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| {{Infobox Country| | |||
| native_name = ''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'' | | |||
| conventional_long_name = Federal Republic of Germany | | |||
| common_name = Germany | | |||
| national_motto = ] | |||
| (]: "Unity and Justice and Freedom" ) | | |||
| national_anthem = The third stanza of "]" | | |||
| <!--The official national anthem of Germany is ONLY the third stanza! source: http://www.bundesregierung.de/Bundesregierung/-,8394/Nationalhymne.htm--> | |||
| image_flag = Flag of Germany.svg | | |||
| image_coat = Coat of Arms of Germany.svg | | |||
| symbol_type = Coat of arms | | |||
| image_map = LocationGermany.png | | |||
| capital = ] |latd=52|latm=31|latNS=N|longd=13|longm=24|longEW=E| | |||
| largest_city = ] | | |||
| official_languages = ] <sup>1</sup>| | |||
| government_type = ] | | |||
| leader_titles = • ]<br>• ]<br>• ] | | |||
| leader_names = ]<br>] (])<br> ] (]) | | |||
| sovereignty_type = ]| | |||
| established_events = ]<br> ]<br> ]<br> ] | | |||
| established_dates = <br>843 (])<br>] ]<br>] ]<br>] ] | | |||
| accessionEUdate = ], ] (]) <br> ], ] (]) | | |||
| area = 357,050 | | |||
| areami² = 137,858 | <!--DO not remove per ] --> | |||
| area_rank = 63rd | | |||
| area_magnitude = 1 E11 | | |||
| percent_water = 2.416 | | |||
| population_estimate = 82,411,000 | | |||
| population_estimate_year = 2006 | | |||
| population_estimate_rank = 14th | | |||
| population_census = N/A | | |||
| population_census_year = 2000| | |||
| population_density = 230.9 | | |||
| population_densitymi² = 598.5 | <!--DO not remove per ] --> | |||
| population_density_rank = 34th | | |||
| GDP_PPP_year = 2006 | | |||
| GDP_PPP = $2.609 ] | | |||
| GDP_PPP_rank = 5th | | |||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $31,472 | | |||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 17th | | |||
| HDI_year=2003 | | |||
| HDI=0.930 | | |||
| HDI_rank=20th | | |||
| HDI_category=<font color="#009900">high</font> | | |||
| currency = ] (€) <sup>2</sup> | | |||
| currency_code = EUR | | |||
| time_zone = CET | | |||
| utc_offset = +1 | | |||
| time_zone_DST = CEST | | |||
| utc_offset_DST = +2 | | |||
| cctld = ] | | |||
| calling_code = 49 | | |||
| footnotes = <sup>1</sup> ], ], ], ] and ] are officially recognised and protected as minority languages by the ]. | |||
| <sup>2</sup> Prior to 2002: ] | | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Germany''' (]: ''Deutschland''), officially the '''Federal Republic of Germany''' ({{Audio-de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland|De-Bundesrepublik_Deutschland-pronunciation.ogg}}), is one of ] ] countries. Located in ], it is bordered to the north by the ], ], and the ], to the east by ] and the ], to the south by ] and ], and to the west by ], ], ] and the ]. | |||
| Germany is a ] parliamentary ] republic, made up of 16 ], which in certain spheres act independently of the federation. Historically consisting of several sovereign nations with their own history, culture and religion, Germany was ] as a ] during the ] in ]/]. | |||
| The Federal Republic of Germany is a member state of the ], ], the ] and the ], and is a founding member of the ]. It is the European Union's most populous and most economically powerful member state. Germany also plays a role as one of the world's ]s. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of Germany}} | |||
| The state now known as Germany was ] as a modern nation-state only in 1871, when the ], dominated by the ], was forged. This began the German '']'', usually translated as "empire", but also meaning "kingdom", "domain" or "realm." | |||
| ===Early history of the Germanic tribes (100 BC–AD 300) === | |||
| {{Main articles|] and ]}} | |||
| The ] of the ] is assumed to have occurred during the ] in southern ] and northern Germany, from the first century BC expanding south, east and west, coming into contact with ]ic tribes of ] and ], ] and ] tribes in Eastern Europe. Little is known about early Germanic history, except through their interactions with the Roman Empire and archaeological finds. | |||
| Under ], the Roman General ] began to invade Germany, and it was from this period that the German tribes became familiar with Roman tactics of warfare whilst maintaining their national identity. By AD 100, the time of ]' '']'', Germanic tribes settled along the ] and the ] (the ]), occupying most of the area of modern Germany. | |||
| ===Migration Period and Franks (300-843)=== | |||
| {{main|Franks}} | |||
| The migration included the ], ], and ], among other ] and ]. The migration may have been triggered by the incursions of the ], population pressures, or climate changes. | |||
| The conversion to ] of the pagan Frankish king ] to better appeal to his conquered Roman subjects was a crucial event in the history of Europe. It resulted in more support from Rome, further solidification of power during the slow, often bloody conversion process, the eventual end to the ancient ] of Germany and secured domination over the rival Christian conversion attempts by ]. Under the ] and ] kings the Franks formed a new Germanic empire, which replaced the Roman Empire in Western Europe. | |||
| ===The Holy Roman Empire of German Nation (843–1806)=== | |||
| ]s of the ]. From ''Bildatlas der Deutschen Geschichte'' by Dr Paul Knötel (1895)]] | |||
| {{main|Holy Roman Empire}} | |||
| The medieval empire—since 1448 officially called the '''Holy Roman Empire of German Nation''' ("Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae") but often referred to as the '''Holy Roman Empire''' (or the ''Old Empire'') —stemmed from a division of the ] in 843, which was founded by ] on ] ], and existed in varying forms until 1806, its territory stretching from the river ''Eider'' in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the south. | |||
| Under the reign of the ] emperors (919-1024), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed the duchies of ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Under the reign of the ] emperors (1024-1125), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed ] and ]. Under the ] emperors (1138-1254) the German princes were increasing their influence further east. | |||
| The edict of the ] in 1356 provided the basic constitution of the empire up to its dissolution. For three hundred years starting in 1438, the Emperors were elected exclusively from the Austrian ] family. | |||
| In 1530, a separate Protestant church was acknowledged as the new state religion in many states of Germany. This led to inter-German strife, the ] (1618-48). In 1806 the ''Imperium'' was overrun and dissolved as a result of the ]. | |||
| ===Restoration and revolution (1814–1871)=== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|German Confederation}} | |||
| Following Napoleon's fall and the end of the ], the ] convened in 1814 in order to restructure Europe. In Germany, the ] was founded, a loose league of ]. Disagreement with the ] politics partly led to the lifestyle called '']'' and to intellectual ] movements, which demanded unity and freedom during the ] epoch, each followed by a measure of ]'s repression of liberal agitation. The '']'', a tariff union, profoundly furthered economic unity in the ]. | |||
| The ] had been stirred by the ideals of the ]. On October 18, ], students held a gathering to exchange ideas, the high point of which was the burning of works by authors like ], who were against a united German state. A second such meeting attracted 30,000 people from all social classes and from all regions to the ]. There for the first time, the colours of black, red and gold were chosen to represent the movement, which later became the national colours. | |||
| The states were also shaped by the ], which was the initial step of the growing ] in Europe and contributed to a wave of poverty, causing social uprisings. In light of a ], ] successfully established a republic, intellectuals and common people started ]. The monarchs initially yielded to the revolutionaries' liberal demands, and an intellectual ] was elected to draw up a constitution for the new Germany, completed in 1849. However, the Prussian king ], who was offered the title of Emperor but with a loss of power, rejected the crown and the constitution. This prompted the demise of the national assembly along with most of the changes from the revolution. | |||
