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DODO YOUYOU KNOWKNOW ?GERMANY?

GERMANY MEETS THE U.S. GERMANY MEETS THE U.S. Fun Facts About Germany

Official Name Federal of Germany

Capital

Official Language German

Official (€; 1 Euro = 100 cents)

Size 137,810 sq. mi. (357,022 sq. km), approximately the size of Montana

Population Approximately 82 million inhabitants, roughly one fourth of the U.S. population

Measuring System Metric

Federal States 16 federal states (13 states + 3 city-states)

Federal Flag 3 same-sized horizontal stripes in black, red, and

Federal Seal Black eagle on gold background

Government System Parliamentary

National Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (Unity, Justice and Freedom) is the third verse of the Song of Germany, a poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann in 1841 and set to The Emperor Quartet by German composer, Haydn TABLE OF CONTENTS

Geography ...... 2

Politics & Government...... 4

European Union ...... 5

Demographics...... 6

Economy...... 7

Religion...... 8

Education...... 9

History...... 10

Literature & Music ...... 12

Food...... 13

Holiday Traditions...... 14

Environment ...... 16

Sports ...... 18

Language...... 19

Germany in the U .S ...... 20 CAN YOU FIND GERMANY GeOGRAPHY ON A MAP?

OSTSEE () Germany is located in central

NORDSEE and is bordered by nine countries, () more than any other European

HAMBURG nation. The country’s geography is

Elbe River diverse and defines its many regions.

BREMEN BERLIN Germany has many , HANNOVER , rivers and beaches. The northern part of the country is generally flat and the North Mountains and Baltic seas. In the summer, DUSSELDORF many people visit the beaches there. River The southern part of Germany is Erz Mountains Mountains known for its tall mountains, called -AM-MAIN the , which are famous for their

WIESBADEN River hiking trails and ski slopes.

HEIDELBERG Forests cover almost one third

STUTTGART Bavarian of Germany, offering ample River opportunity for hiking and walking. The Rhine and the Danube are two of the many rivers that flow

Zugspitze through Germany.

LOWEST

At 11.6 ft (3.5 m) below sea , Neuendorf-Sachsenbande in Schleswig- is the lowest accessible point in Germany. Like many German families, Philipp and Katja take a vacation to the beach every summer with 2 their family. BALTIC SEA

Denmark

NORTH SEA

The The longest river in Germany is the picturesque Rhine which is 538 miles (865 km) long. It flows from through GERMANY Germany and into the Netherlands.

Czech Republic SIZE COMPARISON Luxemburg

France

Switzerland Germany is close in size to Montana.

Germany and its neighbors

At 9,718 ft (2,962 m), the lies on the to Austria HIGHEST and is the tallest in Germany.

Waterfall in the Black Forest (“Schwarzwald”) 3 & GOVERNMENT

Germany is a parliamentary democracy In the U.S., the heads of state and government are with a federal system of government, combined into of the president. which means choose their The German is called the Grundgesetz representatives in local, state, and ( Law). Much like the U.S. Constitution, it establishes national elections. It is also a multi- democracy and grants all Germans the same basic party system, so political parties usually inalienable rights. Human rights and dignity are principles have to form coalitions to create a enshrined in the Basic Law. governing majority in the . The of parliament is called The Federal Constitutional Court is independent from the the Bundesrat and represents the states, government and ensures that the Basic Law is followed. similar to the U.S. . The lower Anyone may appeal to the court if they believe their basic house is called the and rights have been violated by a law or public authority. represents the people, similar to the U.S. . Distribution of seats in the 2017 Bundestag 709 CDU/CSU 69 The , called the seats 92 SPD

chancellor, is elected by majority of the AfD*

members of the Bundestag. He or she is 153 FDP

the most powerful person in Germany. 80 Party

The is the president, who 90/ + 67 The Greens represents Germany at home and abroad. 246 * 2 independent members

The Bundestag in session !

Above: Breakdown of the 2017 Bundestag showing the parties 4 , since 2005

After War II, the leaders of Europe came together in an effort to guarantee and promote peace. They formed a community of nations to cooperate with each other economically and, later, politically. Germany was one of the six original members. This small community has grown into what know today as the European Union (EU). Currently, 28 countries belong to The European Flag is the symbol of the and the EU and are called member states. Thus, 510 the European Union. million people across Europe are also EU citizens. THE EURO What does this mean for Germany? Like its EU partners, Germany is an independent nation with Currently, 19 EU member states, including its own and traditions. But as a member of Germany, use a common currency, called the this special community, Germans can easily travel euro. This makes buying and selling much easier to and from, work and live in other EU countries. across country borders, because everyone is using The EU also makes the world’s largest single the same kind of money. Prices for goods in the market, which allows the member states to trade countries using the euro are easier to compare. more easily with each other. Collectively, the EU Germany started using the euro on 1, 2002. member states also negotiate with non-EU nations on trade and other political issues to secure the best possible future for their citizens.

