Bundesrepublik Deutschland Federal Republic of Germany
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit "Unity and Justice and Freedom"
Anthem: third stanza of "Das Lied der Deutschen" (also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit")
Location of  Germany  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)                  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Berlin 52°31′N, 13°24′E
Official languages		German[1]
Demonym		German
Government		Federal Parliamentary republic
-	President	Horst Köhler
-	Chancellor	Angela Merkel (CDU)
Formation
-	Holy Roman Empire	962
-	German Empire	18 January 1871
-	Federal Republic	23 May 1949
-	Reunification	3 October 1990
EU accession		25 March 1957
Area
-	Total	357,021 km² (63rd) 137,847 sq mi
-	Water (%)	2. The flag of Germany is a Tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Black, The coat of arms of Germany is a symbol of Germany; the Coat of arms feature an eagle. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Das Deutschlandlied ("The Song of Germany" also known as Das Lied der Deutschen, "The Song of the Germans" has been used wholly or partially as the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The demography of the Federal Republic of Germany is monitored by the "Statistisches Bundesamt" ( Federal Statistical Office of Germany) Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A federal republic is a Federation of States with a republican form of government A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government The President of Germany (deutscher Bundespräsident is Germany 's Head of state. Horst Köhler ( born 22 February 1943) is a German politician ( CDU) and economist who serves as the current President of Germany. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. The Kingdom of Germany grew out of East Francia in the tenth century The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Despite the lack of a German nation state prior to 1871 the History of Germany dates back to the era of the Germanic tribes. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 416
Population
-	Dec. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology  31, 2007 estimate	82,210,000[1] (14th)
-	Density	230/km² (36th) 596/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$2. List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 81 trillion (5th)
-	Per capita	$34,181 (23th)
GDP (nominal)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$3. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 26 trillion (3rd)
-	Per capita	$39,650 (19th)
Gini (2000)		28. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 3 (low)
HDI (2005)		▲ 0. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 935 (high) (22nd)
Currency		Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.de
Calling code		+49
1	^  Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian are officially recognised and protected by the ECRML. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The euro sign (€ is the Currency sign used for the Euro, the official currency of the European Union (EU ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Daylight saving time ( DST A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Low German or Low Saxon (in Germany: Plattdüütsch or Nedderdüütsch; in Netherlands: Nedersaksisch or Nederduuts The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about 500000 members of Frisian Ethnic groups who live on the southern The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ( ECRML) is a European Treaty (CETS 148 adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland (help·info), IPA: [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant]),^[2] is a country in Central Europe. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and It is 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 North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The territory of Germany covers 357,021 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With over 82 million inhabitants, it comprises the largest population among the member states of the European Union and is home to the third-highest number of international migrants worldwide. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in This is a list of countries by immigrant population, based on the United Nations report World Population Policies 2005. ^[3]

A region named Germania inhabited by several Germanic peoples has been known and documented before 100 AD. Germania was the Latin Exonym for The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Germania ( Latin title De Origine et situ Germanorum, English for the Origin and Situation of the Germans) written by Gaius Since the 10th century German territories have formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire that lasted until 1806. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in During the period, in the 16th century, the northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time As a modern nation-state, the country was first unified amidst the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy The unification of Germany took place on January 18, 1871, when Prussian Chief Minister Otto von Bismarck managed to unify a number of independent The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 After World War II, Germany was divided into two separate states along the lines of allied occupation in 1949. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[4] The two states became reunified again in 1990. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany West Germany was a founding member of the EC in 1957, which became the European Union in 1993. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 It is part of the borderless Schengen zone and adopted the common European currency, the Euro, in 1999. The term Schengen Agreement is used for two agreements concluded among European states in 1985 and 1990 which deal with the abolition of systematic Border controls Euro Enlargement of the

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic of sixteen states (Bundesländer). A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular The capital and largest city is Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G4 nations, and signed the Kyoto protocol. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The North Atlantic Treaty The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort It is the world's third largest economy by nominal GDP and the largest exporter of goods in 2007. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE This is a list of countries by Exports, based on The World Factbook. In absolute terms, Germany allocates the second biggest annual budget of development aid in the world,^[5] while its military expenditure ranked sixth. Development aid or development cooperation (also development assistance, technical assistance, international aid, overseas aid This is a list of countries by military expenditures using the latest information available ^[6] The country has developed a high standard of living and established a comprehensive system of social security. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 Social security primarily refers to a Social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions including poverty old It holds a key position in European affairs and maintains a multitude of close partnerships on a global level. ^[7] Germany is recognized as a scientific and technological leader in several fields. ^[8]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) 1.2 Restoration and revolution (1814–1871) 1.3 German Empire (1871–1918) 1.4 Weimar Republic (1919–1933) 1.5 Third Reich (1933–1945) 1.6 Division and reunification (1945–1990) 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 2.2 Environment 3 Government 3.1 States 4 Foreign relations 4.1 Development aid 4.2 Military 5 Law 5.1 State level 6 Demographics 6.1 Religion 6.2 Languages 7 Economy 7.1 Infrastructure 8 Science 8.1 Education 9 Culture 9.1 Philosophy 9.2 Media 9.3 Cinema 9.4 Sports 9.5 Cuisine 9.6 Society 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

History

Main articles: History of Germany, Germanic peoples, Germania, and List of country name etymologies

The ethnogenesis of the Germanic tribes is assumed to have occurred during the Nordic Bronze Age, or at the latest, during the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Despite the lack of a German nation state prior to 1871 the History of Germany dates back to the era of the Germanic tribes. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Germania was the Latin Exonym for This list covers English language country names with their etymologies. Ethnogenesis (From Greek: ethnos ( group of people nation and genesis ( a coming into being is the process by which a group of human beings comes The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age) is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian The Pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe ( 5th / 4th century BC - 1st century BC) designates the earliest part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia From southern Scandinavia and northern Germany, the tribes began expanding south, east and west in the 1st century BC, coming into contact with the Celtic tribes of Gaul as well as Iranian, Baltic, and Slavic tribes in Eastern Europe. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. The Balts or Baltic peoples (People who live by the Baltic Sea) defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Little is known about early Germanic history, except through their recorded interactions with the Roman Empire, etymological research and archaeological finds. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial ^[9]

Under Augustus, the Roman General Publius Quinctilius Varus began to invade Germania (a term used by the Romans running roughly from the Rhine to the Ural Mountains) , and it was in this period that the Germanic tribes became familiar with Roman tactics of warfare while maintaining their tribal identity. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Riphean redirects here For the time period see Riphean stage The Ural Mountains (Ура́льские го́ры Uralskiye In AD 9, three Roman legions led by Varus were defeated by the Cheruscan leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," The Cherusci (Cherusker were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the northern Rhine valley and the plains and forests of northwestern Germany, in Arminius, also known as Armin or Hermann (18 BC/17 BC - AD 21) was a chieftain of the Cherusci who defeated a Roman army in the The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place in the year 9 A Modern Germany, as far as the Rhine and the Danube, thus remained outside the Roman Empire. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj By AD 100, the time of Tacitus' Germania, Germanic tribes settled along the Rhine and the Danube (the Limes Germanicus) , occupying most of the area of modern Germany. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Germania ( Latin title De Origine et situ Germanorum, English for the Origin and Situation of the Germans) written by Gaius The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman The 3rd century saw the emergence of a number of large West Germanic tribes: Alamanni, Franks, Chatti, Saxons, Frisians, Sicambri, and Thuringii. The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany. The Sicambri (var Sicambers Sicambres Sigambrer Sugumbrer or Sugambri) were a Germanic people living in what is now called the Netherlands The Thuringii or Toringi were a Germanic tribe which appeared late during the Völkerwanderung in the Harz Mountains of central Around 260, the Germanic peoples broke through the Limes and the Danube frontier into Roman-controlled lands. ^[10]

Holy Roman Empire (962–1806)

Main article: Holy Roman Empire

The medieval empire stemmed from a division of the Carolingian Empire in 843, which was founded by Charlemagne on 25 December 800, and existed in varying forms until 1806, its territory stretching from the Eider River in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the south. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Events By Place Europe September 15 - Oldest known mention of Monkey. The Eider ( German: Eider; Danish: Ejderen; Latin: Egdor or Egdore) is the longest river of the German Often referred to as the Holy Roman Empire (or the Old Empire) , it was officially called the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation ("Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicæ") starting in 1448, to adjust the title to its then reduced territory. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in

Under the reign of the Ottonian emperors (919–1024) , the duchies of Lorraine, Saxony, Franconia, Swabia, Thuringia, and Bavaria were consolidated, and the German king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor of these regions in 962. The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings (919-1024 named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin Stem duchies (from the German Stammesherzogtum, literally "tribal duchy" were associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the East Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France. The mediæval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian Stem duchy " covering the greater part of Northern Germany. Franconia (Franken is a historic region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria and the area to its immediate west Swabia, Suabia, or Svebia ( German: Schwaben, Schwabenland or Ländle) is both a historic and linguistic The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states Under the reign of the Salian emperors (1024–1125) , the Holy Roman Empire absorbed northern Italy and Burgundy, although the emperors lost power through the Investiture Controversy. See also Salian Franks, Salic law The Salian dynasty was a Dynasty in the High Middle Ages of four German Kings (1024-1125 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was an 11th century dispute between Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Gregory VII over Under the Hohenstaufen emperors (1138–1254) , the German princes increased their influence further south and east into territories inhabited by Slavs (Ostsiedlung). This article covers the medieval eastward migrations of Germans Northern German towns grew prosperous as members of the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hansa) was an alliance of trading cities and their Guilds that established and maintained trade

The edict of the Golden Bull in 1356 provided the basic constitution of the empire that lasted until its dissolution. The Golden Bull of 1356 was a decree issued by a Reichstag in Nuremberg headed by Emperor Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor (see Diet It codified the election of the emperor by seven prince-electors who ruled some of the most powerful principalities and archbishoprics. The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl Beginning in the 15th century, the emperors were elected nearly exclusively from the Habsburg dynasty of Austria. The Archduchy of Austria (Erzherzogtum Österreich one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the center of the Habsburg Monarchy and

The monk Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses questioning the Roman Catholic Church in 1517, thereby sparking the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences, commonly known as The Ninety-Five Theses, were written by Martin Luther in 1517 The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time A separate Lutheran church was acknowledged as the newly sanctioned religion in many German states after 1530. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Religious conflict led to the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) , which devastated German lands. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. ^[11] The population of the German states was reduced by about 30%. ^[12] The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended religious warfare among the German states, but the empire was de facto divided into numerous independent principalities. The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, signed on May 15 and October 24 of From 1740 onwards, the dualism between the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia dominated German history. The term German dualism describes the long conflict between the two largest German states Austria and Prussia from 1740 to 1866 when Austria Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising In 1806, the Imperium was overrun and dissolved as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions ^[13]