| ===German Empire (1871–1918)=== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|German Empire}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1862, conflict between the Prussian King ] and the increasingly liberal parliament erupted over military reforms. The king appointed ] the new ]. Bismarck solved the conflict with difficulty and used the desire for national unification to further the interests of the Prussian monarchy. In 1864 he successfully waged ]. Prussian victory in the ] of 1866 enabled him to create the ] and divide ], formerly the leading state of Germany, from the more western and northern parts. | |||
| After the French defeat in the ], the ] (''Deutsches Kaiserreich'') was proclaimed in ] on ] ]. As a result, the new empire was a unification of all the scattered parts of Germany but without Austria—'']''. After 1888, the '']'', Bismarck was forced by the new emperor, young ], to quit in 1890 due to political and personal differences. Beginning in 1884 Germany established ]. The young emperor's foreign policy was opposed to that of Bismarck, who had established a system of alliances in the era called '']'', securing Germany's position as a great nation and avoiding war for decades. Under Wilhelm II, however, Germany took an ] course, ], but it led to friction with neighbouring countries. Most alliances in which Germany had been previously involved were not renewed, and new alliances excluded the country. Austria and Germany became increasingly isolated. | |||
| Although not one of ], ] of ] triggered ] on ] ], which saw Germany as part of the unsuccessful ] in the ] conflict of all time against the ]. In November 1918, the second ] broke out, and Emperor Wilhelm II and all German ruling princes abdicated. ] on ], putting an end to the war. Germany was forced to sign the ] in 1919, whose unexpectedly high demands were perceived as humiliating in Germany and as a continuation of the war by other means. | |||
| ===Weimar Republic (1919–1933)=== | |||
| {{main|Weimar Republic}} | |||
| ]]] | |||
| After the ] in November 1918, a Republic was proclaimed. That year, the ] was established by ] and ], and in January 1919 the German Workers Party, later known as the ''Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (], NSDAP, "Nazis"). On ] ], the ] came into effect. ] was a vibrant and exciting city that flourished with the activity of artists, intellectuals and scientists, some of them Jews, during the ]; many considered it to be the cultural capital of the world during this time. | |||
| In a climate of economic hardship due to both the world wide ] and the harsh peace conditions dictated by the ], and growing tired with a long succession of more or less unstable governments and continuous coalition changes, the political masses in Germany increasingly lacked identification with their political system of parliamentary democracy. This was exacerbated by a wide-spread right-wing (], ], and ]) '']'', a political myth which claimed the ] was the main reason why Germany had lost the war, decried the Revolutionists as traitors (''Novemberverbrecher'' = ''November criminals'') and the ] born of the Revolution as illegitimate. On the other hand, radical left-wing communists such as the ] had wanted to abolish what they perceived as a ] in favour of a ] and were thus also in opposition to the existing ]. | |||
| During the years following the Revolution, German voters increasingly supported anti-democratic parties, both ] (], ]) and ] (]). In the two extraordinary elections of 1932, the Nazis achieved 37.2% and 33.0%, while the Communists achieved 17% in the latter election - half of the parliament were actually anti-democratic, not including smaller parties with questionable credentials in this respect. As a result, democratic moderate parties like the ] (SPD) were left with a minority. | |||
| At the beginning of the 1930s, Germany was not far from a civil war. Paramilitary troops, which were set up by several parties, intimidated voters and seeded violence and anger among the public, who suffered from high unemployment and poverty. Meanwhile, elitists in influential positions, alarmed by the rise of anti-governmental parties, fought amongst themselves and exploited ] provided in the ] to rule undemocratically by presidential decree. | |||
| After a succession of unsuccessful cabinets, on ] ], ] ], seeing little alternative and pushed by advisors, appointed ] ]. | |||
| ===Third Reich (1933–1945)=== | |||
| {{main|Nazi Germany}} | |||
| ] was a pivotal event in the establishment of ].]] | |||
| <!-- politics --> | |||
| On ], the ]. Basic rights were abrogated under an emergency decree. An ] gave Hitler's government full legislative power. A centralised ] state was established, no longer based on the rule of democratic law, a policy that Hitler had outlined in his biography 'Mein Kampf.' The new regime made Germany a ] by outlawing all oppositional parties and repressing the different-minded parts of the public with the party's own organisations ] and ], as well as the newly founded state security police ]. | |||
| <!-- economy --> | |||
| Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements in order to shift the economy towards a war production base. Massive public work projects and extensive ] by the state helped to significantly lower the high unemployment rate. This and large welfare programmes are said to be the main factors that kept support of the public even late in the war. | |||
| <!-- foreign policy --> | |||
| In 1936, German troops entered the demilitarised ] in an attempt to rebuild national self-esteem. Emboldened, Hitler followed from 1938 onwards a policy of ] to establish ], that is, one German nation state, starting with the ] (called "Anschluss") and the annexation of the ] region in Bohemia from ]. ] realised that his policies of ] towards Germany were being taken advantage of. To avoid a two-front war, Hitler concluded the ] with the ]. | |||
| <!-- World War II --> | |||
| {{main|World War II}} | |||
| ]. The picture was staged a few days after the outbreak of the war for use in propaganda.]] | |||
| In 1939 the ] led to hostilities between Germany and Poland, the Germans launching a ] against ], after which, following British and French war declarations, ] began in Europe. | |||
| Germany quickly gained direct or indirect control of the majority of ]. In 1941, Hitler broke the pact with the Soviet Union by opening the ] and ]. On December 7, 1941, Japanese naval forces ] in Hawaii. Shortly thereafter, Germany and Japan declared war on the United States which caused the USA to enter the war against Germany. | |||
| Germany quickly gained ground into the surprised Soviet Union, advancing deep into the country and dealing heavy losses to Soviet forces. Germany reached and invaded ] in late 1942. Germany found Soviet forces prepared to defend Stalingrad and the culminating battle, the ], has since become known as the bloodiest battle in human history. | |||
| The German army retreated on the Eastern front, followed by the eventual defeat of Germany. On ] 1945, ] after the ] occupied ], where Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier and much of his cabinet had fled. | |||
| <!-- The Holocaust --> | |||
| {{main|The Holocaust}} | |||
| The Third Reich regime enacted governmental policies directly subjugating many parts of society: ], ]s, ], the ] amongst others, labelling them as ]. Consequently, these groups were discriminated against, jailed, killed, forced to move into ghettos, and stripped of their jobs and possessions. This eventually lead during WWII to a systematic extermination performed on an industrial scale, which was carried out in ], ], ] and ]. Nazi Germany murdered about 11 million people in ], including nearly 6 million ]. | |||
| ===Division and reunification (1945–1990)=== | |||
| <!-- section should be shortened--> | |||