S P E C I M E N

European Central 1 EURO = 100 CENTS in Frankfurt

For current information visit http://europa.eu/index_en.htm. 5 DEMOGRAPHICS

With 82 million people, Germany has the largest population of any country in the European Union. Roughly one in five people, or 20 percent of the population, has at least one parent who was born outside of Germany. The majority of immigrants come from other European countries, such as , Poland, , and . From top clockwise: Families spending time in nearby Most families have a father, mother, and parks or forests on weekends living under the same roof. However, A Turkish family in a park many other types of families such as A fun summer outing to the North Sea “patchwork” or blended families have emerged. All are welcomed and have a place in German society. Many young people say that they strongly value a good, stable family life.

The in Germany is significantly lower than in the . Without , the German population would shrink, because not enough children are being born to support the economy and the aging population.

TOP 5 COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN TOP 5 COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF IMMIGRANTS OF THE IN 2015 20 17 .4% Syria 15 9 .9% 10 7 .3% 5 .6% 4 .7% 5 Iran

Pakistan 0 Turkey Poland Russia Italy 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 6 ECONOMY

The German economy is currently the strongest in the European Union and among the largest worldwide. German companies sell most of their products, such as cars, appliances and chocolate, abroad. Germany exports almost as many products as the United States, even though it is a much smaller country. Many brands are well-known names, but most German companies are actually small- and medium-sized businesses. Look around your home, and you might find several products made in Germany.

Most of the economy is devoted to providing From top clockwise: services, which includes everything from animal figures to restaurants to and beyond. made with almond paste However, high-tech also Technicians in a laboratory is a major part of the German economy. demonstrating voice commands with a robot at the Research, development, and Hannover Messe help businesses, such as those in the car The financial in Frankfurt and industries, to remain Manufacture of gas turbines leaders in the global . Windfarm in the North Sea

7 RELIGION Left: The Frauenkirche in Dresden (Protestant)

The Basic Law protects freedom of Below: (1483–1546), Leader of religion. There is no official state church, the Protestant and religion is a private matter for the individual. Public schools must offer courses in religion, but only for educational purposes, and may opt out. The most common religious faith is .

In 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation when he challenged some practices of the , triggering communities in Germany wars and causing Europe to split into have more than 95,000 devoted Catholic believers and reformers members. Roughly the of the Church, who would later become same number have a Jewish known as Protestants. Individual regions background without being throughout Germany can still be identified affiliated with a Jewish as distinctly Catholic or Protestant. community.

The long history of Jewish life and culture About one third of Germans in Germany was cut by the Nazis do not belong to any major and . But in the 1990s, many religion. Most of those living people of Jewish descent from the former in the former communist settled in Germany. Jewish eastern part of Germany identify as atheists. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIon BY STATES Immigration has created more religious diversity,

Majority with Muslim communities Catholic growing at a high rate. Majority Protestant Right, top to bottom: Majority has no religious A country chapel in (Catholic). affiliation Rabbi ordination in the Leipzig (Jewish). The Imam Ali in (Islam). Religious leaders at the site of the future “House of One” in Berlin. 8 EDUCATION

German children start school when they are six years old. After elementary school (usually grades 1 to 4), students have a choice of different types of schools. The most common is called Gymnasium, which runs from 5th to 12th grade. Each state has slightly different educational requirements, and some have an additional 13th grade.

At the end of 12th grade, students earn an From the top: , which is similar to a high-school A typical Gymnasium , and enables the recipient to study classroom at a university. Many high-school students A school spend a year as an exchange in the city studying in another country. The United Two students States is one of the most popular places show off their for such study abroad. award-winning science project. Another option for young people is an apprenticeship. Under Germany’s very SCHULTÜTe successful dual vocational training and German students get a Schultüte - education system, young apprentices or school bag - from their parents attend a vocational school while at on their first day of school. It is a the same time working at a company large cone filled with candy and school supplies. learning the chosen career on the job.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

Students generally stay in the same class, so a friend you have made in 1st grade, may also be in your 4th gade. 9 “The world must GERMANY IN the be made safe for democracy.” Woodrow Wilson, 1917

United States enters WWI in 1917.

