Germany is located in Central Europe. It borders the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. It is between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. It is slightly smaller than Montana. Germany’s economy was the world’s third most powerful in 1997. The German economy benefited from robust exports, particularly to other members of the EU and the US, as well as strengthening equipment investments. But anemic private consumption and contraction in the construction industry limited the expansion. Unemployment continued to set post-war monthly records through the end of 1997 and averaged 4.3 million for the year. In preparation for the first of January 1999, the start of the European Monetary Unio