Germany

Germany
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Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................3
Geography....................................................................................................................4
Weather Whether..........................................................................................................4
Fauna and Flora ...........................................................................................................5
Environment .................................................................................................................6
Hydrography.................................................................................................................6
Economy.......................................................................................................................7
Infrastructure ................................................................................................................8
Transportation...........................................................................................................8
News media ..............................................................................................................8
Demography.................................................................................................................9
Religion.........................................................................................................................9
Languages..................................................................................................................10
Education....................................................................................................................11
Gastronomy................................................................................................................12
Government and politics .............................................................................................13

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Introduction
Germany (German: Deutschland), officially the
Federal Republic of Germany (German:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland, is a Central
sovereign country and member of the
European Union is organized as a federal
parliamentary republic and its capital is Berlin
Its territory formed. by sixteen states, bordered
to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and
the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the
Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France,
Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The city of Büsingen, located in
Switzerland, is also part of Germany. The territory of Germany covers 357,168 km² and
has a temperate climate. With over 81 million inhabitants, is the largest population
among member states of the European Union and is home to the third-largest number
of international migrants. After the United States, Germany is the second most popular
destination for migration in the world.
The words 'German' and 'Germany' comes from Latin and were used in ancient times
by the Romans to refer to the Germans, the closest to the territory of the Roman
Empire Germanic people. From there he was used to name the entire country. In
addition to German, he is also extended the use of the German adjective, derived from
the name by which the Romans referred to non-Roman tribes of central Europe, whose
territory was called Germania. From the tenth century, German territories formed a
central part of the Holy Roman Empire that lasted until 1806. During the sixteenth
century, the northern regions of the country became the center of the Protestant
Reformation.
As a modern nation-state, the country was unified in times of Franco-Prussian War in
1871. After World War II, when Nazi Germany was defeated by the Allies, Germany
was divided into two separate states along the United lines of allied occupation in 1949;
the resulting states were West Germany and the German Democratic Republic, which
were reunited in 1990. He was a founding member of the European Community (1957),
which became the EU in 1993. It is part of the Schengen zone and adopted the
currency European common, the euro, in 1999.

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Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G4 nations, and
signed the Kyoto Protocol. It is the fourth largest economy in terms of nominal GDP,
the first in Europe, and the largest exporter of goods in the world in 2007. In absolute
terms, assigns the third biggest annual budget of development aid in the world, while
their military spending occupied the ninth in the world in 2012. The country has
developed a high standard of living and established a comprehensive system of social
security. It has a key position in European affairs and maintains a close relationship
with several associations worldwide. It is recognized as a leader in scientific and
technological sectors
Geography
Physical Geography of Germany.
Its population is the second largest in Europe (after
European Russia), and is the seventh largest
country by area. Its territory covers 357,021 km²,
consisting of 349,223 km² of land and 7,798
square miles of water. Extending from the high
peaks of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at
2,962 m) in the south to the shores of the Baltic
and North Seas. In the center of the country are forested highlands and southwest the
Black Forest. It has no overseas territories.
Some of his most important rivers are the Rhine, Elbe, Danube and Main. Between
Lake Constance and highlight the Müritz.
Weather Whether
Most of Germany has a temperate climate in which westerly winds predominate. The
climate is moderated by the North Atlantic current, which is the northern extension of
the Gulf Stream. This heating water affects the areas bordering the North Sea including