During “” (“Night of Broken Glass”) Jewish businesses, Revolution at the end of , and schools II ends. Allies WWI leads to the creation are destroyed in on (United States, Great Britain, Chancellor Otto von of a democratic Germany November 9. and the Soviet Union) Bismarck unifies and the Republic intensify, leading to the occupy and split war-ravaged Germany. in 1919. Holocaust. Germany. 1870 1918 1938 1945

1914 1933 1939 The (1914-1918) Hitler World War II introduced by the devastates Europe. becomes (1939-1945) begins United States in 1948 15 million lives are lost. Chancellor. He with the German allows Germany will become a to rebuild. dictator and lead on 1. Germany into World War II.

10 20th century

West Germany “Tear down this wall!” becomes member U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Berlin, 1987 of NATO in 1955.

Federal Republic of Germany

German Democratic Republic

The of Germany () and the German Democratic The is built by The Berlin Wall falls on November 9 Republic (East to prevent residents from leaving the after weeks of protests and mass Germany) are country. East and West Germany are demonstrations by East Germans founded. sealed off from each other. against their socialist government. 1949 1961 1989

1990

Berlin Airlift . East and West In 1948, U.S. and British Germany reunite on 3 after the planes drop supplies to the official transfer of power from the Allies. people of Berlin after the Soviet Union blocks the western part of Berlin. “!” “I am a Berliner!” U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Berlin, 1963

“Sincere thanks to the American people...for your magnificent support on path to German unity.” “Rosinenbomber” Chancellor to U.S. President George H.W. Bush, 1990 “Raisin ” 11 LITERATURE & MUSIC

German music is Right: A illustration world renowned. of Aschenputtel () For example, classical music by composers such as Johann Sebastian

Johann Sebastian Bach Bach, Ludwig van (1685 - 1750) Beethoven and is often heard in movies and played in concert halls, The traveled around Germany and some songs are collecting spoken folktales and later publishing them even well-known as books. In this way, German fairytales have become lullabies. The known all over the world. Cinderella, Little Red (1770- 1827) carol Riding Hood, and Rumpelstiltskin are just some of “O ” the many fairytales widely told, read and watched is translated from as movies today. a German folk song. The books of many modern German authors have been translated into English. is famous for THE 3 B’s her fantasy and adventure books, such as the Inkheart Johannes Brahms series. Walter has a series of books about the (1833-1897) adventures of Captain Bluebear.

Left: About 14 million Germans music or sing in a choir in their free time. Inkheart is a beloved book by German author, Cornelia Funke.

12 FOOD

Germans eat many of the same foods as . Apple , for example, is as much a German favorite as apple pie is an American one. Another popular food is the , a kind of sausage or hotdog. Germany is also famous for its bakeries, which offer over 600 different types of breads, as well as a wide array of rolls, pastries and cakes. Top to bottom: Bratwurst

If you travel throughout Germany, you will Döner sandwich

discover that different regions have their Black Forest own specialties. The Black Forest Cake - Cake Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in German - comes from the Black Forest in the southwest.

Germany also has its share of ethnic foods. In large cities, for example, small restaurants and food cars serve Döner, a sandwich brought to Germany by Turkish immigrants, and Gyros, a Greek sandwich that is also popular in the U.S.

Bread = Brot = Brezel

YUMMY GUMMI

1 3 HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

EASTER A typical wooden Easter decoration, Easter is an important often displayed holiday in Germany. Some in a window or on Easter branches German are similar to American in the shape KARNEVAL customs. People decorate of a bunny Many and cities have their own eggs and the holiday celebrations and traditions. Some hides eggs, chocolates and regions celebrate Karneval or Fasching candy for children. People (), which marks the beginning of often get together with Lent, a period of fasting in the Christian their families, because religion. Carnival begins with many parades Good Friday and Easter and parties, much like the Mardi Gras Monday are holidays. This celebration in New Orleans. People dress gives everyone a nice long in funny costumes and collect candy and weekend to relax and treats from the parade floats. In some celebrate. areas, the parades are so big and festive that schools close for a few days.

The most famous Karneval celebrations and parades take place in the region, in the cities of Cologne, and Düsseldorf.

Branches from pussy willows or forsythia are often decorated with 14 Easter eggs painted by kids Karneval revelers CHRISTMAS in

Christmas is one of the most important holidays in Germany. Decorating Christmas trees, singing Christmas carols, and opening Christmas presents are all German traditions. Young children also celebrate St. Nikolaus on 6, when St. Nicholas, fills their shoes with small treats if they have been good during the year or lumps of coal if they have been bad. During the four weeks leading up to Christmas, many children calendars, which count the days until Christmas, and light on Advent wreaths to the four Advent Sundays before Christmas. Families exchange gifts on December 24 and celebrate December 25 and 26 as the first and second day of Christmas, so there is plenty of time for enjoying the holiday season.

