You can have a nation without a country. The Kurds do. So do Tibetans and Cherokee.
Who lived in Prussia? Germans. Who lived in Bavaria? Germans. Saxony? Silesia? Pomerania? Hesse? All Germans. Germans had a national identity long before the German Empire was formed, and they were extremely important in the wars and national decisions of the time period. And they were of some importance in the New World as well.
Peter Minuit, the Director-General of New Netherland, was German, not Dutch. The first European buildings on Manhattan Island were built by a German. The Director of the colony of New Sweden was a German (not a Swede).
The first "English" settlers of Jamestown included a bunch of German craftsmen. The first books published in Mexico were printed by Germans.
Germans did early critical exploration of Venezuela. Other German explorers, such as Johann Lederer, were important in the New World.
Good grief, the continents of "America" were NAMED by a German, Martin Waldseemueller!! (Admittedly in error, since he thought that Amerigo Vespucci had discovered the New World before Columbus, but still, the name he Christened us with stuck.)
I agree that no organized large-scale colonization attempt was carried forth by any Germanic nation during most of our time period, but the Germans were so influential and sent so many colonists to the New World that it would be a disservice to leave them out. If it makes you feel better, when you play the Germans in Rocket you can pretend you are a German hireling of some other country (like Peter Minuit working with the Dutch and Swedes), using German know-how and craftsmen to build your colony and wipe out the loathsome French, British, and Spanish.
[This message has been edited by ES_Sandyman (edited 03-25-2005 @ 06:20 PM).]