| ] (in the French zone) shown with stripes as it was not removed from Germany until 1947]] | |||
| {{main|History of Germany since 1945}} | |||
| The war resulted in the death of several million Germans with a disputed estimate of as many as 12 million people in all, ] and ] from Eastern Germany (], ], Eastern parts of ] and ], ]) and other parts of Eastern Europe. Two million Germans died as a result of these post-war expulsions. German territory was occupied and annexed by ] and the ], and this reduced Germany's land territory drastically. All major and many smaller German cities lay in ruins. Germany and ] were occupied and partitioned by the ] into four military occupation zones – ] in the south-west, ] in the north-west, ] in the south-east, and ] in the north-east. | |||
| According to amongst others historian ] in his book ''Berlin - The Downfall 1945'' the advancing Red Army had left a massive ] behind them. More than 2,000,000 were victims of rape, often repeatedly. As a result of this trauma East German women's attitude towards sex was affected for many years and it caused huge social problems between men and women. Russian authorities hotly dispute the event. | |||
| On ] ], the U.S, Britain and France united their individual sectors to form the democratic nation of the Federal Republic of Germany on the territory of the Western occupied zones, with ] as its provisional capital. On ] ] the Soviet Zone established the German Democratic Republic (GDR, ''Deutsche Demokratische Republik''), under communist rule with ] as its capital. In English the two states were known informally as "]" and "]" respectively, though this usage is strongly controversial in Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany declared itself to be identical as a state with the German Empire (Deutsches Reich), and the only legitimate German state. The former German capital, ], a special case, had divided into ] and ], with West Berlin being completely surrounded by East German territory and yet West Berlin eventually politically integrated with the distant West Germany. The Western occupying powers recognised West Germany as "fully ]" on ], ]. | |||
| West Germany was allied with the United States, the UK and France. Established as a liberal parliamentary republic with a "]," the country enjoyed prolonged economic growth ('']'') following the currency reform of June 1948 and U.S. assistance through the ] aid (1948-1951). This was a radical change from the situation in the two years while the ] was in effect (April 1945 - July 1947). | |||
| East Germany was at first occupied by and later (May 1955) allied with the USSR. An authoritarian country with a Soviet-style ], East Germany soon became the richest, most advanced country in the ], but many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. The flight of growing numbers of East Germans to the West led to the erection of a fortified border with West Germany and culminated with the construction of the ] beginning on ] ]. | |||
| Relations between East Germany and West Germany remained icy until the Western Chancellor ] launched a highly controversial rapprochement with the East European communist states ('']'') in the 1970s. | |||
| ] that had partitioned ] in front of the ] shortly after the opening of the wall.]] | |||
| During the summer of 1989, rapid changes took place in East Germany, which ultimately led to ]. Growing numbers of East Germans emigrated to West Germany via ] after Hungary's reformist government opened its borders. Thousands of East Germans also tried to reach the West by staging sit-ins at West German diplomatic facilities in other East European capitals, especially in ] and ]. The exodus generated demands within East Germany for political change, and mass demonstrations with eventually hundreds of thousands of people in several cities – particularly in ] – continued to grow. | |||
| Faced with civil unrest, East German head of state ] was forced to resign on ], and on ], East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to travel to West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This led to the acceleration of the process of reforms in East Germany that ended with ] on ] ]. | |||
| Under the terms of the treaty between West and East Germany, Berlin became the capital of a unified Germany. The Bundestag voted in June 1991 to make Berlin the seat of government. Government offices have been moving progressively to Berlin, and it became the formal seat of the federal government in 1999. | |||
| {{-}} | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| ] | |||
| ]]] | |||
| Modern Germany is located in ] on the ] and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea, bordering the ] and the ], between the ] and ], south of ] and north of ] and ]. | |||
| : ]: | |||
| : {{coor dm|51|00|N|9|00|E|type:country}} | |||
| : Map references: Europe | |||
| {{-}} | |||
| ===Area=== | |||
| :* Total: ] ] | |||
| :* Land: 349,223 km² | |||
| :* Water: 7,798 km² | |||
| ] | |||
| ===] Classification=== | |||
| Germany's climate is ] overall, and ] in the northern reaches; characterized by cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers and occasional warm ]s. The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate ] in which humid westerly winds predominate. | |||
| In the northwest and the north the climate is extremely oceanic, subject to active Baltic Sea spawned fogs and-or low clouds and some significant rain falls nearly all the year round, so winters there are relatively mild and summers comparatively cool due to the influece of the ]. | |||
| In the east the climate shows clear ] features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. | |||
| In the centre and the south there is a ''transitional climate'' (i.e. a mix) which may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general seasonal prevailing wind patterns influencing the local weather situation. | |||
| See also: | |||
| {{main|Geography of Germany}} | |||
| ===Federal States (Bundesländer)=== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|States of Germany}} | |||
| Germany is divided into sixteen ] (in German called ''Länder'', singular '']''; commonly ''Bundesländer'', singular ''Bundesland''). It is further subdivided into 439 districts ('']'') and cities (''kreisfreie Städte'') (2004). | |||
| The five largest cities in Germany (population as of ] ]): | |||
| # ] (capital of Germany) with 3,391,407 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 1,736,752 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 1,397,537 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 975,907 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 657,126 inhabitants | |||
| The five largest metropolitan areas in Germany (population as of ] ]): | |||
| # ] with 11,785,196 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 5,822,383 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 4,262,480 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 3,278,635 inhabitants | |||
| # ] with 2,344,989 inhabitants | |||
| {| {{Prettytable}} | |||
| !colspan=3|] | |||
| !colspan=2|] | |||
| |- | |||
| !colspan=2|] !! ] !! ] !! Hauptstadt | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''1'''|| ]||]||Baden-Württemberg||Stuttgart | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''2'''|| ]||]||(Freistaat) Bayern||München | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''3'''|| ]||]||Berlin||Berlin | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''4'''|| ]||]||Brandenburg||Potsdam | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''5'''|| ]||]||(Freie Hansestadt) Bremen||Bremen | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''6'''|| ]||]||(Freie und Hansestadt) Hamburg||Hamburg | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''7'''|| ]<!--please do not change it to 'Hessen', it really is 'Hesse' in the English language-->||]||Hessen||Wiesbaden | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''8'''|| ]||]||Mecklenburg-Vorpommern||Schwerin | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''9'''|| ]||]||Niedersachsen||Hannover | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''10'''|| ]||]||Nordrhein-Westfalen||Düsseldorf | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''11'''|| ]||]||Rheinland-Pfalz||Mainz | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''12'''|| ]||]||Saarland||Saarbrücken | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''13'''|| ]||]||(Freistaat) Sachsen||Dresden | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''14'''|| ]||]||Sachsen-Anhalt||Magdeburg | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''15'''|| ]||]||Schleswig-Holstein||Kiel | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''16'''|| ]||]||(Freistaat) Thüringen||Erfurt | |||
