GERMANY

LOCATION

• Germany is located in central Europe. Germany is bordered by the Baltic and North Sea, Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west.

HISTORY

• Before it was called Germany, it was called Germania. In the years A.D. 900 – 1806, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1949 to 1990, Germany was made up of two countries called the Federal Republic of Germany (inf. West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic....

HISTORY

• In its long history, Germany has rarely been united. For most of the two millennia that Central Europe has been inhabited by German-speaking peoples, such as the Eastern Franks, the area now called Germany was divided into hundreds of states, many quite small, including duchies, principalities, free cities, and ecclesiastical states. Not even the Romans united what is now known as Germany under one government; they managed to occupy only its southern and western portions. In A.D. 800 Charlemagne, who had been crowned Holy Roman emperor by Pope Leo III, ruled over a territory that encompassed much of present-day Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, but within a generation its existence was more symbolic than real.From 1700 to 1918 the Kingdom of Prussia was established in Germany. In 1914 World War I broke out. Germany was on the losing side of the war and is estimated to have lost 2 million soldiers.

POPULATION

• 81,473,531 Current population
• 39,955,183 Current male population (49.0%)
• 41,518,349 Current female population (51.0%)

CLIMATE

• Germany's climate is moderate and has generally no longer periods of cold or hot weather. Northwestern and coastal Germany have a maritime influenced climate which is characterized by warm summers and mild cloudy winters.

HIGH INCOME COUNTRY

• Germany has a mixed economy. It allows a free market economy in consumer goods and business services. But the government imposes regulations even in those areas to protect its citizens. Germany has a command economy in defense since everyone receives the benefit, while those with higher incomes pay more in taxes.

RELIGION

• Religion in Germany – Christianity About 65% to 70% of the population are followers of the Christian religion in Germany. They are more or less evenly split between the mainstream denominations of Lutheran-Protestantism and Calvinism united in the EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) and the Roman Catholic Church.

GERMAN FLAG

• The flag of Germany or German flag is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold. The flag was first adopted as the national flag of modern Germany in 1919, during the Weimar Republic, until 1933.

German food
The cuisine of Germany is made up of many different local or regional cuisines, as is typical for somewhat larger countries. Germany itself is part of a larger cultural region, Central Europe, sharing many traditions with neighbouring countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.

GERMAN SAUERBRATEN

• One of Germany’s national dishes, this authentic German Sauerbraten is marinated, cooked until tender, and served with a wonderfully rich and flavorful sweet-tangy gravy! Serve it with homemade Rotkohl and potatoes, Knödel or Spätzle and you’re all set for a memorable feast!

SCHWEINSHAXE (PORK KNUCKLE)

• Schweinshaxe, in German cuisine, is a roasted ham hock. The ham hock is the end of the pig's leg, just above the ankle and below the meaty ham portion. It is especially popular in Bavaria as Schweinshaxn [ˈʃvaɪns.haksn̩] or Sauhax [ˈsaohaks].

KARTOFFELPUFFER

• Potatoe pancakes, draniki, deruny, latkes, raggmunk or boxties are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or applesauce, often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasoning.

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PLACES TO VISIT

BERLIN

• Berlin is one of the most interesting cities in Europe, and certainly the one that has changed the most in the last 20 years. Once the symbol of the Cold War, it has become Europe’s

BRANDENBURG GATE

• Brandenburg Gate, German Brandenburger Tor, the only remaining town gate of Berlin, Germany, standing at the western end of the avenue Unter den Linden. It has served as a symbol of both the division of Germany and the country's reunification and is one of Berlin's most-visited landmarks.

KÖLNER DOM

• The towering Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) - the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Mary - is located on the banks of the Rhine and is undoubtedly Cologne's most impressive landmark. This masterpiece of High Gothic architecture, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, was begun in 1248 and was the most ambitious building project of the Middle Ages.

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TRADITIONAL

FEMALE CLOTHING

• Dirndl is the Bavarian word for girl and because formerly all women wore this dress, it was given the same name. The traditional style consists of the dress itself (a wide and long skirt with a corsage), a white blouse and a colorful apron.

MALE CLOTHING

• Lederhosen, which means "leather trousers" in German, are the short, leather pants worn by men. These are usually knee-length and are the historically worn by working-class German men. The dirndl is a ruffled apron dress worn by German women that consists of a bodice, or blouse, and a skirt.

OVERALL

Germany is a Western European country with a landscape of forests, rivers, mountain ranges and North Sea beaches. It has over 2 millennia of history. Berlin, its capital, is home to art and nightlife scenes, the Brandenburg Gate and many sites relating to WWII. Munich is known for its Oktoberfest and beer halls, including the 16th-century Hofbräuhaus. Frankfurt, with its skyscrapers, houses the European Central Bank.