1.
Altenberg, Saxony
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Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic,15 km northwest of Teplice and it is home of the Altenberg bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track that has been in use since 1987. The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24,2008 in Altenberg, Saxony, for the time, having done so in 1991,1994,1999. Today this 12 ha area, bordering the area, is considered to be one out of 77 of the most important geotopes in Germany. DKB-Eiskanal, The Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track venue, the basalt mountain Geisingberg with mountain hut, tower and look-out. On the flanks of the hill, at the Geisingberg Meadows preserve area, there are important populations of globe-flowers and wild orchids, blooming in spring and early summer
2.
Bad Schandau
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Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch. Bad Schandau lies east of the Elbe right on the edge of the Saxon Switzerland National Park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the National Park Centre is located in the town. The original town centre nestled on the steep, towering sandstone rocks on the right-hand, northern bank of the River Elbe, the town centre lies 121.7 m above sea level, whilst its highest points lie over 400 metres above sea level. A rural tram line, the Kirnitzschtal Tramway, accompanies the river for several kilometres. Bad Schandau is about 6 kilometres from the Czech frontier and 33 km southeast of Dresden on the railway to Děčín, the borough of Bad Schandau consists of the original old town of Schandau and 5 newer quarters, Krippen, Postelwitz, Schmilka, Ostrau and Porschdorf. Krippen lies on the bank of the Elbe. The village was the sphere of action of the Krippen villager and inventor of mechanical wood pulp for the manufacture of paper, Friedrich Gottlob Keller, from 1853 to his death. A memorial tablet on the Keller Museum, house number 76 in the road named after him and in which the inventor once lived, celebrates him. In 2009, Krippen had a population of 568, a stream, the Krippenbach, joins the Elbe near Krippen. Krippen was incorporated into Bad Schandau borough on 1 January 1999, the summer resort of Postelwitz has been part of the borough of Bad Schandau since 1934. The village, which comprises a number of groups of houses. This originally Slavic settlement of rafters, fishermen, stonebreakers and boat builders was first recorded in 1446, ships anchor smiths worked in the village until 1968. The local sandstone quarries worked from the half of the 16th century until 1907, were then reforested and are accessible today via the Elbe Promenade. The surviving timber-framed houses, nos. 55-67, the so-called Seven Brothers Houses are linked to a legend and his own building was, however, to be taller than them all. On house nos.43 and 69, as well as the ferrymans house, in 2009 Postelwitz had a population of 282. Schmilka, the village to the Czech Republic on the Elbe at a height of 117 m, has been part of the borough of Bad Schandau since 1 January 1973. This village of Elbe boatmen, rafters, stonecutters, charcoal burners, Pechsieder, small timber-framed houses still dominate its façades
3.
Bahretal
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Bahretal is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the foothills of the Erzgebirge, between Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel and Dohna. It consists of small villages, situated in the valleys of the rivers Bahre. The municipality is named after the small river Bahre which flows through it and its source is located 1.5 km north of Breitenau in Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel at 505 m. It flows into the Seidewitz near Zuschendorf, in order to prevent flooding, a retention basin was built between Borna-Gersdorf and Friedrichswalde-Ottendorf in 1970. Bahretal consists of the villages, Borna Friedrichswalde Gersdorf Göppersdorf Nentmannsdorf Niederseidewitz Ottendorf Wingendorf Borna probably belonged to the castle of Dohna at first. In the beginning of the 15th century it became part of the lands of Schloss Weesenstein and it changed hands quite often, between the owners of Liebstadt, Weesenstein, Gersdorf, Ottendorf, Krebs and Giesenstein in the subsequent years. In 1731, Borna was in the possession of the count Maurice de Saxe, the village church was first mentioned in 1388. It belonged to the parish of Pirna, and after the Reformation was introduced in 1539 to Liebstadt, in 1894, Borna built its own office. Friedrichswalde belonged to the Schloss Weesenstein, the church was first mentioned in 1311, and belonged to the parish of Pirna. Until the 17th century Gersdorf was divided into two villages, Obergersdorf and Niedergersdorf and they initially belonged to Dohna, but fell to the Margraves of Dresden. A manor was built in Gersdorf, and a ruin was built around 1800. Pictures of Borna Pictures of the Photothecque of the Sächsischen Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden Pictures of Bahretal Migratory pictures by Bahretal
4.
