Germany

1. Germany By: Brett Walters

2. CULTURE • Dress- The clothes of Germany are very similar with the United States but have a little European taste. Costumes can be worn during festivals or holidays. Wearing untidy clothes in public is considered inappropriate. • Food- German food is like most European foods but with a little German taste. Most drinks have no ice because Germans believe that cold drinks are unhealthy. The bratwurst is the most famous dish from Germany and fast foods are very popular. • Music- German music genres are quite similar to that of the US. Classical German music is very popular all around the world and was in earlier centuries. Some famous German musicians are Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Wagner.

3. CULTURE CONT. • Customs- The customs of Germany is heavily enforced all around the country. Some things that are considered improper are eating with your elbows on the table, potatoes or fish are not to be cut with a fork or a knife, and it is improper to leave food on your plate when you are done eating. On one’s birthday a member of the family gets up early to put candles on the cake and give the cake when they wake up. • Leisure- When not in school or not working, most Germans like to play sports like soccer and rugby. They also like to go to festivals or feasts in the downtown area of the city • Religion-The majority of Germans are Christians. But, a small amount of the people are atheist. • Art- Most German art is contemporary. Some famous artist are Josef Abel, Franz Adam, and Rolf Nesch.

4. GOVERNMENT • Government structure- Much like the US the German government has a three part system: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. All three parts have equal power, but, the main person in charge is the President, Christian Wulff and the head over all government systems is Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both have been in power since 2010 and will be until they next election in 2013. • Political parties- There are many political parties in Germany and they are: Christian Democratic Union or CDU, Christian Social Union or CSU, Free Democratic Party or FDP, Left Party, and Social Democratic Party or SPD. • Issues- The unemployment rate in Germany has fallen more than it was expected to in the Forecast in January. In recent weeks the retail prices have fallen more than they have in later years. The government is seeking help from China to help with their huge war debt left over from WWII.

5. GOVERNMENT CONT. • Relations with other countries- The German relations in the past years have been better than it has in past years. The relations to other countries were bad because of WWII. Now Germany is working with neighboring countries to help all of Europe prosper. • Flag- The three colors of the German flag stand for the unity of the three branches of government. During WWII the flag kept the tri-color flag but added a black hawk to describe the German Reich.   • Citizenship- As long as a person in Germany has a parent that already has German citizenship you gain citizenship. If you have no parent with citizenship you have to go through a process that requires you to take a test.

6. ECONOMY • Per capita income- $35,700 (USD) • Gross domestic product- $2,940,000,000,000 (USD), agriculture: 1% industry: 31% services: 68% • Major industry(s)- The major industry of Germany is manufacturing. This industry takes up more than half of all industries in the country. • National debt- The most recent update of the German national debt has risen to 1.8 trillion Euros in 2009. • Currency – The currency in Germany is the Euro, just like the rest of Europe, and also Pounds, which only part of Europe uses. • Trade- Ever since the German Revolution in 1848, they have been trading with the rest of the world. The country they trade with the most is the US.

7. DEMOGRAPHICS AND HISTORY • Median age- About 45 • Race/ethnicity percentages- German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) • Education- In Germany, English is often spoken and widely understood, and in Eastern Germany, Russian is spoken. Citizens that are 15 or older can read and write. 99.0% of the total German population is literate. • Birth rate- The birth rate of Germany is 8.3 births per 1,000. • Origins- The Germans were a nomadic tribe of people that moved all around the area we today know as Germany. During the British and American war the Hessians (German soldiers) were allies to the British. The nomadic tribes banded together to form the country we now know as Germany.

8. GEOGRAPHY • Physical features- 33% of Germany is arable land, only 1% is for crops, and the remaining land available is 66% other. There are low lands, hills and low mountains, plateaus, foothills and lake lands, and the German Alps. • Climate- The climate of German can change from cold to hot a few times a day. There are four distinct seasons and in the winter it can get as cold as 10 degrees F. • National boundaries- Germany boarders nine countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km • Wildlife- The wildlife of Germany is just like many other countries in the world. The nation animal of Germany is the Eagle. • Natural Resources- Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land