See also: Medieval demography and German eastward expansion

Restoration and revolution (1814–1871)

Main article: German Confederation

Following the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Congress of Vienna convened in 1814 and founded the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund) , a loose league of 39 sovereign states. Medieval Demography is the study of human Demography in Europe during the Middle Ages. This article covers the medieval eastward migrations of Germans The German Confederation (Deutscher Bund was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to serve as the successor to Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich The German Confederation (Deutscher Bund was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to serve as the successor to The States of the German Confederation were those member states that from June 20, 1815 were part of the German Confederation, which lasted with some changes Disagreement with restoration politics partly led to the rise of liberal movements, demanding unity and freedom. Marked by revolt revolution, and the rise of the Middle class, the period of European restoration (1814-1848 refers to the Monarchical struggle for legitimacy against This article aims to give an historical overview of liberalism in Germany. These, however, were followed by new measures of repression on the part of the Austrian statesman Metternich. The Zollverein, a tariff union, profoundly furthered economic unity in the German states. The Zollverein or German Customs Union was formed among the majority of the states of the German Confederation in 1834 during the Industrial Revolution During this era many Germans had been stirred by the ideals of the French Revolution, and nationalism became a more significant force, especially among young intellectuals. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation For the first time, the colours of black, red and gold were chosen to represent the movement, which later became the national colours. The flag of Germany is a Tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Black, ^[14]

In light of a series of revolutionary movements in Europe, which successfully established a republic in France, intellectuals and commoners started the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout the European The February 1848 Revolution in France ended the reign of King Louis-Philippe, and led to the creation of the French Second Republic (1848-1852 " Germany " at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 had been a collection of 39 States loosely bound together in the German Confederation. The monarchs initially yielded to the revolutionaries' liberal demands. King Frederick William IV of Prussia was offered the title of Emperor, but with a loss of power; he rejected the crown and the proposed constitution, leading to a temporary setback for the movement. Life Frederick William was educated by private tutors many of whom were experienced civil servants such as Friedrich Ancillon. An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Conflict between King William I of Prussia and the increasingly liberal parliament erupted over military reforms in 1862, and the king appointed Otto von Bismarck the new Prime Minister of Prussia. Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen Duke of Lauenburg Prince of Bismarck ( April 1, 1815 July 30, 1898) Bismarck successfully waged war on Denmark in 1864. The First Schleswig War occurred in 1848–1851. The Second Schleswig War (2 Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 enabled him to create the North German Federation (Norddeutscher Bund) and to exclude Austria, formerly the leading German state, from the affairs of the remaining German states. The Austro-Prussian The North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund came into existence in August 1866 as a military alliance of 22 states of northern Germany with the Kingdom of For the history of these states before 1804 see Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, and articles on each of the component countries.

German Empire (1871–1918)

Main article: German Empire

The state known as Germany was unified as a modern nation-state in 1871, when the German Empire was forged, with the Kingdom of Prussia as its largest constituent. Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen Duke of Lauenburg Prince of Bismarck ( April 1, 1815 July 30, 1898) A political union is a type of state which is composed of or created out of smaller States Unlike a Personal union, the individual states share a common government The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the German Empire (Deutsches Kaiserreich) was proclaimed in Versailles on 18 January 1871. The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal Château in Versailles, in France 's Île-de-France region Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Hohenzollern dynasty of Prussia ruled the new empire, whose capital was Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The empire was a unification of all the scattered parts of Germany except Austria (Kleindeutschland, or "Lesser Germany"). The Kleindeutsche Lösung ("Lesser German Solution" was a 19th century political idea postulating the idea of a unified Germany consisting of the members Beginning in 1884, Germany began establishing several colonies outside of Europe. This is a list of former German Empire colonies and Protectorates (Schutzgebiete the German colonial empire.

In the Gründerzeit period following the unification of Germany, Emperor William I's foreign policy secured Germany's position as a great nation by forging alliances, isolating France by diplomatic means, and avoiding war. deu Gründerzeit ( German, 'grʏndɐˌtsaɪ̯t literally “the founders' epoch” refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before The unification of Germany took place on January 18, 1871, when Prussian Chief Minister Otto von Bismarck managed to unify a number of independent The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe Under William II, however, Germany, like other European powers, took an imperialistic course leading to friction with neighbouring countries. New Imperialism refers to the colonial expansion adopted by Europe 's powers and later Japan and the United States, during the 19th Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude Most alliances in which Germany had been previously involved were not renewed, and new alliances excluded the country. Specifically, France established new relationships by signing the Entente Cordiale with the United Kingdom and securing ties with the Russian Empire. Flag of the United Kingdomsvg|right|70px]] The Entente cordiale is a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Aside from its contacts with Austria-Hungary, Germany became increasingly isolated.

Germany's imperialism reached outside of its own country and joined many other powers in Europe to claim their share of Africa. The Berlin Conference divided Africa between the European powers. See also Congress of Berlin (1878 and Berlin Conference of 1954 (Cold War Germany owned several pieces of land on Africa including German East Africa, South-West Africa, Togo, and Cameroon. German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika was a German Colony in East Africa, including what is now Burundi, Rwanda and Tanganyika German South West Africa ( German: Deutsch-Südwestafrika, DSWA) was a Colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915 when it was taken Togoland was a German Protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914 The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. The Scramble for Africa caused tension between the great powers that may have contributed to the conditions that led to World War I. The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Race for Africa, was the proliferation of conflicting European claims to African territory during the New A great power is a Nation or State that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

The assassination of Austria's crown prince on 28 June 1914 triggered World War I. Franz Ferdinand ( December 18, 1863 &ndash June 28, 1914) was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Germany, as part of the unsuccessful Central Powers, suffered defeat against the Allied Powers in one of the bloodiest conflicts of all time. The Central Powers ( German: "Mittelmächte" Hungarian: "Központi hatalmak" Turkish: "İttifak The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The number of World War I casualties, both The German Revolution broke out in November 1918, and Emperor William II and all German ruling princes abdicated. Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio, disowning renouncing from ab, away from and dicare, to declare to proclaim as not belonging to one An armistice putting an end to the war was signed on 11 November and Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. The armistice treaty between the Allies and Germany was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on November 11, 1918 Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. Its negotiation, contrary to traditional post-war diplomacy, excluded the defeated Central Powers. The treaty was perceived in Germany as a humiliating continuation of the war by other means and its harshness is often cited as having facilitated the later rise of Nazism in the country. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German ^[15]

Weimar Republic (1919–1933)

Main article: Weimar Republic

After the success of the German Revolution in November 1918, a republic was proclaimed. The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 The Weimar Constitution came into effect with its signing by President Friedrich Ebert on 11 August 1919. For a detailed discussion of the English translation of Reich, see Reich. The President of Germany (deutscher Bundespräsident is Germany 's Head of state. Friedrich Ebert ( February 4, 1871 February 28, 1925) was a German Politician ( SPD) who served as Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The German Communist Party was established by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in 1918, and the German Workers Party, later known as the National Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi Party, was founded in January 1919. The Communist Party of Germany ( German Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands &ndash KPD) was a major political party in Germany between 1918 Rosa Luxemburg (Róża Luksemburg 5 March 1870 or 1871 15 January 1919 was a Polish-born Jewish German Marxist theorist, socialist ( August 13, 1871 - January 15, 1919) was a German Socialist and a co-founder of the Spartacist League and the Communist The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945

Suffering from the Great Depression, the harsh peace conditions dictated by the Treaty of Versailles, and a long succession of more or less unstable governments, the political masses in Germany increasingly lacked identification with their political system of parliamentary democracy. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which This was exacerbated by a wide-spread right-wing (monarchist, völkisch, and Nazi) Dolchstoßlegende, a political myth which claimed that Germany lost World War I because of the German Revolution, not because of military defeat. Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment preservation or restoration of a Monarchy as a Form of government in a nation The völkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement with a romantic focus on Folklore and the "organic" The stab-in-the-back legend ( German:, literally "Dagger stab legend" refers to a social Myth theory popular in Germany in the period after On the other hand, radical left-wing communists, such as the Spartacist League, had wanted to abolish what they perceived as "capitalist rule" in favour of a Räterepublik. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Spartacist League ( Spartakusbund in German) was a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Council communism is a Far-left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s Paramilitary troops were set up by several parties and there were thousands of politically motivated murders. The paramilitaries intimidated voters and seeded violence and anger among the public, which suffered from high unemployment and poverty. After a series of unsuccessful cabinets, President Paul von Hindenburg, seeing little alternative and pushed by right-wing advisors, appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg ( known universally as Paul von Hindenburg ( ( October 2, 1847 &ndash August 2 Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Third Reich (1933–1945)

Main articles: Nazi Germany and World War II

On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag was set on fire. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building was subject to an arson attack and as a result seen as the pivotal event in the establishment of Nazi Germany Some basic democratic rights were quickly abrogated afterwards under an emergency decree. An Enabling Act gave Hitler's government full legislative power. The Enabling Act ( in German) was passed by the Reichstag ( Germany 's parliament on March 23, 1933 and signed Only the Social Democratic Party of Germany voted against it; the Communists were not able to present opposition, as their deputies had already been murdered or imprisoned. ^[16][17] A centralised totalitarian state was established by a series of moves and decrees making Germany a single-party state. Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements, to shift the economy towards a war production base. War economy is the term used to describe the contingencies undertaken by the modern State to mobilise its Economy for War production. In 1936 German troops entered the demilitarized Rhineland, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policies proved inadequate. The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 &ndash 9 November 1940 was a British Conservative Politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Emboldened, Hitler followed from 1938 onwards a policy of expansionism to establish Greater Germany. In general expansionism consists of expansionist policies While some have linked the term to promoting Economic growth (in contrast to no growth / Sustainable policies Großdeutschland ( German for "Greater Germany" or "Large Germany" is a term referring to the concept of one German Nation-state To avoid a two-front war, Hitler concluded the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union, a pact which he later broke. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

In 1939, the growing tensions from nationalism, militarism, and territorial issues led to the Germans launching a blitzkrieg on September 1 against Poland, followed two days later by declarations of war by Britain and France, marking the beginning of World War II. The culmination of events that led to World War II are generally understood to be the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and of the Republic The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. Germany quickly gained direct or indirect control of the majority of Europe. German–occupied Europe refers to the countries of Europe which were occupied by the Military forces of Nazi Germany at various times during

On 22 June 1941, Hitler broke the pact with the Soviet Union by opening the Eastern Front and invading the Soviet Union. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II Shortly after Japan attacked the American base at Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Although initially the German army rapidly advanced into the Soviet Union, the Battle of Stalingrad marked a major turning point in the war. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the Subsequently, the German army commenced retreating on the Eastern Front. D-Day marked a major turning point on the Western front, as Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy and made rapid advances into German territory. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. Germany's defeat soon followed. On 8 May 1945, the German armed forces surrendered after the Red Army occupied Berlin. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Victory in Europe Day ( V-E Day or VE Day) was May 7 and May 8, 1945, the dates when the World War II Allies The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.