Dohna
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Dohna is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, Saxony, Germany. It is located south of Heidenau, in the Müglitz valley and it is accessed by the Pirna interchange of highway A17, and by the Dohna and Köttewitz stations of the Müglitz Valley Railway. Dohna is one of the oldest towns in Saxony, traces of settlement dating back to the 16th century BC have been found. The Dohna Castle on a hill at the entrance to the Müglitz valley was probably already built in the middle of the 10th century. The town Dohna was first documented as Donin in 1040, the name comes from Property of Doň from the Bohemian first name Zdoň. The town and its castle controlled two roads from Saxony to Bohemia, one through the Müglitz valley, and one over the heights to Kulm. The burgraves of Dohna controlled a territory between the Margraviate of Meissen and the Kingdom of Bohemia, stretching from Rabenau in the west to Gottleuba in the east. The burgraves of Dohna were defeated in 1402 in the Dohna Feud, after 1460, when the seat of administration moved to Sonnenstein Castle in Pirna, the castle fell into ruins. The city was devastated by French and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, the primary and secondary school was opened in 1891. It was named after Marie Curie in 1969, in 1994, Köttewitz and Krebs joined Dohna. In 1999, Meusegast and Röhrsdorf joined Dohna, in January 2000, Dohna became the seat of Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Dohna-Müglitztal, which also includes the municipality Müglitztal
5.
Freital
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Freital is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on a river, the Weißeritz. Freital is located southwest of Dresden in the Döhlen Basin, through which the Weißeritz flows from south-west to north-east, the Windberg hill, is the towns local mountain and well-known landmark, rising about 100 metres above the valley floor. The lowest part of the town is the point where the Weißeritz enters the territory of the city of Dresden, the two rivers, the Red Weißeritz and Wild Weißeritz, merge in Hainsberg, a district of Freital. There are no lakes, the tailing pond near the slag heap. Geologically, the Döhlen Basin is a Rotliegendes depression that was formed at the end of the Carboniferous period and it is located between the Elbe Valley zone and the Ore Mountain gneiss massif. In the northeast Freital borders on the capital of Dresden. Neighbouring municipalities in Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge are from the east and clockwise, Bannewitz, Rabenau, Höckendorf, Tharandt and Wilsdruff. The fact that these are mentioned for the first time in the document is pure coincidence, because Potschappel and Wurgwitz had probably existed for several centuries, perhaps since the 9th century. There is no mention of the lords of Potschappel until the year 1309. The Potschappel line may have become the lords of Sürßen, some of whom appear to have moved to Upper Lusatia. The lords of Wurgwitz, whose history is traceable, were simultaneously colonising land at the behest of the Bishop of Meissen and were - at least under Bruno of Porstendorf - close allies. According to the Dresden Document, other noblemen named after Wurgwitz are encountered until the 15th century, most of the districts of Freital were mentioned for the first time in the 14th or even in the 15th century. The modern history of the present-day Freital is closely linked with the history of mining in the Döhlen Basin. Mining was mentioned for the first time in 1549, the ducal official, Hans Biener Moritz, was granted coal mining privileges by the Duke of Saxony. It has been passed down that coal had been discovered earlier, in 1571, coal was mined for the first time in Burgk and then three years later in Potschappel. When the upper seams of coal were exhausted the shafts fell into disuse, in 1743, the so-called coal mandate was passed, which gave landowners the right to mine the coal on their property. By the mid-18th century, about 30 small businesses had been founded and this situation changed with the onset of industrialisation
6.