| |} | |||
| <BR> | |||
| ===Territory=== | |||
| ] valley]] | |||
| Since ] Germany has resumed its role as a major centre between ] in the north and the ] region in the south, as well as between the ] west and the countries of ] and ] Europe. | |||
| The territory of Germany stretches from the high mountains of the ] (highest point: the ] at 2,962 m / 9,718 ]) in the south to the shores of the ] (Nordsee) in the north-west and the ] (Ostsee) in the north-east. In between are the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: ]/] at 3.54 metres (11.6 ft) below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major ]s such as the ], ] and ]. | |||
| Due to its central location, Germany shares borders with more European countries than any other country. Its neighbours are ] in the north, ] and the ] in the east, ] and ] in the south, ] and ] in the south-west and ] and the ] in the north-west. | |||
| ===Climate=== | |||
| The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. | |||
| The climate is affected among other things by the ], which promotes an unusually mild climate. | |||
| In the ''north-west'' and the ''north'' the climate is oceanic and rain falls all year round. Winters there are relatively mild and summers tend to be comparatively cool, even though temperatures can reach above 28 degrees ] (82 °]) for prolonged periods of time. | |||
| ''Average temperatures: ]: January 0.3 °C (33 °]) / July 17.1 °C (63°]); ]: January 1.5 °C (35 °]) / July 17.5 °C (64 °])'' | |||
| In the ''east'' the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Here, too, long dry periods are often recorded. ''Average temperatures: ]: January −0.9 °C (30 °F) / July 18.6 °C (65 °F)'' | |||
| In the ''central part'' and the ''south'' there is a transitional climate which varies from moderately oceanic to continental, depending on the location. Hot summers with temperatures about 30 degrees (86 °F) are possible. | |||
| ''Average temperatures: ]: January −2.2 °C (28 °F) / July 17.6 °C (64 °F); ]: January 1.2 °C (34 °F) / July 19.4 °C (67 °F)'' | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{main|Demographics of Germany}} | |||
| ]] | |||
| Due to the country's federal and decentralised structure Germany has a number of larger cities. The most populous cities of Germany are ], ], ], ], ] and ]. By far the largest conurbation is the ] region, including the Düsseldorf-Cologne district and the cities of ], ], ] and ]. The federal structure has kept the population oriented towards a number of large cities, and has precluded the growth of any single city that would rival such European capitals as ], ] or ] for size. | |||
| As of 2004, about 7.5 million foreign citizen residents were living in Germany. The majority came from ], followed by ], ], ], ], the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Thanks to reform of ], many of these immigrants are eligible for ] (). | |||
| 9% of the population is not ethnically German.{{citation needed}} | |||
| Germany is still a primary destination for political and economic ]s from many ], especially ] and ]/] ], but the number of annual asylum seekers has been declining in recent years, reaching about 50,000+ in 2003. | |||
| An ] minority of about 50,000 people lives in ], most of them close to the Danish border, in the north; a small number of ] people known as the ] lives in the states of ] (about 40,000) and ] (about 20,000). The ] is ] to about 12,000 speakers in Germany. In rural areas of Northern Germany, ] is widely spoken. The ] border is a transitional area between German and ]. | |||
| There are also a large number of ] immigrants from the former ] area (1.7 million), ] (0.7 million) and ] (0.3 million) (1980–1999 totals), who are automatically granted German citizenship, and thus do not show up in foreign resident statistics; unlike non-ethnic German immigrants, they have been settled by the government almost evenly spread throughout Germany. | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| featuring the ], symbol of division and reunification]] | |||
| {{main|Economy of Germany}} | |||
| Germany is the largest ]an economy and the third largest economy in the world in real terms, placed behind the ], and ]. According to the ], Germany is also the world's top exporter, ahead of the United States and ]. Its major trading partners include ], the United States, the ], ] and the ]. Germany is the largest trading partner of most European countries. A major issue of concern remains the persistently high ] rate and weak domestic demand which slows down economic growth. However, according to Bert Rürup, head of Germany's Council of Economic Advisers, ] is to blame for two-thirds of Germany's growth lag compared to its ] neighbours. In particular, eastern Germany lacks a solid base of small and medium-sized companies, which provided the foundation for ]'s economic prosperity. Domestic demand has stagnated for many years due to wage stagnation and zealous cost-cutting by the federal state. The missing demand has caused many of the prevalent economic problems, such as rising unemployment, high social security costs, and, ironically, high state debt as tax revenues plummeted and social security cost rose. The complex tax system (]) allows companies to drastically reduce the amount of profit that is subject to corporate taxes, so that in 2001 the German state in sum had to pay the companies 0.4 billion € in the combined corporate taxes instead of receiving anything. While problematic in the domestic economy, this tax feature boosts exports. | |||
| ===Science and technology=== | |||
| Germany is a leading nation in scientific research and the production of innovative technological products. Some of the most important industrial contributions include the invention of ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| As in physics and chemistry, Germans are a leading nation in the Nobel Prizes for ] or ]. | |||
| ===Exports=== | |||
| ] is Germany's financial centre]] | |||
| As mentioned above the exporting of goods is an essential part of the German ] and one of the most relevant reasons for Germany's wealth. Like many other ] oriented countries, Germany itself does not have the climate or the ] necessary to support a ].These shortages have long made ] completely indispensable to the German economy. Considering these economical forces it should not come as a surprise that Germany is the world's largest exporting country, with exports for 2005 totaling $1.016 trillion. | |||
| Germany's main exports: | |||
| * ]ry | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ]s and ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ]s | |||
| * ] | |||
| ===Imports=== | |||
| As a nation that relies heavily on ], Germany also imports a wide variety of ]. Germany is the world's second largest importer of goods with a total of $801 billion in imports. | |||
| Germany's main ]s are: | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ]s | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ]s | |||
| '''' | |||
| ===Agriculture=== | |||
| For many years now, ] in Germany has been in a state of decline. Poor earnings and lack of profitability are counted as the main reasons for the failure of many medium and small ]. The main crops grown are ]es, ], ], ]s and ]<!--source: FAOSTAT 2005-->. Germany ranks among the world's largest producers of ], dairy products and ]. Agricultural support is managed under the ] ]. | |||
| ===Industrial sector=== | |||
| <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] --> | |||