In what later became known as The Holocaust, the Third Reich regime enacted governmental policies directly subjugating many parts of society: Jews, Communists, Roma, homosexuals, freemasons, political dissidents, priests, preachers, religious opponents, and the disabled, amongst others. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The Confessing Church (Bekennende Kirche was a Christian Resistance movement in Nazi Germany. During the Nazi era, about eleven million people were murdered in the Holocaust, including six million Jews and three million Poles. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. World War II and the Nazi genocide were responsible for about 35 million dead in Europe.

Division and reunification (1945–1990)

Main article: History of Germany since 1945

The war resulted in the death of nearly ten million German soldiers and civilians; large territorial losses; the expulsion of about 15 million Germans from its former eastern territories and other countries; and the destruction of multiple major cities. As a consequence of Germany 's defeat in World War II and the onset of the Cold War, the country was split between the two global blocs in the East and West The Oder-Neisse line (Granica na Odrze i Nysie Łużyckiej Oder-Neiße-Grenze was drawn in the aftermath of World War II as the eastern border of Germany and The expulsion of Germans after World War II was the Forced migration and Ethnic cleansing of German nationals ( Reichsdeutsche) and ethnic The national territory and Berlin were partitioned by the Allies into four military occupation zones. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. The sectors controlled by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States were merged on 23 May 1949, to form the Federal Republic of Germany; on 7 October 1949, the Soviet Zone established the German Democratic Republic. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state They were informally known as "West Germany" and "East Germany" and the two parts of Berlin as "West Berlin" and "East Berlin". West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The eastern and western countries opted for East Berlin and Bonn as their respective capitals. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia However, West Germany declared the status of its capital Bonn as provisional,^[18] in order to emphasize its stance that the two-state solution was an artificial status quo that was to be overcome one day.

West Germany — established as a liberal parliamentary republic with a "social market economy" — was allied with the United States, the UK and France. The social market economy was the main economic model used in Western and Northern Europe during the Cold War era The country eventually came to enjoy prolonged economic growth beginning in the early 1950s (Wirtschaftswunder). The term ( German for "economic miracle" describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1958. The North Atlantic Treaty The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 Across the border, East Germany was at first occupied by, and later (May 1955) allied with, the USSR. An authoritarian country with a Soviet-style command economy, but many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. ^[19] The Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to stop East Germans from escaping to West Germany, became a symbol of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the However, tensions between East and West Germany were somewhat reduced in the early 1970s by Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, which included the de facto acceptance of Germany's territorial losses in World War II. Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm (18 December 1913 - 8 October 1992 was a German politician Chancellor of West Germany 1969&ndash1974 Ostpolitik ( German for Eastern Politics) describes the politics of the "Change Through Rapprochement" principle &mdash as verbalized by Egon Bahr

In the face of a growing migration of East Germans to West Germany via Hungary and mass demonstrations during the summer of 1989, East German authorities unexpectedly eased the border restrictions in November, allowing East German citizens to travel to the West. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including The Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor is a former City gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Originally intended as a pressure valve to retain East Germany as a state, the opening of the border actually led to an acceleration of the reform process in East Germany, which finally concluded with the Two Plus Four Treaty a year later on 12 September 1990 and German reunification on 3 October 1990. The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, (or the Two Plus Four Agreement) was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Under the terms of the treaty, the four occupying powers renounced their rights under the Instrument of Surrender, and Germany regained full sovereignty. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Based on the Bonn-Berlin-Act, adopted by the parliament on 10 March 1994, the capital of the unified state was chosen to be Berlin, while Bonn obtained the unique status of a Bundesstadt (federal city) retaining some federal ministries. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) ^[20] The move of the government was completed in 1999.

Since reunification, Germany has taken a leading role in the European Union and NATO. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the Balkans and sent a force of German troops to Afghanistan as part of a NATO effort to provide security in that country after the ousting of the Taliban. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately ^[21] These deployments were controversial, since after the war, Germany was bound by law to only deploy troops for defence roles. Deployments to foreign territories were understood not to be covered by the defence provision; however, the parliamentary vote on the issue effectively legalised the participation in a peacekeeping context.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Germany

The territory of Germany covers 357,021 km² (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km² (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km² (3,011 sq mi) of water. This article describes the Geography of Germany. Germany is a large country in Central Europe, stretching from the Alps, across It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 63rd largest in the world. Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 metres (9,718 ft)) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the north-west and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the north-east. The Zugspitze is the highest Mountain in Germany. It is located at the Austrian border in the town of Grainau of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Between lie the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Wilstermarsch at 3. Wilstermarsch is an Amt ("collective municipality" in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. 54 metres (11. 6 ft) below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. ^[22] Because of its central location, Germany shares borders with more European countries than any other country on the continent. Its neighbours are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

Climate

Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, which is the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. The North Atlantic Current ( North Atlantic Drift and the North Atlantic Sea Movement) is a powerful warm Ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea including the peninsula of Jutland and the area along the Rhine, which flows into the North Sea. This article is about the region of Denmark. For the World War I naval battle see Battle of Jutland. Consequently in the north-west and the north, the climate is oceanic; rainfall occurs year round with a maximum during summer. An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric Winters there are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for prolonged periods. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 In the east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can be very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. Continental climate is a Climate that is characterized by Winter Temperatures cold enough to support a fixed period of Snow cover each Year Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental. Again, the maximum temperature can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. ^[23][24]

Environment

Phytogeographically, Germany is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. Phytogeography, also called geobotany is the branch of Biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution of Plant Species, or more generally Vaccinium vitis-idaea 20060824 003jpg|thumb|right| Vaccinium vitis-idaea ]]Alnus-viridis Rhododendron-palustreJPG|thumb|right| Rhododendron tomentosum ]]The Boreal Kingdom or Holarctic Kingdom ( Holarctis) is a Floristic kingdom The territory of Germany can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, Central European mixed forests and Western European broadleaf forests. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " This Palaearctic Ecoregion covers a large area in Western Europe (France Austria and Germany with in particular Massif Central, Jura, Central German ^[26]

Germany is known for its environmental consciousness. ^[27] Germans generally consider anthropogenic causes to be a major factor in global warming and are almost unanimous in thinking that action is necessary, but are more divided than people in other countries on the urgency of such action. Anthropogenic effects processes objects or materials are those that are derived from Human activities as opposed to those occurring in Natural environments without Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the ^[28] Germany is committed to the Kyoto protocol and several other treaties promoting biodiversity, low emission standards, recycling, the use of renewable energy and supports sustainable development on a global level. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort ^[29] Nevertheless the country's carbon dioxide emissions per capita is among the highest in the EU but remains significantly lower compared to Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia or the United States. This is a list of countries by Carbon dioxide emissions Per capita from 1990 through 2004

Emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution. Acid rain, resulting from sulphur dioxide emissions is damaging forests. A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in former eastern Germany have been reduced. The government under Chancellor Schröder announced intent to end the use of nuclear power for producing electricity. Germany is working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive. Germany's last glaciers in Alpine regions is experiencing deglaciation. Natural hazards are river flooding in spring and stormy winds occurring in all regions.

Government

Main article: Politics of Germany

Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. A federal republic is a Federation of States with a republican form of government A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. The term basic law is used in some places as an alternative to " Constitution " implying it is a temporary but necessary measure without formal enactment By calling the document Grundgesetz, rather than Verfassung (constitution), the authors expressed the intention that it would be replaced by a proper constitution once Germany was reunited as one state. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity Amendments to the Grundgesetz generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the parliament; the articles guaranteeing fundamental rights, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the constitution are valid in perpetuity and cannot be amended. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those ^[30] Despite the initial intention, the Grundgesetz remained in effect after the German reunification in 1990, with only minor amendments. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany

The Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor)—currently Angela Merkel—is the head of government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in other parliamentary democracies. Horst Köhler ( born 22 February 1943) is a German politician ( CDU) and economist who serves as the current President of Germany. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Federal 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. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Bundestag ("Federal Diet " or "Lower House of German Parliament" is the Parliament of Germany. The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of The Bundestag is elected through direct elections, yet abiding proportional representation. Direct election is a term describing a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the person persons or political party that they desire to Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes The members of the Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federal states and are members of the state cabinets. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular The respective state governments have the right to appoint and remove their envoys at any time.

The Bundespräsident (President)—currently Horst Köhler—is the head of state, invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers. The President of Germany (deutscher Bundespräsident is Germany 's Head of state. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state He is elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates. The Federal Assembly (aka Federal Convention Bundesversammlung is a special body in the institutional system of Germany, convened solely for the purpose of electing The second highest official in the German order of precedence is the Bundestagspräsident (President of the Bundestag), who is elected by the Bundestag and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body. The German Order of precedence is a symbolic hierarchy of officials in the Government of Germany used to direct protocol The President of the Bundestag ( German: Präsident des Deutschen Bundestages or Bundestagspräsident) presides over the sessions of the Bundestag The third-highest official and the head of government is the Chancellor, who is nominated by the Bundespräsident after being elected by the Bundestag. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State The Chancellor can be removed by a constructive motion of no confidence by the Bundestag, where constructive implies that the Bundestag simultaneously elects a successor. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion

Since 1949, the party system has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany although smaller parties, such as the liberal Free Democratic Party (which has had members in the Bundestag since 1949) and the Alliance '90/The Greens (which has controlled seats in parliament since 1983) have also played important roles. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. The Free Democratic Party ( Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP is a liberal Political party in Germany. The Alliance '90/The Greens ( Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) the German Green party, is a Political party in Germany whose regional ^[31]

States

Main articles: States of Germany and List of administrative divisions of Germany

Germany comprises 16 states (Länder, Bundesländer), which are further subdivided into 439 districts (Kreise) and cities (kreisfreie Städte) (2004). Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular This is a list of the Administrative divisions of Germany. It includes the ''Kreise''/''Landkreise'' as well as the ''kreisfreie Städte''. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis''