Heidenau
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Heidenau is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the bank of the Elbe,13 km southeast of Dresden. In 2015 it became known for riots by local forces against the arrival of refugees. In August 2015, authorities were forced to impose a ban on assemblies in Heidenau due to continuous harassment of asylum-seekers. Media related to Heidenau at Wikimedia Commons
7.
Hohnstein
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Hohnstein is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. As of 2010 its population was of 3,671 and it is situated in Saxon Switzerland,12 km east of Pirna, and 28 km southeast of Dresden. It is dominated by its castle, standing on a sandstone rock, municipal territory includes the villages of Cunnersdorf, Ehrenberg, Goßdorf, Lohsdorf, Rathewalde, Ulbersdorf and Waitzdorf. Hohnstein Castle Schwarzbach Railway Goßdorf-Kohlmühle railway station Ulbersdorf railway station Media related to Hohnstein at Wikimedia Commons
8.
Lohmen
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Lohmen is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany. Lohmen was first officially recognized as a village in 1292, the village name comes from the Slovak term lom or fissure. There were quarries in the area as early as 1200, and were the first and biggest in the region, Lohmen and the kingdom Wehlen-Lohmen belonged to the House of Schönburg until it was traded for other property to Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1543. In the 19th century it became part of the city of Pirna, volunteer Fire Department Lohmen Lohmen Elementary School Kindergarten and daycare services Bastei Lohmen Castle
9.
Neustadt in Sachsen
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Neustadt in Sachsen is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Czech Republic,35 km east of Dresden, at Neustadt, there is Observation Tower Height of Goetzingen, one of the oldest lattice towers in the world. On the August 1,2007 the villages Berthelsdorf, Langburkersdorf, Niederottendorf, Oberottendorf, Rückersdorf, media related to Neustadt in Sachsen at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Rathen
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Rathen is a village in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, in Saxony, Germany, about 35 km southeast of Dresden on the Elbe River. Rathen has between 400 and 500 inhabitants, Rathen is a popular tourist destination, the main sights are the Bastei cliffs, the Amselsee, and the outdoor theater Felsenbühne Rathen. The Rathen Ferry, a reaction ferry, connects Niederrathen, on the right bank of the Elbe river. Kurort Rathen railway station, on the Dresden S-Bahn and the Dresden to Prague railway, is adjacent to the Oberrathen ferry terminal, Rathen is also a stop for the paddle steamers operating between Dresden and the Czech border. Rathen was founded in the 13th century around 1261 as place for a castle fortress, during World War II, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located here. The state-recognised climatic spa of Rathen is not only the base for tours in the part of Saxon Switzerland. Other popular destinations in the local Amselgrund valley are the lake of Amselsee, there are a good 400 inhabitants on both sides of the Elbe, linked by a historic reaction ferry, that is a protected monument. In addition to the Old Mill of 1567, which was demolished after the hundred year flood. Due to its proximity to the town of Wehlen the following wordplay saying is given to visitors, Sie können Rathen wählen, ich würde Ihnen auch zu Wehlen raten
11.
Rathmannsdorf
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Rathmannsdorf is a township in the Saxon district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. Rathmannsdorf is 2 km down the Elbe from Bad Schandau, the townships highest point is a plateau near Bad Schandau 200 meters above sea level, with the lowest point 120 meters above sea level along the Elbe. Rathmannsdorf was first mentioned in a document in 1443, rathmannsdorf along with Bad Schandau, Porschdorf, and Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna form a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft. The town is also a stop on the Sebnitztalbahn part of the Sächsische Semmering-Bahn, a local railroad
12.
