GERMAN

Y
By
MAHESH JOSHI
CONTE
NT
1. Introduction
2. History
3. Culture
4. Language
5. Administration
6. Geography
7. Music
8. Sports
9. Cuisine
10. Resources
11. Social Life
12. Politics
13. Tourists
Attraction
14. Bibliography
INTRODUCTI
ON

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic in

western- central Europe. The country consists of 16
states, and its capital and largest city is Berlin.
Germany covers an area of 357,021 square
kilometers (137,847 sq mi) and has a largely
temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million
inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in
the European Union. Germany is one of the major
political and economic powers of the European
HISTOR
Y
The concept of Germany as a
distinct region in central Europe can
be traced to Roman commander
Julius Caesar, who referred to the
unconquered area east of the Rhine
as Germania, thus distinguishing it
from Gaul (France), which he had
conquered. The victory of the
Germanic tribes in the Battle of the
Teutoburg Basic view of second- to fifth-
century migrations
Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation
by
the Roman Empire. Following the fall
of the Roman Empire, the Franks
conquered the other West Germanic
tribes. When
the Frankish Empire was divided
among Charlemagne's heirs in
CULTU
RE
From its roots, culture in German states has been shaped by
major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both
religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called
Das Land der Dichter und Denker ("the land of poets and
thinkers"), because of the major role its famous writers and
philosophers have played in the development of Western
thought and culture.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–

1827), composer
LANGUA
GE
German is the official and predominant spoken language in
Germany. It is one of 23 official languages in the European
Union, and one of the three working languages of the
European Commission. Recognised native minority languages
in Germany are Danish, Low
German, Sorbian, Romany, and Frisian; they are officially
protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages. The most used immigrant languages are Turkish,
Kurdish, Polish, the Balkan languages, and Russian; 67% of
German scitizens
other than their
claim to be able to communicate in at least
own.language and 27% in at least two language
one foreign

City limits sign; this city is called Emlichheim

in High German and Emmelkamp in Low
German
ADMINISTRATI
ON
Many of the fundamental matters of 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)
covering important points of administrative law.
The Oberverwaltungsgerichte are the highest level of
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.

German State
Police, typical
officer uniforms
and car colors
GEOGRAP
HY
Germany is in Western and Central
Europe, with Denmark bordering to
the north, Poland and the Czech
Republic to the east, Austria and
Switzerland to the south, France
and Luxembourg to the southwest,
and Belgium and
the Netherlands to the northwest.
It lies mostly between latitude
47° and
55° N , and longitudes 5° and 16°
E. The territory 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. It is the seventh largest
country by area in Europe and the
MUSI
C
German classical music comprises works by some of the
world's most well-known composers, including Ludwig van
Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, Johannes
Brahms, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.

German Singer
Heino
SPORT
S
Twenty-seven million Germans are members of a sports club
and an additional twelve million pursue sports individually.
Association football is the most popular sport. With more than
6.3 million official members,
the German Football Association is the largest sports
organisation of its kind worldwide. The Bundesliga, the top
league of German football, is the most popular sports league
in Germany and attracts the second highest average
attendance of any professional sports league in the world.

Signal Iduna Park, the

stadium of Bundesliga club
Borussia Dortmund,
is the biggest stadium in
Germany
CUISIN
E German cuisine varies from region to region. The southern
regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for instance, share a
culinary culture with
Switzerland and Austria. In all regions, meat is often eaten in
sausage form. Organic food has gained a market share of ca.
2%, and is expected to increase further. Although wine is
becoming more popular in many parts of Germany, the
national alcoholic drink is beer. German beer consumption per
person is declining, but at 121.4 litres in 2009 it is still among
the highest in the world.
A Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
(literally, "Black Forest
cherry torte")
RESOURC
ES
The forested uplands of central Germany
and the lowlands of northern Germany
(lowest
point: Wilstermarsch at 3.54 metres or 11.6
feet below sea level) are traversed by such
major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.
Glaciers are found in the Alpine region, but
are experiencing deglaciation. Significant
natural resources are iron ore, coal, potash,
timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas,
salt, nickel, arable land and water.
SOCIAL
LIFE
🞭 Germany has variety of social and cultural life. They have their
own theatre, orchestra and museum. You can find rich and diverse
cultural events everywhere in Germany. Germany is such a
developed country that even its small towns have their own
theatre, orchestra and museum.
🞭 Large and small towns have interesting artists, theatre
performances, exhibitions and film shows. There are so many
options available that it becomes difficult for people to make a
choice. You can get to know about every cultural event in your
area through local daily newspaper or from municipal tourist
offices. You can also go through town or city’s web pages.
🞭 Around the city there is enough wealth of possible destination
which is worth discovering. You can explore the places on
bicycles or inline skates. Many students and Germans spend
their free time in pubs and clubs.
Germany has 600 000 registered clubs.
🞭 In summer you can visit beer gardens and wine bars where you
can sit until late in the evening. You should go and enjoy public
festivals such as Fasching or Karneval in the winter, street
POLITIC
S
Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative
democratic republic. The German political system operates
under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional
document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law).
Amendments generally require a two- thirds majority of
both chambers of parliament; the fundamental
principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles
guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the
federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The Reichstag building in Berlin is the site

of the German parliament (Bundestag)
POLITICAL SYSTEM OF
TOURISTS
ATTRACTION
According to Travel and
Tourism
Competitiveness
Reports, Germany is rated as
one of the safest travel
destinations worldwide.
Germany is also the fifth
most visited country in
Europe, with a total of
369.6 million overnights
during 2010. This number
includes 56.5 million nights
by foreign visitors, the
majority of foreign tourists
Tourists at the Brandenburg Gate in
in 2009 coming from the
Berlin Netherlands, the United