State Capital Area ( km²) Population Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart 35,752 10,717,000 Bavaria (Bayern) Munich (München) 70,549 12,444,000 Berlin Berlin 892 3,400,000 Brandenburg Potsdam 29,477 2,568,000 Bremen Bremen 404 663,000 Hamburg Hamburg 755 1,735,000 Hesse (Hessen) Wiesbaden 21,115 6,098,000 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Schwerin 23,174 1,720,000 Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) Hanover (Hannover) 47,618 8,001,000 North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) Düsseldorf 34,043 18,075,000 Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) Mainz 19,847 4,061,000 Saarland Saarbrücken 2,569 1,056,000 Saxony (Sachsen) Dresden 18,416 4,296,000 Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) Magdeburg 20,445 2,494,000 Schleswig-Holstein Kiel 15,763 2,829,000 Thuringia (Thüringen) Erfurt 16,172 2,355,000

States and cities in Germany. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Also see Potsdam New York (in the USA For the Potsdam Conference see Potsdam Conference. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area Wiesbaden, a city in southwest Germany, is the capital of the state of Hesse. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Schwerin (ʃveˈʁiːn is a City in northern Germany and the capital of the state Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Saarbrücken (ˈzaːɐ̯ˈbrʏkn in German; Sarrebruck is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. Magdeburg ( Low Saxon: Meideborg ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx the Capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is For the city in the United States, see Kiel Wisconsin. For the name see Kiel (name. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Erfurt (ˈɛɐ̯fʊɐ̯t is a City in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202619 (2006

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Germany

Germany has played a leading role in the European Union since its inception and has maintained a strong alliance with France since the end of World War II. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The relations between France and Germany is embodied in a cooperation called Franco-German Partnership (French Amitié franco-allemande; German The alliance was especially close in the late 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Christian Democrat Helmut Kohl and Socialist François Mitterrand. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born 3 April 1930 is a German conservative politician and statesman The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Germany is at the forefront of European states seeking to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defence and security apparatus. ^[32]

Since its establishment on 23 May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany kept a notably low profile in international relations, because of both its recent history and its occupation by foreign powers. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[33] During the Cold War, Germany's partition by the Iron Curtain made it a symbol of East-West tensions and a political battleground in Europe. The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end However, Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik was a key factor in the détente of the 1970s. Détente is a French term meaning a relaxing or easing the term has been used in international politics since the early 1970s ^[34] In 1999 Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's government defined a new basis for German foreign policy by taking a full part in the decisions surrounding the NATO war against Yugoslavia and by sending German troops into combat for the first time since World War II. ˌɡeɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪʦ kʊɐ̯t ˈʃʁøːdɐ (born 7 April 1944 German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 ^[35]

Germany and the United States are close allies. (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. The seaside resort Heiligendamm, situated on the Baltic Sea coast was founded in 1793. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[36] The 1948 Marshall Plan, U. The Marshall Plan (from its enactment officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger S. support (JCS 1067) during the rebuilding process (Industrial plans for Germany) after World War II, as well as fraternisation (War children) and food support (food policy) and strong cultural ties have crafted a strong bond between the two countries, although Schröder's very vocal opposition to the Iraq War suggested the end of Atlanticism and a relative cooling of German-American relations. The Morgenthau Plan was a plan for the occupation of Germany after World War II that advocated measures intended to remove Germany's ability to wage war The Level of Industry plans for Germany were the effected Allied plans to lower and control German industrial potential after World War II. A war child refers to a child born to a native parent and a parent belonging to a foreign military force (usually an occupying force but also soldiers stationed at military bases Canadian Novelist James Bacque has alleged that US General Dwight '''Eisenhower''' oversaw the deaths by starvation or exposure of one million German The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign For the belief in the legendary island civilization see Atlantis. ^[37] The two countries are also economically interdependent; 8. 8% of German exports are U. S. -bound and 6. 6% of German imports originate from the U. S. ^[38] The other way around, 8. 8% of U. S. exports ship to Germany and 9. 8% of U. S. imports come from Germany. ^[38] Other signs of the close ties include the continuing position of German-Americans as the largest ethnic group in the U. S. ^[39] and the status of Ramstein Air Base (near Kaiserslautern) as the largest U. Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. (kaɪzɐsˈlaʊtɐn is a City in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland State of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Rheinland-Pfalz) at S. military community outside the U. S. ^[40]

Development aid

The development policy of the Federal Republic of Germany is an independent area of German foreign policy. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and carried out by the implementing organisations. The German government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community. ^[41]

Germany's official development aid and humanitarian aid for 2007 amounted to 8. Development aid or development cooperation (also development assistance, technical assistance, international aid, overseas aid Humanitarian aid (also called succour) is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes typically in response to humanitarian crises 96 billion euros (12. 26 billion dollars), an increase of 5. 9 per cent from 2006. It has become the world's second biggest aid donor after the United States. ^[42] Germany spent 0. 37 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on development, which is below the government's target of increasing aid to 0. 51 per cent of GDP by 2010. The international target of 0. 7% of GNP would have not reached either.

Military

Main article: Bundeswehr

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, is a defence force with Heer (Army), Marine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force), Zentraler Sanitätsdienst (Central Medical Services) and Streitkräftebasis (Joint Support Service) branches. The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany The German Army (Deutsches Heer heɐ) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Navy ( Deutsche Marine ( is the Navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Central Medical Services is the English translation of the German Zentraler Sanitätsdienst (in short Sanitätsdienst) which is the term Streitkräftebasis (Joint Support Service SKB is a branch of the German Bundeswehr established in October 2000 as a result of major reforms of the Military Service is compulsory for men at the age of 18, and conscripts serve nine-month tours of duty. Conscientious objectors may instead opt for an equal length of Zivildienst (roughly translated as civilian service), or a six year commitment to (voluntary) emergency services like a fire department, the Red Cross or the THW. Zivildienst ( German, translated verbatim to "Civilian Service" although "compulsory paid community service" is more contextually equivalent is the civilian See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries The German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk ( Federal Agency for Technical Relief, THW is a Disaster relief organisation controlled by the German federal government In 2003, military spending constituted 1. 5% of the country's GDP. ^[22] In peacetime, the Bundeswehr is commanded by the Minister of Defence, currently Franz Josef Jung. Franz Josef Jung (born 5 March 1949) is a German Politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU. If Germany went to war, which according to the constitution is allowed only for defensive purposes, the Chancellor would become commander in chief of the Bundeswehr. ^[43]

As of October 2006, the German military had almost 9,000 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of various international peacekeeping forces, including 1,180 troops stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina; 2,844 Bundeswehr soldiers in Kosovo; 750 soldiers stationed as a part of EUFOR in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and 2,800 German troops in the NATO-led ISAF force in Afghanistan. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan EUFOR or European Union Force is a term used to describe European Union military deployments and has been used four times so far in FYROM from March 2003 to December The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to International Security Assistance Force (10 ( ISAF) is a NATO -led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, As of February 2007, Germany had about 3,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, the third largest contingent after the United States (14,000) and the United Kingdom (5,200). ^[44]

Law

Main article: Judiciary of Germany

The Judiciary of Germany is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. The judiciary's independence and extensive responsibilities reflect the importance of the rule of law in the German system of government The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht BVerfG) is a special Court established by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near The judiciary's independence and extensive responsibilities reflect the importance of the rule of law in the German system of government Germany has a civil or statute law system that is based on Roman law with some references to Germanic law. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Several Latin Law codes of the Germanic peoples written in the Early Middle Ages (also known as leges barbarorum The Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) , located in Karlsruhe, is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review. The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht BVerfG) is a special Court established by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic Judicial review is the power of the courts to annul the acts of the executive and/or the legislative power where it finds them incompatible with a higher norm ^[45] It acts as the highest legal authority and ensures that legislative and judicial practice conforms to the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Basic Law). The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. It acts independently of the other state bodies, but cannot act on its own behalf.

Germany's supreme court system, called Oberste Gerichtshöfe des Bundes, is specialized. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. For civil and criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the Federal Court of Justice, located in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. The “ Federal Court of Justice of Germany ” ( German: “ Bundesgerichtshof ” or “ BGH ” is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong The courtroom style is inquisitorial. This article is about the inquisitorial system for organizing court proceedings Other Federal Courts are the Federal Labour Court in Erfurt, the Federal Social Court in Kassel, the Federal Finance Court in Munich and the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. The Federal Labor Court ( Bundesarbeitsgericht) is the German federal court of appeals for cases of Labour law, both individual labour law (mostly concerning Erfurt (ˈɛɐ̯fʊɐ̯t is a City in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202619 (2006 The Bundessozialgericht ( German for Federal Social Court) is the German federal court of Appeals for Social security cases Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River in northern Hessen, Germany, one of the two sources of the The Federal Finance Court ( Bundesfinanzhof) is one of the five federal supreme courts of Germany. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. The Federal Administrative Court ( Bundesverwaltungsgericht) is one of the five federal Supreme courts of Germany.

Criminal law and private law are codified on the national level in the Strafgesetzbuch and the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch respectively. The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential Private law (Civil law is that part of a Legal system that involves relationships between individuals The Strafgesetzbuch is the name of the German, Swiss, Liechtenstein and Austrian Criminal law. The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (or BGB) is the Civil code of Germany. The German penal system is aimed towards rehabilitation of the criminal; its secondary goal is the protection of the general public. ^[46] To achieve the latter, a convicted criminal can be put in preventive detention (Sicherheitsverwahrung) in addition to the regular sentence if he is considered to be a threat to the general public. The Völkerstrafgesetzbuch regulates the consequences of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. The Völkerstrafgesetzbuch ( VStGB) is the German law that regulates the crimes against Public international law. In Public international law, a crime against humanity is an act of Persecution or any large scale atrocities against a body of people and is the highest level of Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied It gives German courts universal jurisdiction if prosecution by a court of the country where the crime was committed, or by an international court, is not possible. Universal jurisdiction or universality principle is a controversial principle in International law whereby States claim criminal Jurisdiction

State level

Main article: Law enforcement in Germany

Legislative power is divided between the federation and the state level. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between the different levels of Federalism: the federal level ( Bund) the state level ( Länder) and the Landespolizei (or LaPo is a term used in the Federal Republic of Germany to denote the law enforcement services which patrol the German Bundesländer The Basic Law presumes that all legislative power remains at the state level unless otherwise designated by the Basic Law itself. In some areas, federal and state level have concurrent legislative power. In such cases, the federate level has power to legislation "if and to the extent that the establishment of equal living conditions throughout the federal territory or the maintenance of legal or economic unity renders federal regulation necessary in the national interest" (Art. 72 Basic Law).

