The Real Germany Today

The land of cuckoo clocks and bratwurst is home to some of the most stunning views in Europe. The German way of life and business is just as impressive as the land itself. Germany today is a mixture of the old and the new, the modern and the traditional.

Demographics
Germany is located in Western-central Europe and borders some nine countries. It also borders two seas, the North and the Baltic Sea. Germany’s regions are a host of amazing scenery, charming villages, castles and abbeys, fairy-tale like forests, exquisite spas, and stunning architecture.

Government
Germany is a parliamentary federal republic of sixteen states. Germany is a founding member of the European Union, and with over 82 million people, it has the largest population among the EU member states. Germany is also a member of the United Nations. The president of Germany is Horst Kohler and the chancellor or prime minister is Angela Merkel, she acts as the head of state.

The People
Germany is the 14th most populous country in the world. Most of the population of Germany (over 91%) is comprised of Germans. However, there are more than 16 million people of non-German descent (first and second generation, including mixed heritage). The largest single nationality group of these is the Turkish.

Germans are in general well informed, polite, respectful, and friendly, although perhaps not as out-going and as prone to small talk as Americans. About two-thirds of Germany’s citizens have at least a basic knowledge of the English language.

Culture
Germany’s cultural arts scene is immense. The country has given the world the unforgettable classical musical compositions of Beethoven, Handel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wagner and Strauss. It is not only a prolific source of unquestionably great music, it is also known for its artists, writers and philosophers.

Travelers seek out the country’s baroque and gothic architecture and enjoy visiting its fairytale castles along the Rhine River. Speaking of fairytales, who doesn’t know the works of the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm whose fairytales have been entertained generations.

Germany has not only excelled in the classical arts, it has also been involved in the contemporary art and music world as evidenced by the famous Bauhaus movement in contemporary art and the staying power of Tangerine Dream in music.

Germany is beer gardens and polka as well as opera and fine cuisine. It is steeped in centuries old arts and culture, yet it is known throughout the world for its finely engineered automobiles such as the BMW and Mercedes Benz, as well as its cameras and other technology driven inventions.

Business and Economy
Germany has one of the world’s highest levels of education, technological development, and economic productivity. It has the world’s third largest economy in terms of US dollar exchange rate and the largest economy in Europe.

This country is the world’s biggest exporter with exports accounting for more than one-third of national output. Export growth in 2007 is estimated to be 9%.

Germany is a strong advocate of closer European economic and political integration, and its economic and commercial policies are increasingly determined by agreements among European Union members.

Language
Around the world German is spoken by 100 million native speakers and 30 million non-native speakers. It is the main language of about 90–95 million people in Europe. It is the third most taught foreign language in the world and it is the second most known foreign language in the European Union. German occupies a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the language having the most written translations both into German and from German. The United States has the largest concentration of German speakers outside of Germany.