| As in most other large economic nations, Germany's industrial sector has declined in favour of the service sector. Germany is among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of ], ], ], ], ], ]s, ]s and ], as well as a world leader in the ] business. Major car manufacturers like ], ] (]), ] (owned by ]), ] <!-- before somebody asks - Porsche is independent --> and ] (including ], and more non-German brands) are German. Germany is also home to huge multinational corporations like ], ], ], ] (with its subsidiary ]) and ], which consistently rank among the world's largest firms. | |||
| ===Service sector=== | |||
| The ] has grown steadily in recent years and now contributes the largest share of GDP. This sector includes ]. As of 2004, the largest numbers of foreign visitors to Germany came from the Netherlands, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom (). Germany also has a large (and possibly underrated) presence in the banking world, led by ] and ]. | |||
| ===Natural resources=== | |||
| Germany is lacking in natural raw materials, if one disregards the hard ] deposits in the ], in the ] district and in the ], where mining is profitable only thanks to state subsidies. Brown coal from mines in the ]er Bucht and the Niederlausitz is still the major energy source in the eastern ], while ] enjoys this position in the western "''Länder''". The previous ] (1998-2005) coalition government was pursuing a long-term strategy of phasing out ] by 2020 in favour of ] sources of energy. The current coalition has not yet agreed on its nuclear policy. | |||
| ==Politics== | |||
| {{main|Politics of Germany}} | |||
| '''Politics of Germany''' takes place in a framework of a ] ] ] ], whereby the ] is the ], and of a pluriform multi-party system. ] is exercised by the government. Federal ] is vested in both the ] and the two chambers of parliament, ] and ]. Since 1949 the party system is dominated by the conservative ] and the ]. | |||
| (see also ].) | |||
| The ] is independent of the executive and the legislature. | |||
| The political system is laid out in the 1949 ], the '']'' (Basic Law), which remained in effect with minor amendments after ]'s ]. | |||
| ===Legal system=== | |||
| {{main|Judiciary of Germany}} | |||
| Germany has a ] based ultimately on ] with some references to ]. Legislative power is divided between the Federation and the individual federated states. While ] and ] have seen codifications on the national level (in the '']'' and the '']'' respectively), no such unifying codification exists in ] where a lot of the fundamental matters remain in the jurisdiction of the individual federated states. In 1976, with the ''Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz'' (VwVfG), the main form of actions of administration were codified. Most federated states have followed this codification. There are a series of specialist supreme courts; for civil and criminal cases the highest court of appeal is the '']'' (Federal Court of Justice), located in ]. The ] is ]. | |||
| The Federal Constitutional Court ('']''), also located in Karlsruhe, is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of ]. It acts as the highest legal authority and ensures that legislative and judicial practice conforms with the ]. It acts independently of the other state bodies, but cannot act on its own behalf. | |||
| ===Foreign Relations=== | |||
| ] welcomes Chancellor ] to the ]]] | |||
| {{main|Foreign relations of the Federal Republic of Germany}} | |||
| Germany plays a leading role in the ], having a strong alliance with ]. Germany is at the forefront of European states seeking to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defence and security apparatus. | |||
| Since its establishment on ], ], the Federal Republic of Germany kept a notably low profile in international relations, both because of its recent history as well as its occupied status. In 1999, however, on the occasion of the ], ]'s government broke convention by sending German troops into combat for the first time since ]. | |||
| In 2003, France, Germany and Russia were leaders in the coalition of nations opposing the ]-led ]. Nevertheless, the German government has offered help to the reconstruction efforts in ], but only outside of the war-torn country, mainly by training Iraqi military and police personnel. | |||
| Germany and the ] have been close allies since the end of the Second World War. The ] and continued U.S. support during the rebuilding process after ], as well as the significant influence American culture has had on German culture, have crafted a strong bond between Germany and the U.S. that lasts to this day. Not only do the United States and Germany share many cultural similarities but they are also deeply economically interdependent. 8.8% of all German exports are U.S. bound, and U.S.-German trade according to the ] totalled $108.2 billion for 2004. An illustration of the strong economic relations between the U.S. and Germany may be the fact that 18.3% of all cars sold in the U.S. were manufactured by German car manufacturers. | |||
| The largest U.S. community outside the U.S. is ], close to the city of ], Germany. | |||
| ===Armed Forces=== | |||
| ]A6]] | |||
| Germany's military, the '']'', is a defence force with '']'' (German Army), '']'' (German Navy), '']'' (German Air Force), ''Zentraler Sanitätsdienst'' (Central Medical Services) and ''Streitkräftebasis'' (Joint Service Support Command) branches. It employs some 257,000 soldiers (including women in active fighting branches since 2001) and 125,000 civilians. 50,000 of the soldiers are 18-23-year-old men on national duty, currently for at least 9 months. In peacetime, the Bundeswehr is commanded by the Minister of Defence, currently ]. If Germany goes to war, the Chancellor becomes commander in chief of the German 'Bundeswehr'. | |||
| The military budget has not kept up with the Bundeswehr's mission, which has changed dramatically from protecting Germany's borders against a ] invasion into a mobile unit deployed around the world. The funding levels for the Bundeswehr have actually been falling since 1990, when military spending amounted to about 3.5% of gross domestic product. Today, defence spending equals about 1.2% of German GDP, compared to the ] average of 2.3% and the ]' more than 4%. Critics argue that the current budget of € 24.4 billion is too small to finance the necessary transformation of the Bundeswehr into a well-equipped force ready for NATO and ] led missions abroad. Opponents argue that the transformation from a manpower based army securing the Eastern border to a modernised force with fewer soldiers on the payroll is duly reflected in a lower budget. | |||
| Currently, the German military has about 1,180 troops stationed in ]; 2,650 Bundeswehr soldiers are serving in ]; and 3,900 Bundeswehr troops are assisting the ] anti-terrorism operation called ] off the Horn of Africa. In ], 4,500 German troops currently make up the largest contingent of the NATO-led ] force. | |||
| ===Energy policy=== | |||
| {{see also|Nuclear power phase-out|Nuclear energy policy}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In 2000, the German ]-led government along with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (]), officially announced its intention to ]. ] as the Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, reached an agreement with energy companies on the gradual shut down of ] and a cessation of civil usage of ] by 2020. | |||
| In 1999, electricity production in Germany was powered by ] (47%), ] (30%), ] (14%), ] (including ], wind and ]) (6%), and ] (2%) (). As for energy consumption, oil accounted for 41% of the total. At the ], the German government announced a ] reduction target of 25% by the year 2005 as compared to 1990, to ].<ref> (, pdf)</ref> | |||
| In 2005, the German government reached a controversial agreement with ] in building a gas pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic Sea directly from Russia to Germany. | |||
