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Germany - GENERAL INFORMATION
 
Population - Local time - Languages - Religion - Political system - Climate - Tourism - Food



Population



Main Cities Population
Berlin   3,472,000  
Hamburg   1,701,000  
Munchen   1,256,000  
Koln   961  
Frankfurt   663  
Essen   624  



Total population (millions): 82.6
Source: World Bank 2004

Urban population: 88%
Source: World Bank 2004

Average annual population growth: 0.1%
Source: World Bank 2004

Surface area (km²) : 357,03


Population origin

Origin of the population% Of the population
German95
Turkish 2.5
Italian 0.6
Other 1.9




Local time


It is %T:%M %A in Berlin


GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer


Languages


Official language: German.
Business languages: German and English.

Free translation tools in Germany :
Babel Fish
Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages

Systran
Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages

Eurodicautom
The European Union Dictionary (12 languages avalaible)

Leo
German-English-German dictionary with over 300,000 entries



Religion


Religious practises : Protestants 45%
Catholics 37%
Moslems 3%
Others 15%


Political system


Federal republic. The Parliament is composed of two chambers: the Bundestag (Congress of the federal members of the Parliament) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The country is divided into 16 federal Landers* (they were only 11 before the Unification treaty of 1990).
President: Horst Kohler elected for five years on June, 30 of 2004.
Chancellor: Angela Merkel since 22 novembre 2005.


Climate

 

Over the winter, the temperatures may vary between 0?C and 5?C, and between 18?C and 21?C over the summer, on average. But distances are important between the North of the country, Berlin and Hamburg for example and the South, Munich for example.


Tourism

Number of visitors in Germany 2002 2003 2004 World rank
Number of visitors (1000) 17959   18392   20137   9
Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005

 

Tourist sites


Germany counts many tourist places. The capital, Berlin, is famous for the Brandenburg Door, the Charlottenburg's castle. On the Postdamer Platz, a huge shopping center can be found, which is very much appreciated by both tourists and Berliners. Hikers will appreciate to walk through the Black Forest. Louis II of Bavaria's castles, Pinacotheque (museum in Munchen) and the beer festival also attract numerous tourists in Bavaria. Tourists can also appreciate the Elba banks, notably in Dresden. The cathedral in Koln is famous for its Gothic architecture.

For more information about tourism in Germany , check out the following web site(s) :
German Tourism Board


Food


Traditional dishes


The German culinary specialties can vary depending on which region you are. For example, the North of Germany has a culinary tradition inspired by the Scandinavian, the Russian or even the Polish food.
Some of the German specialties are:
Wurst and Schinken which are very renowned in Germany: these are the famous sausages and the large variety of cooked pork meats (about 1,500 different ones).
Brot: these are the famous German bread, there are more than 200 different kinds.
The Sauerkraut is the dish par excellence: it is sauerkraut with meat.
Finally, Germany is obviously renowned for its large variety of beers. Germany is the second producer of beers and the first exporter (exports to about 140 countries) in the world. There are 1,800 breweries throughout Germany and there are about 5,000 different beers. In the South of Germany, the annual consumption per inhabitant reaches 250 liters.

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Last modified in October 2005
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