Two of the top universities in Bavaria are located in München (aka Munich), the capital and largest city in the state. The top universities in Bavaria are:

   • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (52^nd in the world; 2^nd in Germany)
   • Technische Universität München (TU München, 54^th in the world; 3^rd in Germany)
   • Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (285^th in the world; 20^th in Germany)
   • Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (341^st in the world; 26^th in Germany)
   • Universität Regensburg (395^th in the world; 29^th in Germany)
   • Universität Bayreuth (481-490 in the world; 35^th in Germany)

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