| Germany leads Europe by having the greatest solar and wind electricity generating capacity on the continent<ref>. This achievement was boosted by the Renewable Energies Act (EEG), introduced on April 1, 2000, aimed at achieving a minimum 12% market share for renewable energy by 2010 (compared to 3.4 % in 1990). By 2005 German ] capacity had reached 794,000 MWp (78.6% of total European capacity) , while ] capacity had reached 16,629 MWp (48.4% of European capacity) . It is estimated that the renewables industries now emply, directly or indirectly, more than 120,000 people. Germany has committed to a 21% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 levels by 2012.</ref>. | |||
| ==Society== | |||
| ===Religion=== | |||
| ], Father of the Protestant ] and reformer of the German language, 1529]] | |||
| ]]] | |||
| {{main|Religion in Germany}} | |||
| Germany is the home of the ] launched by ] in the early 16th century. Today, ] (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and ] (particularly in the south and west) also 33%. The current pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, ], is German. In total more than 55 million people officially belong to a ] denomination. The third largest religious identity in Germany is that of non-religious people (including ] and ]), who amount to a total of 28.5% of the population (23.5 million). | |||
| Most German Protestants are members of the ]. ]es (as ]s, ] and other independent Protestants are usually called in Germany) exist in all larger towns and many smaller ones, but most such churches are small. | |||
| Besides this there are several hundred thousand ] (mostly ] and ]), 400,000 ], more than 150,000 ], and numerous other small groups. The largest such denomination in Germany is the ], the ] coming fourth. | |||
| ] (Predominantly from ] and the former ]) live in Germany. Most are ], but there are a large number who adhere to ]sm and a variety of ] orders (]sm in particular). | |||
| Today's Germany has Western Europe's third-largest ]ish population. In 2004, twice as many Jews from former ] republics settled in Germany as in ], bringing the total influx to more than 200,000 since 1991. About half joined a settled Jewish community, of which there are now more than 100, with a total of 100,000 members—up from 30,000 before reunification. Some German cities have seen a revival of Jewish culture, particularly in ], where there are also 3,000 Israelis. Jews have a voice in German public life through the ] (Central Council of Jews in Germany). Other cities with significant Jewish populations are Frankfurt and Munich. | |||
| {{seealso|History of the Jews in Germany}} | |||
| In the territory of the former ], there is much less religious feeling than in the West. Only 5% attend Mass at least once per week, compared with 14% in the West according to a recent . About 30% of the total population are officially religiously unaffiliated. In the East this number is considerably higher. This stems from the fact that like all ] countries the former ] Government did not foster religious education at all (unlike West Germany, where religious education was common in school, but could be opted out by parents) and churches and church-goers were eyed suspiciously by the East German Government, although churches were still allowed to exist. As a secular alternative to any statements of faith (like ]) the ] (Youth consecration) was offered and officially promoted. | |||
| Church and state are separate, but there is cooperation in many fields, most importantly in the social sector. Churches and religious communities, if they are large, stable and loyal to the constitution, can get special status from the state as a ''corporate body under public law'' which allows the churches to levy taxes called ''Kirchensteuer'' (]) on their members on the basis of laws of the Länder, and to apply laws of public service to their ministers. In most cases, the revenue is collected by the state in return for a collection fee, while some smaller-sized religious bodies chose to administer the collection of the taxes themselves (such as the Jewish Community of ]). See ] and ]. | |||
| Also of note is that Germany hosts one of only seven ] ] in the world. Completed in 1964, it is located at the foot of the ] Mountains in the village of Langenhain, approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 ]) west of ]. | |||
| ===Social issues=== | |||
| {{main|Social issues in Germany}} | |||
| The German social market economy (]: ''soziale Marktwirtschaft'') helped bring about the "economic miracle" (the German "'']''") that rebuilt Germany from ashes after World War II to one of the most impressive economies in Europe. Still today, ], minister of economics in the ] administration (]-]) and later federal chancellor (]-]), is widely recognised as having been the "father" of this profound rise in the country's economic and social wealth. | |||
| Germany continues to struggle with a number of social issues although problems created by the ] of 1990 have begun to diminish. The standard of living is higher in the western half of the country, but easterners now share a reasonably high standard of living. Germans continue to be concerned about a relatively high level of unemployment. Germany has passed several reforms to curb unemployment. Some of these reforms will require people in the labour force to work harder and more efficiently. This will enable employers to reduce the number of their employees further. | |||
| For centuries, a woman's role in German society was summed up by the three words: Kinder (children), Küche (kitchen), and Kirche (church) - ]. Throughout the twentieth century, however, women have gradually won victories in their quest for equal rights. Despite significant gains, discrimination remains in united Germany. Women are noticeably absent in the top tiers of German business. They only hold 9.2% of jobs in Germany's upper and middle management positions<ref>Hoppenstedt business databank 2002</ref>. Until 2001 women were barred from serving in combat units in the Bundeswehr, being restricted to the medical service and the administration. The first woman to become chancellor is Angela Merkel, who was elected in 2005. | |||
| Since World War II, Germany has experienced intermittent turmoil from various extremist groups. In the 1970s leftist terrorist organisations like the ] engaged in a string of assassinations and kidnappings against political and business figures and there has been a recent surge in right-wing extremist crimes. According to former Interior Minister ], the number of these crimes rose 8.4% to 12,553 cases in 2004, which the minister attributed to such crimes as the display of illegal ] symbols being reported more frequently.{{citation needed}} The majority of these cases are not violent crimes, although these do exist as well. <!-- POV comment. Political acts cannnot be described as "extremist" and "crime" if they are not violent --> | |||
| Germany is also burdened with an extremely low fertility/birthrate. Obviously, this has and will continue to cause many economic and social problems. For instance, the low birthrate may cause a shortage of young workers to replace the aging ones in the future. This is expected to cause trouble in Germany's generous social welfare system, due to fewer taxpayers and more elderly who will receive benefits. There is much debate as to what should be done to curb this trend. More daycare centres, the government paying cash to mothers for babies that are born, and incentives for men or women to stay home with the children have all been offered as solutions to this problem. So far none have been fully implemented. | |||
| Germany has failed to implement EU laws prohibiting racial discrimination. The European Court of Justice ruled on ] ], that Germany had breached EU law by failing to transpose fully the 'Racial Equality Directive' prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin (Directive 2000/43/EC). The deadline for EU Member States to transpose this Directive was ] ] – except for the 10 new Member States, who had to ensure that their legislation complied with the Directives by their accession to the EU on ] ]. Immigrants to Germany may generally face integration issues and other difficulties. In addition to the challenges of adapting to a new language and culture, they may be subject to security-related police inquiries and violence from right-wing extremist groups. The government has attempted to improve immigrant integration by mandating courses on language, culture, politics, and society for some immigrants. | |||
