Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/353

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GEBMANTOWN 297 GERMANY and Cape province and W. by the Atlan- tic Ocean. Area 333,200 square miles. European population about 15,000, most- ly Germans. The coast is desolate, but there are rich tracts inland. The coun- try is apparently rich in copper and the agricultural resources have been only partly developed. Coffee is exported. GERMANTOWN, a former village in Philadelphia co., Pa.; since 1854 the 22d ward of Philadelphia. Considerable his- torical interest is attached to the place. It was settled by the Germans, under a grant from William Penn, in 1684, and on Oct. 4, 1777, a battle took place be- tween the armies under Washington and the English under Howe. After several hours of severe struggle the Americans were defeated, the loss being about equal on both sides. Germantown has many handsome residences, a National bank, historical society, St. Vincent's Seminary, Stevens School, Friends' School, and all modern city improvements. GERMANY, or the GERMAN RE- PUBLIC, formerly the German Empire. Prior to the revolution of 1918 Germany was a constitutional monarchy, consist- ing of 25 federated states and an im- perial territory (Reichsland). During the latter part of 1918 it was under a provisional republican government, and in 1919 was definitely constit..ted a re- public by the constitution which went into effect in August of that year. Prior to the World War, Germany had an area of 208,900 square miles, with a popula- tion of about 65,000,000. By the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Alsace and Lorraine were ceded to France, the greater part of the province of West Prussia was added to Poland, a part of eastern Silesia was likewise ceded to Poland, a portion of upper Silesia to Czecho-Slovakia, Memel and Danzig to the Allied counti-ies, and Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium. The total area of the territory lost as a result of the war is about 37,000 square miles, with a pop- ulation of about 10,000,000. The area of Germany _ in 1920 was about 171,910 square miles, with a population of about 55,000,000. Topography. — The surface of Ger- many is much diversified with moun- tains in the E. and S. E. and low sandy plains intersected by rivers toward the sea, in the N. The mountains, a branch of the Alpine system, diverge in four directions from the Fichtelgebirge in the N. of Bavaria. The Erzgebirge, run- ning N. E., forms the boundary between Saxony and Bohemia, and is continued E. by the Sudetengebirge, joining the Carpathian range near the source of the Oder. The Bohemian Forest range sep- arates Bohemia and Bavaria, running S. E. for 150 miles, then N. E., joining the Sudetengebirge near the source of the Murch. The Swabian Alps, a low range extending S. W., form a watershed be- tween the tributaries of the Rhine and the Danube. The Thuringian range runs N. W. from the Fichtelgebirge for about 50 miles, where it divides into the Hartz chain, running N., and another range, under various names, running W. to the Rhine, and separating it from the Weser. The rivers of Germany are numerous and noted for their scenic beauty. The Rhine, extending N. through the entire length of western Germany, is noted for the numerous old castles on its banks, as well as for its natural beauty. Of these architectural remains, probably the best known is the Castle of Rheinstein on the summit of an almost inaccessible rock near Bingen. The principal afflu- ents of the Rhine are the Moselle and Meuse on the W., and the Lahn, Neckar, Ruhr, and Main, on the E. The Danube, with its tributaries, the Altmiihl, Raab, Murch, Iller, Lech, Iser, and Inn, forms the largest waterway system. Among other principal streams are the Weser, formed by the junction of the Werra and Fulda; the Oder falling through the Great Haffe to the Baltic Sea, and the Elbe emptying into the German Ocean. There are also numerous lakes lying in the low plain of northern Germany be- tween the Elbe and the Oder. The republic bordei's on two seas, the North and the Baltic. A number of islands lie off the Friesland coast, W. of the Weser, and are known as the Frisian Islands. Agriculture. — The statistics of agri- culture since the establishment of the republic are lacking in completeness. Prior to the war, over 90 per cent, of the area of the country was productive. There were about 65,000,000 acres of arable land, about 22,000,000 of pasture land, about 300,000 acres of vineyards, and about 36,000,000 acres in woods and forests. The area under the principal crops in acres, in 1919, was as follows: Wheat, 2,.^28,150; rye, 10,789,235; bar- ley, 2,815,217; oats, 7,482,197; potatoes, 5,451,982. These areas are considerably less than those under crops prior to the war. The total yield of products in 1918 in metric tons (1 metric ton equals 2.204 pounds) was as follows: Wheat, 2,169r 169; rye, 6,100,144; barley, 1,910,363; oats, 4,453,688; potatoes, 21,449,186; beets, 16,877,520. The product is less than 50 per cent, that of 1912. The crop conditions in the autumn of 1919 were less satisfactory than had been ex- pected. The forest industry in Germany is very important. In normal peace times there were about 26,000,000 cubic