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Germany
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- 5. • Federal Republicof Germany • 16 states • Berlin • 81.8 million inhabitants • 357,021 square kilometres • "the German lands"
- 7. Geography • Germany isin Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest.
- 8. Climate • Most ofGermany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate.
- 9. Military • Germany's military,the Bundeswehr, is organized into Heer (Army), Marine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force), Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service andStreitkräftebasis (Joint Support Service) branches.
- 10. • German isthe official and predominant spoken language in Germany. • Over 99% of Germans age 15 and above are estimated to be able to read and write. • From its roots, culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker ("the land of poets and thinkers"), because of the major role its famous writers andphilosophers have played in the development of Western thought and culture.
- 11. Cuisine • German cuisinevaries from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for instance, share a culinary culture with Switzerland and Austria. In all regions, meat is often eaten in sausage form. Organic food has gained a market share of ca. 2%, and is expected to increase further. Although wine is becoming more popular in many parts of Germany, the national alcoholic drink is beer. German beer consumption per person is declining, but at 121.4 litres in 2009 it is still among the highest in the world.