| Some German states have banned Muslim teachers from wearing ] in class and all states have banned crosses from the classroom as well, generally by prohibiting the use of all ]s by teachers. This is legitimate by combining the German states' privilege of educational laws with the principle of separation of church and state, both provided for in the German federal constitution: According to this legal view, teachers in their vocational function within a state administered educational system are obliged to maintain and publicly exhibit religious neutrality when on duty. As this status of employment does not hold for pupils, whose constitutional right to religious freedom thus remains unencumbered by these provisions, this ban cannot legally be extended to them as it is in ]. The question of headscarves and crosses in schools has been heavily discussed politically throughout Germany in recent years, but could only be solved by a decision of the Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) in 2003. | |||
| ===Education=== | |||
| {{main|Education in Germany}} | |||
| ] is one of the most renowned universities in the world.]] | |||
| Germany has one of the world's highest levels of education and many famous universities. The most important foreign languages taught at school are ], ], ], ] and ]. ], ], ], ], ] and ] are not taught everywhere. Since the end of ], the number of youths entering ] has more than tripled, but university attendance still lags behind many other European nations. In the annual league of top-ranking universities compiled by ] in 2004, Germany came 4th overall, but with only 7 universities in the top 100 (to compare, the ] had 51). The highest ranking university, at #45, was the ]. Most German universities are state-owned and free of charge. Additionally university students are often supported by the so called BAföG, a federal subsidy, running as high as €290 per month as interest free credit plus €290 as direct payment. | |||
| German educational ideals differ considerably from Anglo-Saxon educational ideals, emphasising socialisation, debate, vocal participation in class and critical faculties. Consequently the results of the ], that revealed comprehension of the respective subject matters only, were a shock to the German public but no surprise to many educational experts. The comparatively low scores brought on heated debate about how the school system should be changed. Furthermore it was revealed that more than in other countries students with higher-earning parents are better-educated and tend to achieve higher results. There is also some diversity between the schools of the various states that determine their respective school system independently. Failing integration of foreigners also proved to be a big educational obstacle, as in many urban schools teachers are more occupied teaching their numerous foreign students basic German instead of algebra or physics. | |||
| Germany prohibits home-schooling; however, this is still practised by a number of people. There has been some publicity to government prosecution of this practice. | |||
| The German school system consists of an elementary school (''Grundschule'') where pupils go for 4 years (1st-4th grade, in some German states to the 6th grade) after that, in some states, they go to a secondary school where they learn English, French or Latin as their first foreign language (erste Fremdsprache). In the 5th grade (the 7th in states with secondary schools) they have to decide whether they will go to a ] (5th or 7th-9th or 10th grade), where they only have English as a foreign language and have less chance to get a job, or a ] (7th-10th grade), where they can learn both English and French but also have less chance to get a job, or a ] (5th or 7th-12th or 7th-13th grade), where they learn English and French or Latin. In some schools (''Humanistisches Gymnasium'') they may learn Ancient Greek beginning in the 9th grade. In the 11th grade in a Gymnasium, they may learn Spanish, (Ancient) Greek or Russian (not available at every school). In some states one can learn Chinese, Arabic, Turkish and Japanese beginning from the 11th grade (e.g. ]). In Germany it is easier to get a job when you have an ], which you get when you have successfully taken the exams at the end of the 12th or 13th grade (the final years at the Gymnasium). | |||
| Most German states have the ] (comprehensive school), too. It offers diplomas after the 10th grade (Realschulabschluss, Mittlere Reife) and after the 13th grade (]). | |||
| The school system depends on the state, as a result of German federalism there are huge differences between the states. | |||
| Contrary to the first impression, the Abitur does not correspond with the U.S. high school diploma but with the Associate Degree in college. Germans finish their equivalent of the high school diploma in their 10th grade exams leading to the degree of Mittlere Reife. In the Oberstufe (literally upper level) of Gymnasium they achieve the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (the ability to directly jump into university courses - usually what is achieved in U.S. colleges). This decision of the German states seriously impairs international comparisons of university attendance, as what is usually done in college elsewhere is done in German schools. Considering the high drop-out rates of pre-bachelor courses in the U.S., the low university attendance of Germans might be a statistical myth altogether. | |||
| With the Mittlere Reife after the 10th grade (usually at the age of 16), German pupils can also begin an industrial education instead of choosing to go on until the 12th or 13th grade. This ] in the so-called dual educational system (duales Ausbildungssystem) consists of education at a company as well as attending vocational school (]). In three years you are in an apprentice state in the company. The practical parts of your job description are taught at the company, while the theoretical parts are mostly taught at the vocational school. After the three years there are exams held by the chamber of commerce and industry (Industrie- und Handelskammer). Lately there have been reports of apprentices stealing and/or buying exam questions in advance. After the exams companies are normally expected to employ their former apprentices or at least part of them because they cost money to train. Due to subsidies for companies taking part in the dual educational system some companies have, however, begun only to train the apprentices for three years and then ditch them for new apprentices and subsidies. | |||
| For higher qualified work German companies expect German universities to complete the education of the students. Training-on-the-job and the like are either uncommon or simply introductory for students, as companies demand ready-made employees from the educational system. Common job offers demand 2+ years of work experience, young age and better than average skills. | |||
| Besides the university there is also the ] which is a kind of university. Courses taught at the Fachhochschule are more practically oriented and are expected to result in faster training and better readiness for the job. As with the university you graduate from the Fachhochschule with a ]. The official titles are "Dipl. <branch of study>" for the university and "Dipl. <branch of study> FH" for the Fachhochschule. | |||
| Globalisation and European unification produced the need for intermediate degrees at the normal university, such as the Bachelor Degree, that has been introduced into the German system in 2005. Again, the German Bachelor Degree differs from international standards as it is a rather hard degree trying to reconcile the economy's demand for ready-made employees with a short-time degree which tends to package the bulk of the original 4,5 year Magister Degree's subject matter into a 3 year course. | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| ] was a significant German poet]] | |||