Sebnitz
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Sebnitz is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The town of Sebnitz lies in the valley of the River Sebnitz, topographically the town itself lies in the West Lusatian Upland, but lies right on the border with the Upper Lusatian Highlands. Because the natural region of Saxon Switzerland is also close by. The local hill of Sebnitz is the Tanečnice which is on Czech territory, Sebnitz was first mentioned in a document of 1223/1241 outlining the borders between the kingdom of Bohemia and the diocese of Meißen. In 1451 it was first mentioned as a town, a new town hall was built in 1714/1715, but was destroyed together with numerous other buildings, among them the school house, in a fire in 1854. Around 1900 Sebnitz became a centre of the manufacture of artificial flowers, from 1952 until 1994 the town was the administrative centre of the district Sebnitz. Three years later, his claimed that the boy had been tortured and drowned by no less than 50 neo-Nazis, wearing boots, tattoos. Sebnitz hosted the Festival Tag der Sachsen in 2003, in October 2015 around 3000 people protested against the migration policy of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and built a symbolic living frontier against asylum seekers. Sebnitz railway station is located at Rumburk–Sebnitz railway, which connects here to Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway, train services are operated by Städtebahn Sachsen and DB Regio, mostly every two hours. The Kirnitzschtalbahn, a tramway, serves the Lichtenhain Waterfall from Bad Schandau
13.
Stolpen
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Stolpen is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in Saxony, Germany. It is a town, that grew at the foot of the Schloßberg with the castle Burg Stolpen. Burg Stolpen is a built on top of the Schloßberg. The first defensive works were built about 1100 and it was first documented in 1222, owned by the Bishop of Meißen for nearly 350 years, it passed to the Electorate of Saxony and was expanded in Renaissance style. In 1675 it was expanded as a fortress. Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, Countess of Cosel, was imprisoned in the castle from 1716 until her death in 1765, the castle fell into disrepair towards the end of the 18th century. It became a museum in 1875, and has been restored since then. Schloßberg is a hill just to the south of the town formed of prominent basalt columns and it is the formation referred to by Georgius Agricola when he coined the term basalt
14.
Tharandt
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Tharandt is a municipality in Saxony, Germany, situated on the Weißeritz,9 miles southwest of Dresden. In 2002, a flood destroyed many of the academy buildings. The academy was rebuilt and today has about 650 students and is famous for its traditions of educating students from all over the world in forestry, resource management. Tharandt is a summer resort of the people of Dresden. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh
15.
Saxony
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Its capital is Dresden, and its largest city is Leipzig. Saxony is the tenth largest of Germanys sixteen states, with an area of 18,413 square kilometres, located in the middle of a large, formerly all German-speaking part of Europe, the history of the state of Saxony spans more than a millennium. It has been a medieval duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom, the area of the modern state of Saxony should not be confused with Old Saxony, the area inhabited by Saxons. Old Saxony corresponds approximately to the modern German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony is divided into 10 districts,1. After a reform in 2008, these regions - with some alterations of their respective areas - were called Direktionsbezirke, in 2012, the authorities of these regions were merged into one central authority, the Landesdirektion Sachsen. The Erzgebirgskreis district includes the Ore Mountains, and the Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district includes Saxon Switzerland, the largest cities in Saxony according to the 31 December 2015 estimate. To this can be added that Leipzig forms a metropolitan region with Halle. The latter city is located just across the border to Saxony-Anhalt, Leipzig shares for instance an S-train system and an airport with Halle. Saxony has, after Saxony Anhalt, the most vibrant economy of the states of the former East Germany and its economy grew by 1. 9% in 2010. Nonetheless, unemployment remains above the German average, the eastern part of Germany, excluding Berlin, qualifies as an Objective 1 development-region within the European Union, and is eligible to receive investment subsidies of up to 30% until 2013. FutureSAX, a business competition and entrepreneurial support organisation, has been in operation since 2002. Microchip makers near Dresden have given the region the nickname Silicon Saxony, the publishing and porcelain industries of the region are well known, although their contributions to the regional economy are no longer significant. Today the automobile industry, machinery production and services contribute to the development of the region. Saxony is also one of the most renowned tourist destinations in Germany - especially the cities of Leipzig and Dresden, new tourist destinations are developing, notably in the lake district of Lausitz. Saxony reported an unemployment of 8. 8% in 2014. By comparison the average in the former GDR was 9. 8% and 6. 7% for Germany overall, the unemployment rate reached 8. 2% in May 2015. The Leipzig area, which recently was among the regions with the highest unemployment rate, could benefit greatly from investments by Porsche. With the VW Phaeton factory in Dresden, and many part suppliers, zwickau is another major Volkswagen location
16.