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the peninsula of Jutland and the area along the Rhine, which flows into the North Sea.
Therefore, in the northwest and north, the climate is oceanic rainfall occurs throughout
the year with a peak during the summer. Winters are cold with temperatures from -15
to 2 ° C and summers tend to be cool, with temperatures between 20 and 24 ° C and
minimum between 6 and 16 ° C for extended periods. In the east, the climate is
continental, the winters can be very cold with temperatures between 15-1 ° C,
summers can be very hot with temperatures between 21 and 26 ° C, which are often
recorded long dry periods . The central and the south are transition regions which vary
from moderately warm climate. Again, the maximum temperature may exceed 28 ° C in
summer. The highest temperature recorded was 36 ° C in Munich and Bavaria in 1933
while the lowest recorded temperature is -53 ° C in Dortmund and Frankfurt in 1965.
Fauna and Flora
Most mammals live in forests where you can find
animals such as deer, red deer, wild boar, red fox,
deer and many European mustelids. The beavers and
otters are increasingly rare inhabitants in rivers. The red fox
Other large mammals that lived in another era in Central Europe were exterminated as
the uro, brown bear, elk, wild horse, European bison and wolf. They have recently
migrated some moose and wolves in Poland and the Czech Republic seeking better
provisions but for the restoration of the wolf and the bear is very problematic due to the
bad reputation of these animals in the population.
The golden eagle is found only in the Alps in the area of Bavaria and the osprey who
was in another era in this area was exterminated. Raptors are the most frequent prey
buzzard and common kestrel unlike the peregrine falcon which is less numerous.
As the country is in an area with temperate flora is characterized by extensive forests
and coniferous wood. The broad wood is mostly from copper beeches. Also common
are other trees such as oak, birch or pine. Highlights include large areas of alpine flora
(Bavarian Alps) or the subalpine (or Black Forest Harz).

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Currently 29.5 percent of the state area is wooded. This is one of the richest countries
in the EU forest. Among plants acacia white flower has a wide acceptance in the
population being shared their presence. There is also a growing interest in the
production of beekeeping Flora and mainly cereals (barley, oats, rye, wheat), potatoes
and corn. In the valleys that are along the river, including the Moselle, the Ahr and
Rhine, the landscape was refurbished for the production of wine.
Environment
It is a country known for its environmental
consciousness. Mostly Germans consider
anthropogenic causes are a major factor in global
warming and are almost unanimous in thinking that the action is necessary, but are
more divided than people of other countries on the urgency of such acción.47 is
committed with the Kyoto protocol and several other treaties promoting biodiversity, low
emission standards, recycling, use of renewable energy, and supports sustainable
development at mundial.48 However, the country has an emission of the highest per
capita EU carbon dioxide.
Emissions from burning coal and utility industries contribute to air pollution. Acid rain,
resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions is damaging forests. The contamination of
sewage in the Baltic Sea and industrial effluents from rivers in former East Germany
have been reduced. The government of former Chancellor Schroeder announced plans
to end the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity.
Hydrography
The three main rivers are:
• Rhine (Rhein in German) with a German of 865 kilometers has several major
tributaries such as the Neckar, Main and Mosel.
• Elba with a German of 727 kilometers which flows into the North Sea.
• Danube (Donau) with a German of 687 kilometers.

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Other important rivers are said Neckar and Main and others like the Isar in the
southeast, and the Weser in the north.
Economy
For the development of its economy,
is considered in general terms as the
fourth world power and the first in
Europe. In 2006, its gross domestic
product (GDP) exceeded 3 billion US
dollars. Its industrial assets are
varied; the main types of
manufactured products are
transportation, electrical and
electronics, machinery, chemicals,
plastics and processed food. It is the focus of wealth and this is reflected in the growing
economy in Central Europe. With an extensive road infrastructure and an excellent
standard of living is one of the most developed nations.
In the words of former Federal Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Germany's "export
world champion", given the favorable movement in foreign trade since 2004, which
gave the Germans an export surplus.
France is the largest trading partner of Germany and vice versa. In 2005, France with
10.2%, was again the main destination for German exports and 8.7% rise in imports. In
2006, over 14% of French exports went to Germany and nearly 17% of French imports
came from Germany.
The countries of the European Union are the main buyers of German products (UK
7.8% and Italy 6.9% in 2005). The main trading partner outside Europe Germany are
the United States, a country which in 2005 made 8.8% of its exports and received 6.6%
of its imports.
The Deutsche Bundesbank (Central Bank) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are
headquartered in the city of Frankfurt. In 2006 the building of the European Central
Bank began.