Any federal law overrides state law if the legislative power lies at the federal level. A famous example is the Hessian permission of the death penalty that goes against the ban of capital punishment by the Basic Law, rendering the Hessian provision invalid. The Bundesrat is the federal organ through which the states participate in national legislation. The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of State participation in federal legislation is necessary if the law falls within the area of concurrent legislative power, requires states to administer federal regulations, or if designated so by the Basic Law. Every state with the exception of Schleswig-Holstein (whose constitutional jurisdiction is exercised by the Bundesverfassungsgericht in procuration) has its own constitutional courts. is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is Procuration (Lat procurare, to take care of is the action of taking care of hence management stewardship agency The Amtsgerichte, Landgerichte and Oberlandesgerichte are state courts of general jurisdiction. Amtsgericht is German for Local District Court situated in Germany in almost every larger capital of a rural district This article concerns the term "general jurisdiction" as used in reference to Subject matter jurisdiction. They are competent whether the action is based on federal or state law.

Many of the fundamental matters in administrative law remain in the jurisdiction of the states, though most states base their own laws in that area on the 1976 Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz (Administrative Proceedings Act) in important points of administrative law. Administrative law is the body of Law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of Government. The Oberverwaltungsgerichte are the highest levels in administrative jurisdiction concerning the state administrations, unless the question of law concerns federal law or state law identical to federal law. In such cases, final appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is possible.

Demographics

Main articles: Germans, Demographics of Germany, and Social issues in Germany

With over 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union. However, its fertility rate of 1. The total fertility rate ( TFR, sometimes also called the fertility rate, period total fertility rate (PTFR or total 39 children per mother is one of the lowest in the world,^[22] and the federal statistics office estimates the population will shrink to between 69 and 74 million by 2050 (69 million assuming a net migration of +100,000 per year; 74 million assuming a net migration of +200,000 per year). ^[47] Germany has a number of larger cities, the most populous being Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. By far the largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region, including Düsseldorf (the capital of NRW) and the cities of Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, and Bochum. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population The Rhine-Ruhr Area (Rhein-Ruhr in Germany is one of the largest Metropolitan areas in Europe with about 11800000 inhabitants Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Essen (ˈɛsən is a City in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Dortmund (ˈdɔʁtmʊnt is a City in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Duisburg (ˈdyːsbʊɐ̯k is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area ( Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bochum (ˈboːχʊm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

As of December 2004, about seven million foreign citizens were registered in Germany, and 19% of the country's residents were of foreign or partially foreign descent. The young are more likely to be of foreign descent than the old. 30% of Germans aged 15 years and younger have at least one parent born abroad. In the big cities 60% of children aged 5 years and younger have at least one parent born abroad. ^[48] The largest group (2. 3 million)^[49] is from Turkey, and a majority of the rest are from European states such as Italy, Serbia, Greece, Poland, and Croatia. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between ^[50] The United Nations Population Fund lists Germany as host to the third-highest number of international migrants worldwide, about 5% or 10 million of all 191 million migrants, or about 12% of the population of Germany. The United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA) began operations in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (the name was changed in 1987 This is a list of countries by immigrant population, based on the United Nations report World Population Policies 2005. ^[51] As a consequence of restrictions of Germany's formerly rather unrestricted laws on asylum and immigration, the number of immigrants seeking asylum or claiming German ethnicity (mostly from the former Soviet Union) has been declining steadily since 2000. On 1 January 2005, a new Immigration Law came into effect that altered the legal method of Immigration to Germany. Right of asylum (or political asylum) is an ancient Judicial notion under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his ^[52]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Germany

Christianity is the largest religious denomination in Germany with 53 million adherents (64%). Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[53] The second largest religion is Islam with 3. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 3 million adherents (4%) followed by Buddhism and Judaism, both with around 200,000 adherents (ca. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut 0. 25%). Hinduism has some 90,000 adherents (0. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. 1%). All other religious communities in Germany have fewer than 50,000 (or less than 0. 05%) adherents. About 24. 4 million Germans (29. 6%) have no registered religious denomination. Irreligion is a lack of religion indifference to religion or hostility to religion

Protestantism is concentrated in the north and east and Roman Catholicism is concentrated in the south and west. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The German Catholic Church, part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, is under the leadership of the Pope, Curia in Rome, and the Conference Both denominations comprise about 31% of the population each. Christianity is the largest religion in Germany with 59981000 (73 The current Pope, Benedict XVI, was born in Bavaria. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Non-religious people, including atheists and agnostics amount to 29. Irreligion is a lack of religion indifference to religion or hostility to religion Atheism Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the 6% of the population, and are especially numerous in the former East Germany and major metropolitan areas. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state ^[54]

Of the 3. 3 million Muslims most are Sunnis and Alevites from Turkey, but there are a small number of Shiites. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches ^[55] 1. 7% of the country's overall population declares themselves Orthodox Christians, Serbs and Greeks being the most numerous. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions ^[56] Germany has Western Europe's third-largest Jewish population. Jews have lived in Germany, or " Ashkenaz " at least since the early 4th century, through both periods of tolerance and spasms of ^[57] In 2004, twice as many Jews from former Soviet republics settled in Germany as in Israel, bringing the total Jewish population to more than 200,000, compared to 30,000 prior to German reunification. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Large cities with significant Jewish populations include Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. ^[58] Around 250,000 active Buddhists live in Germany; 50% of them are Asian immigrants. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices ^[59]

According to the Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 47% of German citizens agreed with the statement "I believe there is a God", whereas 25% agreed with "I believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 25% said "I do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force". Eurobarometer is a series of surveys regularly performed on behalf of the European Commission since 1973 ^[60]

Languages

Main article: German language

German is the official and predominantly spoken language in Germany. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. ^[61] 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. A working language (also procedural language) is a Language that is given a unique legal status in a Supra -national company society state or other body The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. Recognized native minority languages in Germany are Danish, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian. Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about 500000 members of Frisian Ethnic groups who live on the southern They are officially protected by the ECRML. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ( ECRML) is a European Treaty (CETS 148 adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe Most used immigrant languages are Turkish, Polish, the Balkan languages and Russian. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. This is a list of languages spoken in the Balkans. With the exception of several Turkic languages Hungarian and Circassian all of them belong to the Indo-European family Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

The standard German is a West Germanic language and is closely related to and classified alongside English, Dutch and the Frisian languages. The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of Languages and include languages such as English English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about 500000 members of Frisian Ethnic groups who live on the southern To a lesser extent, it is also related to the East (extinct) and North Germanic languages. The East Germanic languages are a group of extinct Indo-European languages in the Germanic family. The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages Most German vocabulary is derived from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. ^[62] Significant minorities of words derived from Latin, Greek, a smaller amount from French, and most recently English (known as Denglisch). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Denglisch, sometimes spelled Denglish, (also Gerglish or Angleutsch) is a Portmanteau of the words Deutsch and English German is written using the Latin alphabet. In addition to the 26 standard letters, German has three vowels with Umlaut, namely ä, ö and ü, as well as the Eszett or scharfes S (sharp s) which is written "ß" or alternatively " ss ". Diaeresis or trema See also Diaeresis History Historically the diaeresis mark or trema is far older than the umlaut mark The letter ß ( Unicode U+00DF is a letter in the German alphabet.

German dialects are distinguished from varieties of standard German. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Standard German ( German: Hochdeutsch) is the standard varieties of the German language used as a Written language, in formal contexts The German dialects are the traditional local varieties and are traced back to the different German tribes. Many of them are not easily understandable to someone who knows only standard German, since they often differ from standard German in lexicon, phonology and syntax. In Linguistics, the lexicon (from Greek Λεξικόν of a language is its Vocabulary, including its words and expressions Phonology ( Greek φωνή (phōnē voice sound + λόγος (lógos word speech subject of discussion is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning In Linguistics, syntax (from Ancient Greek grc συν- syn-, "together" and grc τάξις táxis, "arrangement" is the

Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers and also about 80 million non-native speakers. A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth ^[63] German is the main language of about 90 million people (18%) in the EU. 67% of the German citizens claim to be able to communicate in at least one foreign language, 27% in at least two languages other than their own. ^[61]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Germany

Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, the third largest by nominal GDP in the world, and ranked fifth by GDP (PPP) . PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation ^[64] Growth in 2007 was 2. 4% and is predicted to retain this level in the following years. ^[65] Since the age of industrialisation the country has been motor, innovator and beneficiary of an ever more globalized economy. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one The export of goods "Made in Germany" is one of the main factors of the country's wealth. Germany is the world's top exporter with $1. This is a list of countries by Exports, based on The World Factbook. 133 trillion exported in 2006 (Eurozone countries are included) and generates a trade surplus of €165 billion . Euro Enlargement of the The balance of trade (or net exports, sometimes symbolized as NX) is the difference between the monetary value of Exports and imports in an ^[66] The service sector contributes around 70% to the total GDP, the industry 29. 1% and agriculture 0. 9%. Most of the country's products are in engineering, especially in automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods. ^[22] Germany is the leading producer of wind turbines and solar power technology in the world. The largest, annual, international trade fairs and congresses are held in several German cities such as Hanover, Frankfurt and Berlin. ^[67]

Among the world's largest stock market signed companies measured by revenue, the Fortune Global 500, 37 companies are headquartered in Germany. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The Fortune Global 500 is a ranking of the top 500 Corporations worldwide as measured by Revenue. The ten biggest are Daimler, Volkswagen, Allianz (the most profitable company), Siemens, Deutsche Bank (2nd most profitable company), E.ON, Deutsche Post, Deutsche Telekom, Metro and BASF. Daimler AG ( (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG) is a German car corporation (not to be confused with the British car-maker Daimler Motor Company) and SE (formerly AG,,) is a large Financial services provider headquartered in Munich, Germany. Deutsche Bank AG (literally "German Bank" ˈdɔɪtʃə,) is an international Universal bank with a broad private clients franchise headquartered in EON AG ( an energy corporation based in Düsseldorf, Germany, is the largest of the 30 members of the DAX Stock index of major Deutsche Post AG () is a German postal, Logistics and Courier company successor to the former German state-owned mail Deutsche Telekom AG (,) ( English translation German Telecom) (abbreviated DTAG) is a Telecommunications company headquartered in Metro AG ( is a diversified Retail and Wholesale / cash and carry group based in Germany. BASF SE () is a German chemical company and the largest chemical company in the world ^[68] Among the largest employers are also Deutsche Post, Robert Bosch and Edeka. Deutsche Post AG () is a German postal, Logistics and Courier company successor to the former German state-owned mail Robert Bosch ( September 23, 1861 - March 12, 1942) was a German industrialist founder of Robert Bosch GmbH. The Edeka Group is the largest German Supermarket Corporation, currently holding a market share of 26% ^[69] Well known global brands are Mercedes Benz, SAP, BMW, adidas, Audi, Porsche and Nivea. Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the SAP AG (,) is the largest European Software enterprise and the fourth largest in the world with headquarters in Walldorf, Germany ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 WikipediaManual of Style (trademarks, which says "Lowercased trademarks with no internal AUDI AG, ( Xetra: NSU commonly known as Audi (aˈʊdi is a German Automobile manufacturer which produces Audi branded cars with headquarters Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch Nivea is a large global skin- and body-care brand owned by the German company Beiersdorf. ^[70]