Czech Republic
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The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a nation state in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. The Czech Republic covers an area of 78,866 square kilometres with mostly temperate continental climate and it is a unitary parliamentary republic, has 10.5 million inhabitants and the capital and largest city is Prague, with over 1.2 million residents. The Czech Republic includes the territories of Bohemia, Moravia. The Czech state was formed in the late 9th century as the Duchy of Bohemia under the Great Moravian Empire, after the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power transferred from Moravia to Bohemia under the Přemyslid dynasty. In 1002, the duchy was formally recognized as part of the Holy Roman Empire, becoming the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198 and reaching its greatest territorial extent in the 14th century. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the whole Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy alongside the Archduchy of Austria, the Protestant Bohemian Revolt against the Catholic Habsburgs led to the Thirty Years War. After the Battle of the White Mountain, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule, reimposed Roman Catholicism, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany in World War II, and was liberated in 1945 by the armies of the Soviet Union and the United States. The Czech country lost the majority of its German-speaking inhabitants after they were expelled following the war, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia won the 1946 elections. Following the 1948 coup détat, Czechoslovakia became a one-party communist state under Soviet influence, in 1968, increasing dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in a reform movement known as the Prague Spring, which ended in a Soviet-led invasion. Czechoslovakia remained occupied until the 1989 Velvet Revolution, when the communist regime collapsed, on 6 March 1990, the Czech Socialistic Republic was renamed to the Czech Republic. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, it is a member of the United Nations, the OECD, the OSCE, and it is a developed country with an advanced, high income economy and high living standards. The UNDP ranks the country 14th in inequality-adjusted human development, the Czech Republic also ranks as the 6th most peaceful country, while achieving strong performance in democratic governance. It has the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union, the traditional English name Bohemia derives from Latin Boiohaemum, which means home of the Boii. The current name comes from the endonym Čech, spelled Cžech until the reform in 1842. The name comes from the Slavic tribe and, according to legend, their leader Čech, the etymology of the word Čech can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic root *čel-, meaning member of the people, kinsman, thus making it cognate to the Czech word člověk. The country has traditionally divided into three lands, namely Bohemia in the west, Moravia in the southeast, and Czech Silesia in the northeast. Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the Czech part of the former nation found itself without a common single-word geographical name in English, the name Czechia /ˈtʃɛkiə/ was recommended by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs
17.
Bautzen (district)
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The district of Bautzen is a district in the state of Saxony in Germany. Its largest towns are Bautzen, Bischofswerda, Kamenz, Hoyerswerda and it is the biggest district in Saxony in area, and is a member of the Neisse Euroregion. It is bordered to the south by the Czech Republic, after the end of the Thirty Years War it became a part of Saxony. Only the small town of Schirgiswalde remained Bohemian until 1809, the district was established in 1994 by merging the former districts of Bautzen and Bischofswerda. The district of Kamenz and the city of Hoyerswerda were merged into the district in August 2008. The district of Bautzen is part of the region of Upper Lusatia, the south of the district is occupied by the Lusatian Mountains, and the countryside slopes away to the north. The Spree river enters the district from the southeast and runs through Schirgiswalde, north of Bautzen, the river is dammed by a reservoir. At its widest, the district is 65 km east-west, and 63 km north-south, media related to Landkreis Bautzen at Wikimedia Commons Official website
18.