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Infrastructure
Transportation
Since the 1930s in Nazi Germany began building
the first motorway network scale in the world, the
country has a means of rapid communication
(Autobahnen) totaling about 12,000 km covering the entire territory. It also has more
than 40,000 km of roads, which makes it the country with the highest density of roads
for vehicles. The entire country highways are free for private vehicles; from 2005, the
trucks must pay a toll is automatically deducted satellite, once the truck left the road,
and that is proportional to the number of kilometers.
Germany is also a world leader in the construction
of canals. This kind of millennial construction took
renewed impetus from the nineteenth century. The
Kiel Canal, which connects the North Sea with the
Baltic Sea, is one of the most imposing. Many
waterways such as the Rhine-Main-Danube, the
Dortmund-Ems and Elbe-Seitenkanal, give the country a complete network of
channels.
Moreover, renewable energies in Germany represent a growing role in the country's
development, especially since the political party Alliance '90 / The Greens formed the
central government. Cities like Freiburg have modern facilities for the use of solar
energy. Large industrial regions like the Ruhr, Rhine-Main and Cologne, have
developed an economic dynamism that maintains its industrial base and has also
managed to be implemented in the area of services.
News media
Germany is the largest television market in Europe, with some 34 million households
with television. Numerous regional and national public broadcasters are organized
according to the federal political structure. Around 90% of German households have
cable or satellite television and viewers can choose from a variety of free public access
and commercial channels.

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The country is home to some of the largest media conglomerates, including
Bertelsmann and the publisher Axel Springer.
Demography
With over 82 million inhabitants, is the most populous country in the European Union.
However, its fertility rate of 1.39 children per mother is one of the lowest in the world,
and the Federal Bureau of Statistics estimated that the population will be reduced to
between 69 and 74 million in 2050 (69 million assuming a migration Net +100000 per
year, 74 million assuming a net migration of 200,000 per year). Germany has a number
of large cities, the most populous being Berlin, but the largest conurbation is the Rhine-
Ruhr region.
Since December 2004, about seven million foreign citizens were registered, and 19%
of the country's residents are foreign or have a foreign origin. The largest group (2.3
million) is from Turkey, and most of the rest are from European countries such as Italy,
Serbia, Greece, Poland and Croatia. The United Nations ranks Germany as the third
largest recipient of international migrants worldwide, about 5%, or 10 out of the 191
million migrants, or about 12% of the population. As a result of the restrictions, the
number of immigrants seeking asylum justifying German ethnicity (mostly from the
former Soviet Union) has been declining steadily since 2000.
Religion
Christianity is the main religion, with 53 million
adherents (64%). The second most widespread is
Islam with 3.3 million adherents (4%), followed by
Buddhism and Judaism, both with around 200,000
adherents (0.25%). Hinduism has some 90,000
adherents (0.1%). All other religious communities
have fewer than 50,000 (or less than 0.05%)
adherents. About 24.4 million Germans (29.6%)
have no registered religious denomination.

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Protestantism is concentrated in the north and east and Roman Catholicism is
concentrated in the south and west. Each comprising about 31% of the population;
1.7% of the total population declare themselves Orthodox Christians, including Serbs,
Russians and Greeks are the most numerous. Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, born in
Bavaria.
The number of people without religion, including atheists and agnostics amount to
29.6% of the population, and are especially numerous in the former East Germany and
major metropolitan areas. Of the 3.3 million Muslims most are Sunnis and Alevis in
Turkey, but there are a small number of Shiites.
Languages
Knowledge of German in the European Union and Switzerland.
German is the official and primary language spoken in Germany. It is one of 23 official
languages in the European Union, and one of the three working languages of the
European Commission, along with English and French. There are other minority
languages are recognized Native: Danish, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian. These are
officially protected by the ECRML. The foreign languages most used in the country are
Turkish, Polish, the languages of the Balkan Peninsula and Russian.
Standard German is a West Germanic language and is closely related to the English,
Dutch and Swedish. Most German vocabulary is derived from the Germanic branch of
the Indo-European language family. Significant minorities of words derived from Latin,
Greek, and fewer French. The German is written using the Latin alphabet. In addition to
the 26 standard letters, German has three umlauts, ie ä, ö and ü, as well as Eszett or
scharfes S (strong s) ß.
Globally, German is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers and also
about 80 million non-native speakers. German is the main language of about 90 million
people (18%) in the European Union. 67% of German citizens claim to be able to
communicate in at least one foreign language, 27% in at least two languages other
than their own.
See also: Turks in Germany, Demographics of the European Union, Migration in the
European Union and Germany List of states by population density.