Germany is a strong advocate of closer European economic and political integration, and its commercial policies are increasingly determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and EU single market legislation. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Germany uses the common European currency, the euro, and its monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The European Central Bank (ECB is one of the world's most important Central banks responsible for Monetary policy covering the 15 member countries of the After the German reunification in 1990, the standard of living and annual income remains significantly higher in the former West German states. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population ^[71] The modernisation and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a long-term process scheduled to the year 2019, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The overall unemployment rate has constantly fallen since 2005 and reached a 14-year-Low in November 2007 with 8. 1%. ^[72] The percentage is ranging from 6. 7% in former Western Germany to 13. 4% in former Eastern Germany. The former government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder launched a comprehensive set of reforms of labour market and welfare-related institutions. The current government runs a restrictive fiscal policy and has cut regular jobs in the public sector aiming for a balanced federal budget in 2008. Fiscal policy, taking the scope of Budgetary policy, refers to government policy that attempts to influence the direction of the economy through changes in government taxes The public sector is the part of economic and administrative life that deals with the delivery of goods and services by and for the Government, whether national Regional ^[73][74]

Infrastructure

Main articles: Energy in Germany and Transport in Germany

In 2002 Germany was the world's fifth largest consumer of energy, and two-thirds of its primary energy was imported. In the same year, Germany was Europe's largest consumer of electricity; electricity consumption that year totalled 512. 9 billion kilowatt-hours. Government policy emphasizes conservation and the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was Biomass refers to living and recently dead Biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth and therme, meaning heat is energy generated by heat stored in the earth or the collection As a result of energy-saving measures, energy efficiency (the amount of energy required to produce a unit of gross domestic product) has been improving since the beginning of the 1970s. The government has set the goal of meeting half the country's energy demands from renewable sources by 2050. In 2000 the government and the German nuclear power industry agreed to phase out all nuclear power plants by 2021. Nuclear power in Germany has been high on the political agenda in recent decades with continuing debates about whether or not the technology should be phased out Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions ^[75] However, renewable energy is playing a more modest role in energy consumption. In 2006 energy consumption was met by the following sources: oil (35. 7%) , coal, including lignite (23. 9%) , natural gas (22. 8%) , nuclear (12. 6%) , hydro and wind power (1. 3%) , and other (3. 7%).

By its central position in Europe, Germany is an important transportation hub. This is reflected in its dense and modern transportation networks. Probably most famous is the extensive motorway (Autobahn) network that ranks worldwide third largest in its total length and features lack of blanket speed limits on the majority of routes. (German ˈaʊtoːbaːn plural Autobahnen; English /ˈɔːtəʊbɑːn/ is the German word for a major high- Speed Road restricted to motor

Germany has established a polycentric network of high-speed trains. The InterCityExpress or ICE is predominantly serving major German cities and destinations in neighbouring countries. The InterCityExpress or ICE (German pronunciation) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries The train speed varies from 160 km/h to 300 km/h and is the most advanced service category of the Deutsche Bahn. Deutsche Bahn AG ( DB AG, DBAG or DB) is the German national Railway company Connections are offered in either 30-minute, hourly or bi-hourly intervals. ^[76]

Science

Main article: Science and technology in Germany

Germany has been the home of some of the most prominent researchers in various scientific fields. ^[77] The Nobel Prize has been awarded to 98 German laureates. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The work of Albert Einstein and Max Planck was crucial to the foundation of modern physics, which Werner Heisenberg and Max Born developed further. Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Werner Heisenberg (5 December 1901 in Würzburg &ndash1 February 1976 in Munich) was a German theoretical physicist best known for enunciating the Max Born (11 December 1882 &ndash 5 January 1970 was a German Physicist and Mathematician who was instrumental in the development of Quantum ^[78] They were preceded by physicists such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Joseph von Fraunhofer, and Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit. Joseph von Fraunhofer ( March 6, 1787 &ndash June 7, 1826) was a German optician Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays, an accomplishment that made him the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 &ndash 10 February 1923 was a German physicist, who on 8 November 1895 produced and detected Electromagnetic X-radiation (composed of X-rays) is a form of Electromagnetic radiation. The Nobel Prize in Physics (Nobelpriset i fysik is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. ^[79] In Germany and many other countries X-rays are called "Röntgenstrahlen" (Röntgen-rays). Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's work in the domain of electromagnetic radiation was pivotal to the development of modern telecommunication. Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( February 22, 1857 – January 1, 1894) was a German physicist who clarified and expanded the electromagnetic theory Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of self-propagating Waves in a Vacuum or in Matter. ^[80] Through his construction of the first laboratory at the University of Leipzig in 1879, Wilhelm Wundt is credited with the establishment of psychology as an independent empirical science. The University of Leipzig (Universität Leipzig located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt ( August 16 1832 - August 31 1920) was a German medical doctor psychologist physiologist and professor Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and ^[81] Alexander von Humboldt's work as a natural scientist and explorer was foundational to biogeography. (September 14 1769 &ndash May 6 1859 was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister philosopher and linguist Biogeography is the study of the distribution of Biodiversity over Space and Time. ^[82]

Numerous significant mathematicians were born in Germany, including Carl Friedrich Gauss, David Hilbert, Bernhard Riemann, Gottfried Leibniz, Karl Weierstrass and Hermann Weyl. A cleanroom is an environment typically used in Manufacturing or scientific research that has a low level of environmental Pollutants such as dust airborne Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (ˈɡaʊs, Gauß Carolus Fridericus Gauss ( 30 April 1777 – 23 February 1855) was a German David Hilbert ( January 23, 1862 &ndash February 14, 1943) was a German Mathematician, recognized as one of the most Karl Theodor Wilhelm Weierstrass ( Weierstraß) ( October 31, 1815 &ndash February 19, 1897) was a German mathematician Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl ( 9 November 1885 – 8 December 1955) was a German Mathematician. Germany has been the home of many famous inventors and engineers, such as Johannes Gutenberg, who is credited with the invention of movable type printing in Europe; Hans Geiger, the creator of the Geiger counter; and Konrad Zuse, who built the first fully automatic digital computer. An inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method form device or other useful means An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of Engineering. Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg ( 1398 &ndash February 3, 1468) was a German Goldsmith and printer who is credited Movable type is the system of Printing and Typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual letters or punctuation Printing is a process for reproducing text and image typically with ink on Paper using a printing press Johannes (Hans Wilhelm Geiger ( September 30, 1882 &ndash September 24, 1945) was a German Physicist. A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger-Müller counter, is a type of Particle detector that measures Ionizing radiation. Konrad Zuse (ˈkɔnʁat ˈtsuːzə June 22, 1910 Berlin - December 18, 1995 Hünfeld) was a German ^[83] German inventors, engineers and industrialists such as Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Otto Lilienthal, Gottlieb Daimler, Rudolf Diesel, Hugo Junkers and Karl Benz helped shape modern automotive and air transportation technology. Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf von Zeppelin mostly called Count Zeppelin) ( July 8, 1838 – March 8, 1917) was a Otto Lilienthal (born 23 May, 1848 in Anklam, Province of Pomerania &ndash died 10 August, 1896 in Berlin Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler ( March 17, 1834 - March 6, 1900) was an Engineer, Industrial designer and Industrialist Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈkʁɪstjan ˈkaʁl ˈdiːzəl March 18, 1858 – last seen alive September 29, 1913) was a Hugo Junkers ( 3 February 1859 - 3 February 1935) was an innovative German Engineer, as his many Patents Karl Friedrich Benz, sometimes spelled Carl, ( November 25, 1844, Karlsruhe, Germany – April 4, 1929, Ladenburg ^[84][85]

Important research institutions in Germany are the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft and the Fraunhofer Society. The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (German Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren) is the largest scientific organisation in Germany The Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a German research organization with 58 institutes spread throughout Germany each focusing on different fields of applied They are independently or externally connected to the university system and contribute to a considerable extent to the scientific output. The prestigious award Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is granted to ten scientists and academics every year. The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (complete German title de "Förderpreis für deutsche Wissenschaftler im [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]]-Programm der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft" With a maximum of €2. 5 million per award it is one of highest endowed research prizes in the world. ^[86]

Education

Main article: Education in Germany

Responsibility for educational oversight in Germany lies primarily with the federal states individually whilst the government only has a minor role. Responsibility for German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government only has a minor role Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least ten years. ( German, literally means "children's garden" is a form of education for young children which serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling Compulsory education is Education which children are required by law to receive and governments to provide Primary education usually lasts for four years and public schools are not stratified at this stage. Primary education is the first stage of Compulsory education. ^[87] In contrast, secondary education includes four types of schools based on a pupil's ability as determined by teacher recommendations: the Gymnasium includes the most gifted children and prepares students for university studies and attendance lasts eight or nine years depending on the state; the Realschule has a broader range of emphasis for intermediary students and lasts six years; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education, and the Gesamtschule or comprehensive school combines the three approaches. Australia See also Education A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar The Realschule is a type of Secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. A "Hauptschule" (general school is a Secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of Elementary schooling Any student A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic ^[87]

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, assesses the skills of 15-year olds in OECD countries and a number of partner countries. The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg ( University of Heidelberg, Ruperto Carola, Heidelberg University, or simply Heidelberg) is a In 2006, German schoolchildren improved their position on previous years, being ranked (statistically) significantly above average (rank 13) in science skills and statistically not significantly above or below average on mathematical skills (rank 20) and reading skills (rank 18). ^[88][89] The socio-economic gradient was very high in Germany, the pupils' performance in Germany being more dependent on the socio-economic factors than in most other countries. ^[88][89]

To enter a university, high school students are required to take the Abitur examination, similar to A-levels; however, students possessing a diploma from a vocational school may also apply to enter. Abitur (from Latin abire = go away go off is a designation used in Germany and Finland for final exams that young adults take at the end of The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, ATTENTION *** This article is not "Vocational education in the United States" A special system of apprenticeship called Duale Ausbildung allows pupils in vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a state-run school. ^[87] Most German universities are state-owned and charge for tuition fees ranging from €50–500 per semester from each student. ^[90]

Germany's universities are recognised internationally, indicating the high education standards in the country. In the 2006 THES - QS World University Rankings,^[91] 10 German universities were ranked amongst the top 200 in the world. The THES - QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings around the world published by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES

Culture

Main article: Culture of Germany

Germany is often called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). This article deals with the Culture of Germany as a political state within Europe for a review of the culture of the German-speaking world, see Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. ^[92] German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs As a result, it is difficult to identify a specific German tradition separated from the larger framework of European high culture. High culture is a term now used in a number of different ways in Academic discourse whose most common meaning is the set of cultural products mainly in the ^[93] Another consequence of these circumstances is the fact, that some historical figures, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka and Paul Celan, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, must be seen in the context of the German cultural sphere to understand their historical situation, work and social relations. Paul Celan (ˈpaʊl tseˈlaːn November 23, 1920 – approximately April 20, 1970) was the most frequently used Pseudonym of

Germany claims some of the world's most renowned classical music composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. Franz Marc ( February 8, 1880 &ndash March 4, 1916) was one of the principal painters and printmakers of the German Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer As of 2006, Germany is the fifth largest music market in the world and has influenced pop and rock music through artists such as Kraftwerk, Scorpions and Rammstein. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from Scorpions are a heavy metal / Hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem " Rock You Like a Rammstein (ˈʀamʃtaɪ̯n is a German Industrial metal band founded in Berlin, and consisting of Till Lindemann ( lead vocals ^[94]

Numerous German painters have enjoyed international prestige through their work in diverse artistic currents. Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grünewald, and Albrecht Dürer were important artists of the Renaissance, Caspar David Friedrich of Romanticism, and Max Ernst of Surrealism. Matthias Grünewald or "Mathis" (as first name "Gothart" or "Neithardt" (as surname (c Albrecht Dürer (ˈalbʀɛçt ˈdyʀɐ ( May 21, 1471 &ndash April 6, 1528) was a German painter, Printmaker The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Caspar David Friedrich ( September 5, 1774 &ndash May 7, 1840) was a landscape painter of the nineteenth-century German Romantic Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Max Ernst ( 2 April 1891 &ndash 1 April 1976) was a German painter, Sculptor, Graphic artist, and Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Architectural contributions from Germany include the Carolingian and Ottonian styles, which were important precursors of Romanesque. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Carolingian architecture is the style of north European architecture belonging to the period of the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and 9th centuries Ottonian Architecture evolved during the reign of Emperor Otto the Great ( 936 - 975) Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which The region later became the site for significant works in styles such as Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe in which there was a Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical Germany was particularly important in the early modern movement, especially through the Bauhaus movement founded by Walter Gropius. This article is concerned with architectural aspects of Modernism; for the most recent developments in architecture see Contemporary architecture. ("House of Building" or "Building School" is the common term for the, a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts and was famous Walter Adolph Georg Gropius ( May 18, 1883 &ndash July 5, 1969) was a German Architect and founder of Bauhaus Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, also from Germany, became one of world's most renowned architects in the second half of the 20th century. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (ˈlʊdvɪç miːs faːn dɛʀ ˈʀoːɐ born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies ( March 27, 1886 &ndash August 17, 1969 The glass facade skyscraper was his idea. ^[95]

Philosophy

German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the works of writers such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach. Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg Walther von der Vogelweide (c 1170 - c 1230 is the most celebrated of the Middle High German lyric Poets Life history For all his fame Walther's Various German authors and poets have won great renown, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ (10 November 1759 9 May 1805 was a German Poet, Philosopher The collections of folk tales published by the Brothers Grimm popularized German folklore on the international level. The Brothers Grimm ( German: Die Gebrüder Grimm) Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German folklore shares many characteristics with Scandinavian folklore and English folklore due to their origins in a common Germanic mythology. Influential authors of the 20th century include Thomas Mann, Berthold Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Böll, and Günter Grass. Paul Thomas Mann ( June (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. Hermann Hesse (ˈhɛʀman ˈhɛsə ( 2 July, 1877 — 9 August, 1962) was a German - Swiss poet novelist and painter Heinrich Theodor Böll ( December 21, 1917 — July 16, 1985) was one of Germany 's foremost post- World War II writers Günter Wilhelm Grass (born 16 October 1927 is a Nobel Prize -winning German Author and Playwright. ^[96]

Germany's influence on philosophy is historically significant and many notable German philosophers have helped shape western philosophy since the Middle Ages. German philosophy, here taken to mean either (1 Philosophy in the German language or (2 Philosophy by Germans has been extremely diverse and central Western philosophy is a term that refers to philosophical thinking in the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies Gottfried Leibniz's contributions to rationalism, Immanuel Kant's, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling's and Johann Gottlieb Fichte's establishment of the classical German idealism, Karl Marx's and Friedrich Engels' formulation of Communist theory, Arthur Schopenhauer's composition of metaphysical pessimism, Friedrich Nietzsche's development of Perspectivism, Martin Heidegger's works on Being, and the social theories of Jürgen Habermas were especially influential. In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling ( January 27, 1775 – August 20, 1854) later von Schelling, was a German Philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte ( May 19, 1762 – January 27, 1814) was a German philosopher German idealism was a philosophical movement in Germany in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895 was a German social scientist and philosopher, who Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist Perspectivism is the philosophical view developed by Friedrich Nietzsche that all Ideations take place from particular perspectives This means Martin Heidegger ( September 26, 1889 &ndash May 26, 1976) (ˈmaɐ̯tiːn ˈhaɪ̯dɛgɐ was an influential German philosopher Jürgen Habermas (ˈjʏʁgən ˈhaːbɐmaːs born June 18, 1929 is a German Philosopher and Sociologist in the tradition of

Media

Germany's television market is the largest in Europe, with some 34 million TV households. The many regional and national public broadcasters are organised in line with the federal political structure. Around 90% of German households have cable or satellite TV, and viewers can choose from a variety of free-to-view public and commercial channels. Pay-TV services have not become popular or successful while public TV broadcasters ZDF and ARD offer a range of digital-only channels. Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen ("Second German Television" ZDF, is a public service German Television channel based in Mainz. ARD ( Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland &ndash "Consortium of public-law broadcasting institutions of ^[97]

Germany is home to some of the world's largest media conglomerates, including Bertelsmann and the publisher Axel Springer. Bertelsmann AG is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835 based in Gütersloh, Germany. Axel Springer ( May 2, 1912, Altona, Hamburg - September 22, 1985, West Berlin) was a German journalist Some of Germany's top free-to-air commercial TV networks are owned by ProSiebenSat1.

The country's news is provided in English by news magazine Der Spiegel, state broadcaster Deutsche Welle and news site The Local. Der Spiegel (pronounced /deːɐ ˈʃpiːɡəl/ German for "The Mirror" is a German weekly Magazine, published in Hamburg Deutsche Welle ('Welle' pronounced with a 'v' sound IPA /'vɛlə/ or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The Local is an English-language online Newspaper published in Sweden and Germany.

In November 2007 the top visited websites by German internet users have been Google, Ebay, Youtube, Yahoo, studiVZ and Wikipedia. Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees StudiVZ is a Social networking platform for students in particular college and university students in Europe based in Berlin, Germany. ***************************************************************************************** * * ^[98]

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Germany

German cinema dates back to the very early years of the medium with the work of Max Skladanowsky. Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the very beginnings of the medium at the end of the 19th century The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading Film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin Max Skladanowsky ( April 30 1863 &ndash November 30 1939) was a German Inventor and early Filmmaker. It was particularly influential during the years of the Weimar Republic with German expressionists such as Robert Wiene and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. German Expressionism is the term used to refer to a number of related creative movements which emerged in Germany before the first world war which reached a peak in Berlin Robert Wiene ( April 27, 1873, Breslau – June 16, 1938, Paris) was Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, better known as F W Murnau ( December 28, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1931) was one of the most influential Austria-based director Fritz Lang, who became a German citizen in 1926 and whose career flourished in pre-war German film industry, is said to be a major influence on Hollywood cinema. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American His silent movie Metropolis (1927) is referred to as birth of modern Science Fiction movies. Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou.

In 1930 Austrian-American Josef von Sternberg directed The Blue Angel, which was the first major German sound film and it brought world fame to actress Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer The Blue Angel ( Der blaue Engel) is a film directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930, based on Heinrich Mann 's novel Professor The Blue Angel ( Der blaue Engel) is a film directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930, based on Heinrich Mann 's novel Professor A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer ^[99] Impressionist documentary Berlin: Symphony of a Great City directed by Walter Ruttmann, is a prominent example of the city symphony genre. Berlin Symphony of a Great City (German Berlin Die Sinfonie der Großstadt) a 1927 German Silent film directed by Walter Walter Ruttmann ( December 28 1887 &ndash July 15 1941) was a German Film director and along with Hans Richter and The Nazi era produced mostly propaganda films although the work of Leni Riefenstahl still introduced new aesthetics in film. Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl ( August 22 1902 – September 8 2003) was a German Film director ^[100]

During the 1970-80s, New German Cinema directors such as Volker Schlöndorff, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder placed West-German cinema back onto the international stage with their often provocative films. New German cinema ( German -Neuer Deutsche Film or JDF „Junger Deutscher Film“ is a period in German cinema which lasted from the late 1960s into the 1980s Volker Schlöndorff (born in Wiesbaden, Germany on March 31, 1939) is a Berlin -based German filmmaker Werner Herzog (born Werner H Stipetić; September 5 1942 is a German Film director, Screenwriter, actor and Opera director Ernst Wilhelm ("Wim" Wenders (born August 14, 1945) is a German Film director, Playwright, Author, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (May 31 1945 &ndash June 10 1982 was a German Film director, Screenwriter and Actor. ^[101]

More recently, films such as Das Boot (1981) , Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998) , Das Experiment (2001) , Good Bye Lenin! (2003) , Gegen die Wand (Head-on) (2004) and Der Untergang (Downfall) (2004) have enjoyed international success. Das Boot (das boːt German for The Boat) is a 1981 feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, adapted from a novel of the same Run Lola Run (original German title Lola rennt, translates as Lola Runs) is a 1998 Film by German Das Experiment ("The Experiment" in the US) is a 2001 German movie directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and inspired Good Bye Lenin! is a German Tragicomedy Film, released internationally in 2003. Head-On ( German: Gegen die Wand ( Against the Wall) Turkish: Downfall ( Der Untergang) is a 2004 German / Austrian Drama film depicting the final twelve days of Adolf Hitler The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film went to the German production Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) in 1979, to Nowhere in Africa in 2002, and to Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) in 2007. The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars handed out annually by the U The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel is a 1979 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Günter Grass. Nowhere in Africa ( Nirgendwo in Afrika) is an epic 2001 German film directed by Caroline Link and based on the autobiographical novel The Lives of Others (original German: Das Leben der Anderen) is a German Drama film, marking the feature film debut of ^[102] Among the most famous German actors are Marlene Dietrich, Klaus Kinski, Hanna Schygulla, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Jürgen Prochnow and Thomas Kretschmann. Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer Klaus Kinski ( October 18, 1926 &ndash November 23, 1991) was a German Actor, famous for his ability to project onscreen Hanna Schygulla (born 25 December 1943) is a German actress and chanson singer. Armin Müller-Stahl (born December 17 1930) is a German film actor Jürgen Prochnow ( 'jʏɐgən 'pʀɔxnoː born June 10, 1941) is a German Actor. Thomas Kretschmann (born September 8 1962) is a German Actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies

The Berlin Film Festival, held annually since 1951, is one of the world's foremost film festivals. The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading Film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin An international jury places emphasis on representing films from all over the world and awards the winner with the Golden and Silver Bears. ^[103] The annual European Film Awards ceremony is held every second year in the city of Berlin, where the European Film Academy (EFA) is located. The European Film Awards are presented annually by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements The European Film Academy and the European Film Awards are an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first The Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam are the oldest large-scale film studios in the world and a centre for international film production. The Babelsberg Studios, located in Potsdam - Babelsberg, Germany, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world

Sports

Main article: Sport in Germany

Sport forms an integral part of German life. Twenty-seven million Germans are members of a sports club and an additional twelve million pursue such an activity individually. ^[104] Football (soccer) is the most popular sport. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered With more than 6. 3 million official members, the German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund ) is the largest sports organisation of this kind worldwide. ^[104] The Bundesliga attracts the second highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. The Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany 's football league system. The table below lists domestic professional Sports leagues from around the world by total attendances for the last completed season for which data is available The German national football team won the FIFA World Cup in 1954, 1974 and 1990 and the European Football Championship in 1972, 1980 and 1996. The German national football team (Die deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft From 1950 to 1990 the team was also informally called West Germany in English as since The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Germany has hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1974 and 2006 and the UEFA European Football Championship in 1988. The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup was held in West Germany from June 13 to July 7. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. Among the most successful and renowned footballers are Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Jürgen Klinsmann, Lothar Matthäus, and Oliver Kahn. Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach manager and former player nicknamed der Kaiser Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (German ˈgɛʀt ˈmʏlɐ born November 3, 1945 in Nördlingen) is a former (West German football Jürgen Klinsmann (born July 30, 1964 in Göppingen) is a German football manager and former football player who played for several Lothar Herbert Matthäus (born March 21, 1961) is a German former football player and now manager currently managing Israeli club Oliver Rolf Kahn (born 15 June 1969 in Karlsruhe) is a former German football goalkeeper Other popular spectator sports include handball, volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, and tennis. Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a Team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) ^[104]

Germany is one of the leading motorsports countries in the world. Race winning cars, teams and drivers have come from Germany. The most successful Formula One driver in history, Michael Schumacher has set the most significant motorsport records during his career and won more Formula One championships and races than any other driver since Formula one's debut season in 1946. Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation;) (born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula He is one of the highest paid sportsmen in history and became a Billionaire athlete. ^[105] Constructers like BMW and Mercedes are among the leading teams in motorsport sponsoring. ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the Porsche has won the 24 hours of Le Mans, a prestigious annual race held in France, 16 times. Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a popular series in Germany. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters ( DTM, German Touring Car Masters is a Touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere

Historically, German sportsmen have been some of the most successful contenders in the Olympic Games, ranking third in an all-time Olympic Games medal count, combining East and West German medals. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Germany finished sixth in the medal count,^[106] while in the 2006 Winter Olympics they finished first. The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in ^[107] Germany has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, in Berlin in 1936 and in Munich in 1972. The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was The Winter Olympic Games took place once in 1936 when they were staged in the Bavarian twin towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen. The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a Market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a Market town in Bavaria, southern Germany.

Cuisine

Main article: German cuisine

German cuisine varies greatly from region to region. German cuisine varies greatly from region to region The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbours to the south Black Forest cake ( American English) and Black Forest gateau ( British English) are the English names for the southern German The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for instance, share a culinary culture with Switzerland and Austria. Pork, beef, and poultry are the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany, with pork being the most popular. Pork' is the Culinary name for Meat from the domestic Pig ( Sus scrofa) often specifically the fresh meat but can be used as an all-inclusive ^[108] Throughout all regions, meat is often eaten in sausage form. More than 1500 different types of sausage are produced in Germany. A sausage is a prepared Food, usually made from Ground meat, animal fat salt and Spices (sometimes with other ingredients such as herbs typically packed The most popular vegetables are potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnip, spinach and beans. ^[109] Organic food has gained a market share of around 3. Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional Pesticides artificial Fertilizers 0% and is predicted to be an increasing trend. ^[110]

A popular saying in Germany is: "Breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king, and dine like a beggar. " Breakfast is usually a selection of cereals and jam or honey with bread. Some Germans eat cold meats or cheese with bread for breakfast. ^[111] More than 300 types of breads, sold in bakery shops, are known throughout the country. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. ^[112]

As a country with many immigrants, Germany has adopted many international dishes into its cuisine and daily eating habits. Italian dishes like Pizza and Pasta, Turkish and Arab dishes like Döner Kebab and Falafel are well established, especially in bigger cities. Italian cuisine as a national Cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes with its roots traced back to 4th century BC Pizza (ˈpiːtsə, in Italian:) is a popular dish made with an Oven -baked flat generally round Bread that is covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based Pasta ( Italian for "dough" is a generic term for Italian variants of Noodles. Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Döner kebab ( Turkish döner kebap, literally "turning roast" is a Turkish national dish made of Meat cooked on a vertical spit Falafel (فلافل; פלאפל also known in Egypt and Sudan as ta'meya Arabic طعمية is a fried ball or patty made from Spiced Fava International burger chains, as well as Chinese and Greek restaurants, are widespread. A hamburger (or burger) is a Sandwich consisting of a cooked ground Meat Patty, usually Beef, placed in a sliced bun or between Chinese cuisine ( Traditional Chinese: 中國菜 Simplified Chinese: 中国菜 originated from the various regions of China and has become widespread in The Greek cuisine ( Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα is Greece's traditional Cuisine, a typical Mediterranean cuisine Contemporary Indian, Thai, Japanese, and other Asian cuisines have gained popularity in recent decades. Japanese Cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes Among high-profile restaurants in Germany the Michelin guide has awarded three stars, the highest designation, to nine restaurants; 15 more received two stars. The Michelin Guide ( Le Guide Michelin) is a series of annual Guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries ^[113] German restaurants have become the world's second most decorated after eateries in France. ^[114]

Although wine is becoming more popular in many parts of Germany, the national drink is beer. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea German beer consumption per person is declining but at 116 litres annually it is still among the highest in the world. ^[115] Beer varieties include Alt, Bock, Dunkel, Kölsch, Lager, Malzbier, Pils, and Weizenbier. Altbier (often abbreviated to Alt) is the name given to a form of German top-fermenting beer that originated in Westphalia and spread to parts of the Rhineland Bock is a strong Lager which has origins in the Hanseatic town Einbeck, Germany. Dunkel (or Dunkles) is a dark German beer Dunkel is the German word meaning dark, and dunkel beers typically range in colour from amber to dark Kölsch is a local Beer speciality brewed in Cologne, Germany. Lager (storage camp bearing etc is the more popular of two main types of Beer; the other being Ale. Malzbier is a form of sweet low- Alcohol (0 - 1% Beer that is brewed like normal beer but without fermentation by adding the Yeast at or about 0 °C Pilsner, sometimes pilsener or simply pils, is a Pale lager, developed in the 19th century in the city of Pilsen, Bohemia ( Wheat beer is a Beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of Wheat. Among 18 surveyed western countries, Germany ranked 14th in the list of per capita consumption of soft drinks in general, while it ranked third in the consumption of fruit juices. ^[116] Furthermore, sparkling mineral water and Schorle (its mixture with fruit juice) are extremely popular in Germany.

Society

Germany has promoted itself as Land of ideas. Claudia Schiffer (born August 25, 1970) is a German model and actress who reached the height of her popularity during the 1990s due to her close resemblance A campaign that has started in the year 2006 accompanying the Football World Cup Finals finds its continuation in 2008. The campaign focuses recent innovations in public and private institutions, universities and research institutes, companies, as well as social and cultural projects. ^[117]

Since the World Cup celebrations the internal and external perception of the country's image has changed. ^[118] In regularly conducted global surveys known as the Anholt GMI Index, Germany as a nation brand, has become significantly and repeatedly higher ranked after the football tournament. Besides economic criteria people were asked to assess a country's reputation in terms of culture, politics, its people and its attractiveness to tourists. Germany has been named the world's second most valued nation brand among 35 countries. Nation branding is a field of theory and practice which aims to measure build and manage the Reputation of countries (closely related to Place branding) ^[119] Another global opinion poll for the BBC revealed that Germany is recognized for the most positive influence in the world, leading 22 investigated countries. A majority of 56% have a positive view of the country, while 18% have a negative view. ^[120][121]

Germany is a legally and socially tolerant country towards homosexuals. Sellin is a municipality on the Isle of Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Rügen (ˈʁyːgən or Rugia is Germany 's largest Island. It is located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Civil unions have been permitted since 2001. A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to Marriage. ^[122] Gays and lesbians can legally adopt their partner's biological children (stepchild adoption). The two mayors of the largest German cities Berlin and Hamburg are openly gay politicians. ^[123]

During the last decade of the 20th century Germany has transformed its attitude towards immigrants considerably. Until the mid-nineties the opinion was widespread that Germany is not a country of immigration in spite of an approximately 10% population of non-German origin. After the end of the influx of so-called Gastarbeiter (blue-collar guest-workers), refugees were a tolerated exception to this point of view. (native pronunciation /ˈɡastˌʔaːbaɪtɐ/ is German for "guest worker" (or "guest workers" - the plural is the same as the singular Today the government and the German society are acknowledging the opinion, that controlled immigration should be allowed based on the qualification of immigrants. ^[124]

With an expenditure of €58 billion for international travel in 2005, Germans invested more money in travel than any other country. Most popular destinations were Austria, Spain, Italy and France. ^[125]

See also

Main article: List of basic Germany topics

References

External links

General

• Deutschland.de — Official German portal
• Germany Tourism
• German news and features, Expatica
• DW-WORLD.DE Deutsche Welle — Germany's international broadcaster
• The Local — Germany's news in English Independent English-language news web site
• News Portal of the German Embassy to the USA
• History of Germany since 1945PDF (1. 28 MB)

Facts and figures

• CIA statistics
• Facts about Germany — by the German Federal Foreign Office
• Destatis.de — Federal Statistical Office Germany (English)

Travel

• Germany travel guide from Wikitravel
• Germany Travel Info — by the German National Tourist Office

Pictures

• Database of travelers' photos sorted by region (fotocommunity)

Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide.

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