Germany

Where the name comes from

Germany comes from Latin Germania, of uncertain origin; Deutschland comes from a Germanic word for “people”, marking speakers of the local tongue apart from Latin-speaking neighbours.

First people

Neanderthals lived here, in the Neander Valley that gave them their name, and German-speaking communities later developed across Central Europe.^1,2

Known for

Germany is known for its cars, its beer festivals such as Oktoberfest, and Gutenberg’s printing press, invented in Mainz around 1450.³

Outside contact

Rome never conquered most of Germania; instead its many kingdoms, duchies and cities stayed loosely joined in the Holy Roman Empire.⁴

The modern country

The German Empire united them under Prussian leadership in 1871. Defeat in World War II led to division into East and West, and peaceful protests helped bring reunification in 1990.^5,6