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Education
The University of Heidelberg, founded in 1386, is
the oldest in Germany and one of the most
reputable in the country.
Responsibility for educational oversight lies
primarily in the states individually, while the government has only a secondary role.
Kindergarten is optional, and provides education for all children between three and six
years later, schooling is compulsory for at least ten years. Primary education usually
lasts for four years and public schools are not stratified at this stage. In contrast,
secondary education includes four types of schools based on student ability as
determined by teacher recommendations: the Gymnasium, which includes most kids
smarter, prepares students for college and lasts eight or nine assistance, depending on
the state; the Realschule has a broader range of special interest for intermediate
students lasts six years; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education, and
the Gesamtschule combines the three approaches.
The PISA assesses the skills of students 15 years of age in the countries of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and a number of partner
countries. In 2006, German students have improved their position compared to
previous years, qualifying (statistically) in significantly above average (rank 13) in
science level, not significantly above or below average in math ( rank 20) and reading
skills (rank 18). The socio-economic differences are high, and student performance is
more dependent on this factor than in most other countries.
To enter a university, high school students need to pass the Abitur examination, similar
to A-level, it is also possible to enter college with a Fachabitur, which is a specialized,
eg Abitur economy. Students who hold a diploma from a vocational school may enter a
University of Applied Sciences. Most German universities are state-owned. In all
universities have to pay administrative fees, which are between 50 and 200 euros. In
some states also have to pay for tuition fees amounting to EUR 500 per semester.
The universities are recognized internationally, indicating the high level of education in
the country. According to QS World University Rankings 2013, thirteen German
universities are among the first hundred best universities in the world.

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Government and politics
It is a federal, democratic, representative and parliamentary republic. The German
political system operates under a framework laid down in the 1949 constitutional
document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). By calling the document
Grundgesetz, rather than Verfassung (constitution), the authors expressed the intention
that it be replaced by a proper constitution once Germany was reunited as a state.
Amendments to the Grundgesetz generally require a two-thirds majority of both
chambers of parliament; the articles guaranteeing fundamental rights, separation of
powers, the federal structure, and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the
constitution are valid in perpetuity and can not be modified. Despite the initial intention,
the Grundgesetz remains in effect after the German reunification in 1990, albeit with
some modifications.
The Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) Angela Merkel currently is the head of
government and exercises executive, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in other
parliamentary democracies power. Legislative power is vested in the parliament
consisting of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which
together form a unique type of legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through
direct elections respectful of proportional representation. The members of the
Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federal states and are members of
the state cabinets. The respective state governments have the right to appoint and
remove their envoys at any time.

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Since 1949, the party system has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), although smaller parties
like the Free Democratic Party (FDP, which has had members in the Bundestag since
1949) and Alliance '90 / The Greens (Die Grünen, which has controlled seats in
parliament since 1983) have also played a role.
The German head of state is the Bundespräsident (Federal President), elected by the
Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly), integrated by members of the Bundestag
and an equal number of state delegates institution. The second highest official in the
German order of precedence is the Bundestagspräsident (President of the Bundestag),
who is elected by the Bundestag, responsible for overseeing the sessions of the body.
The third and highest official of the Office of Government is the Federal Chancellor,
who is appointed by the Bundespräsident after being elected by the Bundestag. The
Federal Chancellor may be removed constructively through a motion of censure by the
Bundestag, which is simultaneously elects a successor.

Germany

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