. A complete geography. heir labor for that period. Thus the productiveness of the nation isreduced. Extensive fortifications are built near the boundary, as at Coloo-neMetz, and Strassburg on the French side, and Konigsberg and Posen nearKussia. They are also numerous in the neighborhood of the great interiorcities, and at strategic points here and there, the expense of these forti- 420 EUROPE tications, and the vast sums required to keej) up the army and navy, forma heavy drain upon the nation. Germany is not unlike the other European nations in these respects,As already stated (p. 366), the
. A complete geography. heir labor for that period. Thus the productiveness of the nation isreduced. Extensive fortifications are built near the boundary, as at Coloo-neMetz, and Strassburg on the French side, and Konigsberg and Posen nearKussia. They are also numerous in the neighborhood of the great interiorcities, and at strategic points here and there, the expense of these forti- 420 EUROPE tications, and the vast sums required to keej) up the army and navy, forma heavy drain upon the nation. Germany is not unlike the other European nations in these respects,As already stated (p. 366), the British, having no immediate neighbors,rely mainly upon their powerful navy for defence. But every one of theGreat Powers is calling for many men, and expending large sums of moneyeither for the army or navy, or both. In fact, preparation for war is oneof the great occupations of Europe to-day. Physiography. — Germany consists of two quite different southern section is mainly a mountainous region of ancient. Fig. city of Stuttgart in tlie low plateau of ancient mountain laud of southeru Germany. date, and therefore worn low (Fig. 430), like the mountains ofGreat Britain and New England. It is, in fact, a plateau from oneto two thousand feet in height, with some Tanges, like the Erzge-birge, rising high enough to be commonly classed as in the extreme south, on the edge of the Alps, is a great alti-tude reached, one peak being nearly ten thousand feet above sealevel. Valuable minerals have been revealed by the wearing away ofthese ancient mountains ; indeed, the mineral belt of southern Bel- GEBMAN EMPIRE 421
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgeograp, bookyear1902
