Germany
Flag Meaning: The colors also represent the liberty of the German people during the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century. The soldiers at the time wore black coats with red braid and gold buttons.
GDP- Per Capita: $50,800
GDP-Nation:$4.199 Trillion
Natural Resources: Coal, Natural gases, Timber, Arable Land, uranium, copper
Types Of Govt: Representative Democracy, Federal Republic, Parliamentary Republic
Life Expectancy
Male: 78.7 years
Female: 83.6 years
Total Population: 81.1 years
Population Below The Poverty Line: 16.7%
Exports:vehicles, machinery, chemical goods, electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, basic metals, food products, and rubber and plastics. (US 8.7%, France 8.1%, China 7.2%)
Imports: Cars, Crude oil, Petroleum gases, Medication mixes in dosage, Computers, Optical readers, Phone system devices including smartphones ( China 10%, Netherlands 8.4%, US 6.3%)
Serious Economic Problem: Low Wage Growth and Inflation, An Aging Society and a Budgetary Surplus
World War I & Treaty of Versailles: 1914-1918: On June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sohia Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated by a young Serbian. Kaiser Wilhelm II Joined forces with Austria-Hungary in retaliation, escalating into the first World War.
Post WWII and Reunification of Germany 1945-1990-Present: In 1945 German signed The Instrument of German Surrender and became the Occupation Zone Germany. By 1949 the Allied forces relinquished control over the United Zones to the parliamentary democracy of West Germany.
The Third Reich/World War II/The Holocaust 1933-1945: In 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. He quickly eliminated his government partners and established Germany as an authoritarian state and himself as Dictator. In direct defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler rebuilt the German military and sought world domination through military power.
The Peace of Augsburg: 1555: The Peace of Augsburg was the treaty between Charles V and an alliance of Lutheran Princes granting legal status to the Lutheran religion within the Holy Roman Empire.
The Protestant Reformation: 1517-1648: Though the groundwork was laid by many, the Protestant Reformation officially began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
Interesting Facts:
- Before Berlin, there were five other German capitals including, Aachen, Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, and Bonn.
- Most Germans believe that open windows will cause illness, such as achy joints or the flu.
- Although the population is on the decline, Germany boasts the largest population in the European Union with 81 million people.
- German is the third most commonly taught language in the world.
- Germany hosts some of the largest music festivals in the world, including Rock am Ring, Wave-Gotik-Treffen, and Wacken Open Air.
Vietnam
Flag Meaning: The 5 pointed star represents the five working classes (Intellectuals, peasants, soldiers, workers, youth) and the red represents the bloodshed and the revolutionary struggle.
GDP Per Capita: $6,900
GDP Nation: $648.7 Billion
Natural Resources: antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land
How Trade is Handled:
Imports- Machinery and equipment, petroleum products, steel products, raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries, electronics, plastics, automobiles (China 25.8%, South Korea 20.5%, Japan 7.8%, Thailand 4.9%)
Exports- Clothes, shoes, electronics, seafood, crude oil, rice, coffee, wooden products, machinery (US 20.1%, China 14.5%, Japan 8%, South Korea 6.8%)
Life expectancy-
Male: 71.9 Years
Female: 77.1 years
Total: 74.4
Government Type: Communist
Population Below Poverty Line: 8%
Most serious economic problem facing the nation: Extensive market-oriented and outward-looking economic policies have helped Vietnam achieve sustained and inclusive economic growth. To maintain growth and raise its quality, Vietnam needs to modernize economic institutions, especially in terms of fiscal and monetary management, and continue with market-oriented and outward-looking reforms. Vietnam is a very small country that has to import a lot of material to modernize. Tariffs are a source of trade struggle to overcome.
5 Key Historical Facts:
- China controlled the area from 111BC to 938AD
- From 938AD to 1858 they were controlled by a monarchy/emperor
- After 1858, the French took control and formed colonies in the area to take advantage of the resources
- In 1946 the communists went to war with France under control of Ho Chi Minh, they took over and the gained independence from France, forming the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
- What the US calls the Vietnam War was actually a civil war between northern communist Vietnam who had the support of Russia and southern democratic Vietnam who had the support of the United States.
5 Interesting Facts About Vietnam:
- Vietnam is officially non-religious due to it being a communist country but many people still practice a variety of religions privately
- Archaeological finds have shown that people have lived in the area that is now Vietnam since 22,000BCE
- The currency of Vietnam is called the dong
- Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashew nuts and black pepper in the world with one-third of the global production. The country is also the second largest exporter of rice behind Thailand.
- Vietnam has a 94.5% literacy rate, one of the highest in the world
