[xaver]

How does that make it not a problem for Germany? Are you talking about Germany the landmass? Germany the state? Germany the nation or the ethnicity?

Cause, I mean, sure its no problem for the landmass or the state. For the nation/ethnicity though, it means extinction.

[thanksgiving]

Nations are not ethnicity. Did you mean culture?

[mpyne]

Well, that is very close to the meaning of 'nation', which is why international relations students often talk of the nation-state; the nation is the cultural community, the state is the national-level government.

Some nations have no state, such as the Kurds.

Some states have multiple nations within, such as the USA (which is where the hyphenated-American thing had actually started; it made perfect sense to speak of a German-American or an Irish-American, because these persons would often merge elements of both nationalities).