This population pyramid from 1950 takes the shape of a Christmas tree. Most of the population is in the middle/ working section, but the 10-14 year-olds have the highest population percentage. Note that from age 80+, there is a population of 0% in Germany.
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Compared to the pyramid from 1950, this graph looks like a mixture of a Christmas tree and cup formation. Most of the population is now old/ dependent, with the highest population percentage being the 60-64 year-olds. 100 years later, and we finally have some percentages in the 80+ range, but the lowest population percentage is in the 100+ section.
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There is no hard evidence of the earliest settlements known in what is now present-day Germany but after conducting some thorough research I was able to find three major tribal groups, eastern, northern, and western Germanic people, who are widely agreed to be the earliest settlers. These Germanic tribes inhabited the northern part of Europe by 500 B.C. and advancement into the central and southern parts of present-day Germany took place by 100 B.C.. The eastern Germanic tribe resided along the Oder and Vistula rivers, the northern Germanic people settled in the southern part of present-day Scandinavia, and the western Germanic tribe occupied south Jutland and the area between the North Sea and the Elbe, Rhine, and Main rivers.
The Rhine river served as a temporary boundary between Germanic and Roman territory after Julius Caesar’s defeat of the Suevian tribe around 70 B.C.. Due to the presence of “warlike tribes”, Roman’s pursued to expand into the German territory. After the defeat of the provincial governor Varus by Arminius during the Battle of the Teutoburg Forst in A.D. 9, the expansion was brought to a stand-still. Because of this battle, the liberation of the greater part of Germany from Roman domination was brought about. The Rhine River was once again established as the boundary line and the Limes (fortification 300 km. long) was built in the first century A.D..
The areas in which these Germanic tribes settled were obviously in high demand or battles would not have broken out. If you take a look at maps of where the tribes resided, it’s obvious why. The amount of water they had access would be a fundamental asset. Although these areas weren’t anywhere near the Fertile Crescent or any other area with domesticated animals, Europe did have a high count of large-seeded grass and with the right amount of moisture, the tribes could farm. Because there weren’t many domesticated animals around the tribes, they avoided catching pathogens and diseases.
The next few centuries were a period of change and destruction which resulted in the eastern and western tribes leaving their native lands and occupying newly discovered territories. This period of history included the downfall of the Roman Empire and stemmed a considerable expansion of habitable area for the Germanic people. With the exception of those kingdoms established by Franks and Anglo-Saxons, Germanic kingdoms found in other parts of Europe only lasted a short amount of time because the native population over-powered them. Because of the conquest of Roman Gaul by the Frankish tribes in the late fifth century, the Franks become known as the founders of a civilized German state.
The Rhine river served as a temporary boundary between Germanic and Roman territory after Julius Caesar’s defeat of the Suevian tribe around 70 B.C.. Due to the presence of “warlike tribes”, Roman’s pursued to expand into the German territory. After the defeat of the provincial governor Varus by Arminius during the Battle of the Teutoburg Forst in A.D. 9, the expansion was brought to a stand-still. Because of this battle, the liberation of the greater part of Germany from Roman domination was brought about. The Rhine River was once again established as the boundary line and the Limes (fortification 300 km. long) was built in the first century A.D..
The areas in which these Germanic tribes settled were obviously in high demand or battles would not have broken out. If you take a look at maps of where the tribes resided, it’s obvious why. The amount of water they had access would be a fundamental asset. Although these areas weren’t anywhere near the Fertile Crescent or any other area with domesticated animals, Europe did have a high count of large-seeded grass and with the right amount of moisture, the tribes could farm. Because there weren’t many domesticated animals around the tribes, they avoided catching pathogens and diseases.
The next few centuries were a period of change and destruction which resulted in the eastern and western tribes leaving their native lands and occupying newly discovered territories. This period of history included the downfall of the Roman Empire and stemmed a considerable expansion of habitable area for the Germanic people. With the exception of those kingdoms established by Franks and Anglo-Saxons, Germanic kingdoms found in other parts of Europe only lasted a short amount of time because the native population over-powered them. Because of the conquest of Roman Gaul by the Frankish tribes in the late fifth century, the Franks become known as the founders of a civilized German state.
The map to the right is of present-day Germany to show where the rivers are, as well as the North Sea and surrounding territories. The Rhine River was a temporary boundary between the Germans and Romans, but today Germany expands beyond the river.
Germany River Map. (n.d.). Retrieved July 05, 2016, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/germany/germany-river-map.html |
For other information regarding the settlement and history of Germany, refer to these websites:
For quick synopsis' on facts about everything from the early settlers to WWII:
http://www.infoplease.com/country/germany.html
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac62
For quick synopsis' on facts about everything from the early settlers to WWII:
http://www.infoplease.com/country/germany.html
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac62