The Country

Geography:
Germany is located in the northern part of Western Europe, with coastlines on both the Baltic and North Seas. It is bordered by nine states - Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The most populous state in Europe after Russia, Germany is also the leading industrial power and includes some of the most fertile farmland and richest coalfields in Europe.

The country is made up of three main areas - the Northern Plain, the Central Uplands and the Bavarian Alps. The Northern Plain extends inland for about 160 km (100 miles) from the coast, and has an average height of only 90 m (295 ft) above sea level. The rolling hills of the Central Uplands are home to the major urban and industrial concentrations. The rugged Bavarian Alps are densely forested in the lower-lying regions. The total land area is 349,520 sq km (134,910 sq miles).

The Population of 82.4 million (2000 figure) is 92% German, 3% other European, 2% Turkish and 3% other ethnic groups. 35% of the population is Roman Catholic, 36% Protestant, 2% Muslim and 27% other faiths. The capital city is Berlin.

Between 1949 and 1990, the country was formally partitioned into two nations: East Germany and West Germany. Aviation in East Germany will be covered on a separate page.

National History:

Summary Narrative History

Timeline - Key Dates in German History (to be added)

Further National Information:
BBC News Profile: Denmark
Yahoo Germany page
wikipedia: Germany
wikipedia: History of Germany

Civil Aircraft Registrations:
German civil aircraft were registered in the series D-xxxx onwards from 1919, with the registration in numbers not letters, but this changed to letters in 1934, i.e D-AAAA onwards. Civil aircraft used by the military swapped the D- registration prefix for a WL- prefix, 1934-1945. After 1945 the D-xxxx letter sequence was resumed.

Military Air Arms:
Current military air arms-
Air Force (Luftwaffe)
Naval Aviation (Marineflieger)
Army Aviation (Heeresfliegertruppen)

Historical military air arms-
Naval Aviation (Marine-Fliegerabteilung) [1910-1920]
Army Aviation (Luftstreitkräfte) [1910-1920]
Freikorps Aviation [1918-1920]
Clandestine Air Force [1920-1933]
Air Force (Luftwaffe) [1934-1945]

Central Government Agencies:
Coast Guard (Küstenwache) - aviation support is proved by the Navy.

Public Service Aviation:
Medical Aviation (ADAC-Luftrettung)
Medical Aviation (DRF)
National Police (Bundespolizei)
Regional Police (Landespolizei)

Commercial Aviation:
Aero Lloyd [1967-2004]
Air Berlin
Augsburg Airways
Condor
Deutsche BA
Eurowings
Germania
Hapag Lloyd [1972-2007]
LTU
Lufthansa
Lufthansa Cityline
OLT
WDL

List of German airlines
The World's Airlines: Germany

Private Aviation:
To be added

Aircraft Manufacturers:
Aircraft manufacturers of Germany

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Airports in Germany

Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing - to be added.

Aviation Museums:
Links to Aviation Museums in Germany
Aviation Museums in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
Aviation Museums Germany

Airshow Dates:
Key Airshow Dates

Aviation-Related Magazines:
Magazines Guide

Magazine Dealers:
Recommended second hand magazine dealers

Aviation Bibliography:
German Aviation Bibliography - to be added

Aviation Bookshops:
On-line bookshops

Web Links:
wikipedia: Aviation in Germany
* Links to relevant pages

Munich Aviation Spotter Page
* Photos, news and Munich Airport info

German Aviation 1919-1945
* Links and photos for German aviation subjects

German Aviation 1914-1918
* Data and illustrations of some important WW1 aircraft