| {{main|Culture of Germany}} | |||
| Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as ''das Land der Dichter und Denker'' (the land of poets and thinkers). German '''literature''' can be traced back to the Middle Ages, in particular to such authors as ] and ], considered some of the most important poets of medieval Europe. The fairy tales by ] are world famous and the ], whose author is not known, is also a major contribution to German literature. Theologian ], who translated the Bible into German, is widely credited for having set the basis for modern "High German" language. The mostly admired German poets and authors are without doubt ], ], ], ] and ]. Other poets include ], ], ], ], ] and authors of the 20th century include ] winners ], ], ], and ]. Other famous authors are ] and ]. Germany's influence on world '''philosophy''' was significant as well, as exemplified by ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. In the field of '''sociology''' influential German thinkers were ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were important and influential figures in German culture, such as ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| === German language === | |||
| {{main|German language}} | |||
| The ''']''' was once the ] of central, eastern and northern Europe. Within the ], German is the language with the most native speakers, with more than English, French, Spanish and Italian. As a foreign language, German is the third most taught worldwide. It is also the second most used language on the ]. The language has its origin in ]. There are numerous ]s of German, many of which are not intelligible to speakers of standard German. Some consider ] to be a different language from German; Low German has been given the status of a minority language by the ], although it is less used today in the traditionally Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany. | |||
| ] (Date unknown).]] | |||
| ===Music=== | |||
| {{main|Music of Germany}} | |||
| In the field of '''music''', Germany's influence is noted through the works of, among others, | |||
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==Science and technology== | |||
| Germany has been the homeland of many great '''scientists''' like ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]; and inventors and engineers such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| Important '''mathematicians''' were born in Germany such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==Transportation== | |||
| {{main|Transport in Germany}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Due to its central situation in Europe the volume of traffic, especially of goods transit, in Germany is very high. In the past decades, much of the freight traffic shifted from rail to road transport, which led the Federal Government to introduce a motor toll for lorries in 2005. In addition, individual traffic increased to an extent that on German roads, traffic densities are very high by international comparison. For the future, a further strong increase of traffic is expected. Thus, the 2003 federal transportation infrastructure plan scheduled an investment volume of approx. 150 billion euros for the 2001-2015 period, in order to deal with the expected increase in motorised passenger traffic of around 20% (1997-2015) and freight traffic of around 64% (1997-2005). | |||
| ] train (generation III), ].]] | |||
| High speed vehicular traffic has a long tradition in Germany, not only owing to the automobile industry, but also, because the first ] in the world, the ], and the world's first ] were built in Germany. Germany possesses one of the densest road systems of the world. It covers 12,037 ]s (7,479 ]) of federal "Autobahn" motorways and 41,386 kilometres (25,716 mi) of federal highways. In contrast to other European countries, German motorways have no blanket ]. However, signposted limits are in place on many dangerous or congested stretches, and where traffic noise or pollution poses a nuisance; some of these limits apply only at night or only in wet conditions. A vehicle is not permitted to use the Autobahn unless it can attain a speed of at least 60 km/h (37 mph). | |||
| Another way to travel is via rail. ] (German Rail) is the major German railway infrastructure and service operator. For commuter and regional services, franchises of various sizes are granted by the individual states, though largely financed from the federal budget. Unsubsidised long-range service operators can compete freely all over the country, at least in theory. Actually, Deutsche Bahn holds a de facto monopoly on long-range services, while its market domination in the subsidised, franchise-based commuter train market and the freight market is being slowly eroded by several hundreds of comparatively small competing railways. | |||
| ] is a major international airport and European transportation hub. Frankfurt Airport ranks among the world's top ten airports and serves 304 flight destinations in 110 countries. Depending whether total passengers, flights or cargo traffic are used to measure, it ranks as the busiest, second busiest and third busiest in Europe alongside London Heathrow Airport and Paris' Charles de Gaulle. | |||
| The ] or ICE is a type of high-speed train operated by Deutsche Bahn in Germany and neighbouring countries, for example to Zürich, Switzerland or Vienna, Austria. ICE trains also serve Amsterdam (The Netherlands) as well as Liège and Brussels (Belgium). In spite of branch lines progressively being closed for at least the last seven decades, the rail network throughout Germany is still very extensive and provides excellent services in most areas. On regular lines, at least one train every two hours will call even in the smallest of villages. The quality of rail service differs from state to state, generally being better in the South. Some states and regions have been pioneering the reopening of closed branch lines (notably Rhineland-Palatinate) or the interconnection of tramway and overland rail networks (e.g. around Karlsruhe). Nearly all larger metropolitan areas are being served by an ] heavy rail metro system. A large proportion of towns feature underground and/or tram systems. Good urban and overland bus services are ubiquitous. | |||
| ==Miscellaneous topics== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Germany}} | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> | |||
| <div class="references-small"><references/></div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{cookbook}} | |||
| <!-- Misplaced Pages is not a link list nor a Web directory. If your link points to a site that does not cover many subjects about Germany, it's most likely in the wrong place here and you should go and search for a more specific article. --> | |||
| * — Official German portal | |||
| * | |||
| * - by Wikitravel.org | |||
| * — by the German Federal Foreign Office | |||
| * — by the German Government Representative for Migration, Refugees and Integration | |||
| * — Federal Statistical Office Germany (in English) | |||
| * — Key German data on taxes and income tax. | |||
| * — Resource site for ex-pats about living and working in Germany, in English. | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * and - Essays about German ideosyncrasies, from ]. | |||
| == References == | |||
| * ], ''Germany Beyond The Wall: People, Politics, and Prosperity'', Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1969. | |||
| * ], ''Lucius D. Clay: An American Life'', New York: Henry, Holt, & Company, 1990. | |||
| * ], ''The Defense Of Berlin'', Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1963. | |||
| * ], ''The Papers Of Lucius D. Clay'', 2 Vols., Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1974. | |||
| {{States of Germany}} | |||
| {{EU countries}} | |||
| {{NATO}} | |||
| {{Europe}} | |||
| {{G8}} | |||
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Revision as of 22:36, 17 May 2006
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