Germany is famous for its Christmas

markets. Some of these Christkindlmärkte Photos, clockwise from top: are very large and thousands of people visit Oversized at a them each year. Christmas markets are held Christmas Market in Köln outside, with 20 or 30 little wooden booths Typical Christmas baked items include , Lebkuchen, Spekulatius and often located in the square. Families cinnamon stars (Zimtstern). bundle up and take a stroll, shopping for Miniature carving from the Erz Mountains Christmas presents and special holiday German families decorate their Christmas in Erfurt Christmas tree on December 24. cookies, , and Stollen. Karneval revelers 15 The Grüne Punkt (Green ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE Dot) is the symbol of the European-wide program. Less Germans place a high value on protecting nature and the paper and thinner glass environment, which is an official goal of the German government. are used, and more Land, water, plants, and animals are important resources which products are recycled. Trash is sorted to make must be shared and preserved for future . Everyone recycling and energy contributes to this aim by recycling and avoiding waste. Visitors to recovery efforts easier. Germany often notice that trash cans are smaller than recycling bins, an indication that more material is recycled than thrown away. Energy Germany signed the Agreement on climate change in 2016, Efficiency just as the United States has. The agreement aims to limit global MADE in Germany warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. To implement the treaty and decarbonize the atmosphere, everybody will have to contribute, from Germany is #1 in energy producers and manufacturers to farms and . the world for energy efficiency. New houses Germany is committed to finding more ways to use solar power, have to be insulated, and , and other sources. Over 25 percent old houses are retrofitted of Germany’s electricity is already generated through renewable to be energy efficient. resources. The more renewable energy Germany uses, the more it is German industry offers protecting the climate for the future. particularly efficient technologies for heating German automakers and cooling air and water. are developing electric cars. Altpapier = Old Paper ... (= WASTE PAPER = RECYCLING) ENERGY TRANSITION is Germany’s ambitious effort to shift from the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power to renewable energies and lower energy consumption. One of the goals of the energy reform is for 40-45 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. 16

There are 72 million DID YOU KNOW? bicycles in Germany. It is a popular way ...that there are over 21,000 to get around town. wind farms in Germany In large cities, it is not uncommon to and that the first German own a bicycle as offshore wind turbine was your only form of completed off the coast of transportation. the North Sea in 2009?

… that on the morning of , 2015, a partial solar eclipse darkened up to 80% of the German sky for two hours? Solar power P decreased, but will Nur rework rebounded by the end of gestattet the eclipse, without power outages.

…that per capita energy SOLAR POWER! consumption is much lower Since the 1990s, the German government provides in Germany than in the U.S.? incentives to homeowners and companies to install solar panels on roofs. This is partly due to climate and population density.

…that 95% of all German students take part in bicycle training at their elementary school? They familiarize themselves with traffic and safety rules during the first two years of school and take an exam during the third or fourth grade. Many students bike to school.

17 Wind Farm Philipp and his friends love to play soccer, SPORTS known as Fußball (pronounced fooss-ball). Soccer is the most popular . Professional soccer clubs can be found in many cities with a loyal fan base. The names and faces of the players on the national teams are well known all over Germany. You might know the names of several DID YOU KNOW? famous German athletes. Mario Götze ...that the German men’s scored the winning goal in the national soccer team 2014 FIFA against . has won four World Cups Speedskater won (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)... five gold medals in consecutive The Bavarian Alps are just one (1992–2006). Tennis of many places in Germany where families go skiing. player won many singles titles at Wimbledon, the , the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open during the 1980s and 1990s.

Besides soccer, other ...and that the women’s popular sports include national soccer team iceskating, skiing, has won two (2003, 2007)? gymnastics, tennis, , riding, basketball, , and more.

Clockwise from top: Ski jumping. Melanie Leupolz in National Championship against . Horseback riding is a popular sport. German ice dancers and perform at the 2017 18 European Figure Skating Championship. Dirk Nowitzki of the was born in Germany. LANGUAGE W-o-W! (WORd of the Week) The German alphabet is just like the one you use every day, but there are four additional letters. Three letters use The has many words that an “Umlaut,” marked by two small dots above the letter. are unusual for English speakers. These One letter looks like a “b,” but is an “Ess-tsett,” a very words are also a lot of fun to explain, so we sharp “s” sound. have a collection of them on our website at www.Germany.info, in the section called “Word of the Week.” Here you can learn a A B C D E F G H I j k l m n o p q r new word each week and ask your friends if s t u v w y Z they are schreibfaul or a Suppenkasper!