Dresden
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Dresden is the capital city and, after Leipzig, the second-largest city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the border with the Czech Republic, Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque, the controversial American and British bombing of Dresden in World War II towards the end of the war killed approximately 25,000, many of whom were civilians, and destroyed the entire city centre. After the war restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Zwinger. Since German reunification in 1990 Dresden is again a cultural, educational and political centre of Germany, the Dresden University of Technology is one of the 10 largest universities in Germany and part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative. The economy of Dresden and its agglomeration is one of the most dynamic in Germany and it is dominated by high-tech branches, often called as “Silicon Saxony”. The city is one of the most visited in Germany with 4,3 million overnight stays per year. The royal buildings are among the most impressive buildings in Europe, main sights are also the nearby National Park of Saxon Switzerland, the Ore Mountains and the countryside around Elbe Valley and Moritzburg Castle. The most prominent building in the city of Dresden is the Frauenkirche, built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, the church was rebuilt from 1994 to 2005. Although Dresden is a relatively recent city of Germanic origin followed by settlement of Slavic people, Dresdens founding and early growth is associated with the eastward expansion of Germanic peoples, mining in the nearby Ore Mountains, and the establishment of the Margraviate of Meissen. Its name etymologically derives from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the forest, Dresden later evolved into the capital of Saxony. Around the late 12th century, a Slavic settlement called Drežďany had developed on the southern bank, another settlement existed on the northern bank, but its Slavic name is unknown. It was known as Antiqua Dresdin by 1350, and later as Altendresden, dietrich, Margrave of Meissen, chose Dresden as his interim residence in 1206, as documented in a record calling the place Civitas Dresdene. After 1270, Dresden became the capital of the margraviate and it was given to Friedrich Clem after death of Henry the Illustrious in 1288. It was taken by the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1316 and was restored to the Wettin dynasty after the death of Valdemar the Great in 1319, from 1485, it was the seat of the dukes of Saxony, and from 1547 the electors as well. The Elector and ruler of Saxony Frederick Augustus I became King Augustus II the Strong of Poland in personal union and he gathered many of the best musicians, architects and painters from all over Europe to the newly named Royal-Polish Residential City of Dresden. His reign marked the beginning of Dresdens emergence as a leading European city for technology, during the reign of Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland the Zwinger Royal Palace, the Hofkirche and the Frauenkirche were built
19.
Mittelsachsen
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Mittelsachsen is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The district was established by merging the districts of Döbeln, Freiberg. The district stretches from the Erzgebirge on the Czech Republic–Germany border to the plains between Leipzig and Dresden, the main rivers of the district are the Freiberger Mulde and Zschopau. Media related to Landkreis Mittelsachsen at Wikimedia Commons Official website
20.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
21.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
22.
States of Germany
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Germany is a federal republic consisting of sixteen federal states. Since todays Germany was formed from a collection of several states, it has a federal constitution. The remaining 13 states are called Flächenländer, the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 was through the unification of the western states created in the aftermath of World War II. West Berlin, while not part of the Federal Republic, was largely integrated and considered as a de facto state. In 1952, following a referendum, Baden, Württemberg-Baden, in 1957, the Saar Protectorate rejoined the Federal Republic as the Saarland. Federalism is one of the constitutional principles of Germany. After 1945, new states were constituted in all four zones of occupation, in 1949, the states in the three western zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany. This is in contrast to the development in Austria, where the Bund was constituted first. The use of the term Länder dates back to the Weimar Constitution of 1919, before this time, the constituent states of the German Empire were called Staaten. Today, it is common to use the term Bundesland. However, this term is not used officially, neither by the constitution of 1919 nor by the Basic Law of 1949, three Länder call themselves Freistaaten, Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. He summarizes the arguments for boundary reform in Germany. The German system of dual federalism requires strong Länder that have the administrative and fiscal capacity to implement legislation, too many Länder also make coordination among them and with the federation more complicated. But several proposals have failed so far, territorial reform remains a topic in German politics. Federalism has a tradition in German history. The Holy Roman Empire comprised many petty states numbering more than 300 around 1796, the number of territories was greatly reduced during the Napoleonic Wars. After the Congress of Vienna,39 states formed the German Confederation, the new German Empire included 25 states and the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The empire was dominated by Prussia, which controlled 65% of the territory, after the territorial losses of the Treaty of Versailles, the remaining states continued as republics of a new German federation
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Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schandau". Encyclopædia Britannica. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 312–313.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). 
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