+ Ä Ö Ü ß Schreibfaul combines the words for writing UMLAUT and lazy. It means someone who is not + ESSZETT interested or very good at writing to people, be it via old-fashioned letters, emails or even just responding to messages.

A Suppenkasper is someone who is a picky eater. The term comes from Kasper, a character cOmpoUnd words in the classic German children’s book Der who sits at the dinner table and } } } refuses to eat his soup (Suppe). ...and that the women’s national soccer team Donaudampfschifffahrtskapitän has won two (2003, 2007)? Germans have a word for everything, and often combine words into compound words. In the example above, the word breaks down into five separate ones: “Donau” (Danube) is a large German river. “Dampf-schiff-fahrt” is itself a compound word meaning “steam--excursion” and “Kapitän” is the German word for “captain.”

So the noun Donaudampfschifffahrtskapitän means “the captain of a steamship that is making an excursion on the Danube.”

19 GERMANY IN THE U.S.

DO DEUTSCH GERMANY MEETS THE U.S.

About 46 million people in the U.S. claim some INFORMATION German heritage, or 1 in 6 Americans. From town Goethe-Institut names and festivals with German roots to last names www goethe. .de/en and family traditions, traces of Germany can be The Goethe-Institut is Germany’s cultural and found all over the U.S. language center around the world. It provides information and programs on a wide range of More than 3,400 German companies have topics, is well-known for its language courses and investments in the U.S. and have created materials and promotes discussion on current world affairs. about 640,000 jobs. The German and American governments have signed agreements to increase German Academic Exchange cooperation on both sides. www daad. .org The German Academic Exchange Service Nearly 400,000 students in public schools across (DAAD) is a publicly-funded independent the U.S. are learning German, along with another organization of higher education institutions in Germany dedicated to supporting students and 100,000 at universities and colleges. faculty for international research and study. g Speaking German helps your chances in the job German-American Heritage market by opening up more in today’s Foundation and global economy. www gahmusa. .org OF THE TM The German-American Heritage Foundation and g Want to go abroad? There are more than 2,000 Museum aims to highlight German history in the scholarships and grants offered to Americans to U.S., as well as the impact it has had on shaping the study in Germany. country.

g Germans will help you when you are traveling. German is spoken by around 100 million people in Facts about Germany Europe, and about 15.4 million people around the world are learning it! www .facts-about-germany .de Here you can find the latest information, g German is the second-most-commonly used facts and statistics about Germany presented scientific language. in an easy-to-use format. g Eighteen percent of the world’s books are www y. oung-germany .de published in German, and knowing German gives you access to even more knowledge. This website is dedicated to the latest information about career, education, innovation, and lifestyle in Germany. 20 www.germany.info

DID YOU KNOW...? ...that the website of the German has its own kids and teen pages? Visit the websites shown below and learn more about kids who live in Germany. You can also subscribe to online newsletters - one of them is in German. Just ask your parents for help.

www.germany.info/kids www.germany.info/teens

PHOTO SOURCES: PHOTOTEK NET. . Page 4: Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel, CDU. ISTOCKPHOTO . Inside Front Cover: German flag . Berlin, 16.03.2015. © Thomas Trutschel/photothek.net. Page 5: EU flag, Page 13: Bratwurst PICTURE-ALLIANCE C. OM . Front Cover: photo. Inside Front Cover: timber frame house, girl on beach, skateboarder. Page 3: GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE . Inside Front Cover: JENS TIEDEMANN, NEUENDORF-SACHSEBANDE . Rhein, Black Forest waterfall, Zugspitze. Page 4: Bundestag. Chapel (Hans Peter Merten/DZT), lakeside fun (argus fotoagentur Page 2: Lowest point marker Page 5: . Pages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, Peter Frischmuth/DZT). Page 2: Wattensee (Panorama-Fotografie GERMAN INFORMATION CENTER . Page 2, 12, 14, 15, 17, 17, 18. Page 13: DÖner, cake, bread, gummibears. Page 15: Olaf Vernunft/DZT). Page 15: Christmas market (Ludwigsburg/ 18, 19, 21. Illustrations of Philipp and Katja were produced Nutcracker, baked goods, miniature carving, pyramid. Page 19: Stadtmarketing u. Touristik GmbH/DZT). for the GIC. Computer. Back Cover: photo. 21 www.germany.info@GermanyinUSA

© 2017. German Information Center, German Embassy, Washington, DC