A Short Introduction about Germany - facts and figure, life and people

1. Germany
A Brief Introduction of Life & People
Christine Bartsch & Dr. Hora Tjitra
www.SinauOnline.com

2. Content
History
Geography
Government
Culture

3. Facts
 Capital (and largest city): Berlin
 Official languages: German
 Population: (Dec. 31, 2006)
estimate 82,314,900 (14th)
 Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
 Time zone: CST- 7/ Summer:
CST-6
 Internet TLD: .de
 Calling code: +49
 Germany is
 on the European continent
 and in the European Union

4. History - from 843 till 1933
Martin Luther, 1483–
 843-1806: Holy Roman 1546 initiated the
Protestant Reformation
Empire (1618-1648: Thirty Year´s
War)
 1814-1871: Restoration and
Revolution (Fall of Napoleon; 1814
Founding of the German
Foundation of modern
Confederation; 1866: North German
Germany in Versailles-France,
Federation)
1871. Bismarck is at the center
 1871-1918: German Empire in a white uniform.
(1914-18: World War I; 1918 German
Revolution)
 1919-1933: Weimar Republic
(Great Depression)

5. History - from 1933 till 1945
1933.Jan: Adolf Hitler Chancellor of
Germany, Nazi Reich
Adolf Hitler and 1933.Feb: Reichstag was set on fire -
Benito Mussolini > totalitarian State
in Yugoslavia 1938: Policy of expansionism
1939: „Blitzkrieg“ and beginning of
World War II
1945: Occupation of Berlin trough the
Red Army
World War II and the Nazi genocide
were responsible for about 35 million
dead in Europe.
Berlin in ruins after World War II,
Potsdamer Platz 1945

6. History - from 1945 till 1990
1945: Four military occupation zones
1949: F, UK and US established the Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany), the Sowjet
Zone the German Democratic Republic (East
Germany)
Allied occupation
zones in 1946
 1961: Berlin Wall was build
 1981: Unexpectedly easing of
border restrictions
The Berlin Wall in front of the
 1990: German reunification Brandenburg Gate shortly after
the opening in 1989

7. Geography - Neighbours
Denmark
Netherlands
Poland
Belgium
Luxembourg Czech Republic
France Austria
Switzerland

8. Geography - Terrains
Alps scenery
in Bavaria
 Mountains: the Alps highest -
Zugspitze 2,963m
 Water: 357,021 km²:
349,223 km² - land; 7,798 km²
 Seas: North-east - Baltic Sea;
north-west - North Sea
 Rivers: Rhine, Danube and
Elbe
Altitude
levels

9. Geography - Climate
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min
Temp. -3 -3 1 4 8 11 13 13 9 6 2 -2
°C
Max
Temp. 2 3 8 13 19 22 24 23 19 13 7 3
°C
Rain
Days / 15 16 14 11 8 7 7 9 10 12 14 15
month
 Northand north-west - oceanic;
South and south east - continental.
Max: 30°C

10. Government
Chancellor President Horst
Angela Merkel Köhler
Federal
Parliamentary
Representative
Democratic
Republic
Angela Merkel between the G8

11. States
 16 States (Baden Württemberg, Bavaria,
Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,
Hessen, Mecklenburg Vorpommern,
Niedrsachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen,
Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein,
Thüringen)
 Subdivided into 439 Districts
The Reichstag
(Berlin) of the
German
parliament

12. Economy
Germany is the largest
national economy in Europe, the
third largest by nominal GDP in
the world, and ranked fifth by
GDP (PPP) Rank Order - GDP (purchasing
power parity) CIA Factbook 2005. Retrieved 2006
Germany was the world's leading
exporter of goods in 2006
Frankfurt is a major
financial centre and a
global aviation hub

13. Infrastructure
The ICE 3
trainset
 Important transportation hub:
 Extensive motorway
(Autobahn) network
 High-speed trains: train speed -
160 km/h to 300 km/h;
Deutsche Bahn
Hamburg Harbour is the
second-largest in Europe

14. Post and Phone
 The postal system in Germany is nearly the same as in China
 Public pay phones: Deutsche Telecom (DT) phonecards -
denominations of € 5, € 10, and € 15 from: post offices,
newsagents, tourist offices, public transport offices

15. Shopping
ALDI: cheap
 Shops in cities: open Monday but good food
to Saturday from 10am to 7pm
 Larger department stores and
supermarkets: till 8pm
 Smaller stores: till 6pm
 After hour shopping: petrol
stations, train stations
 Bakeries: some hours on
Sunday
 In some places: extra payment
for bags
KAUFHOF: expensive food,
for specialities

16. Traffic
Traffic rush hour: between
7- 9am, 5 - 7pm
Don´t cross streets when it
´s not green at the traffic
light

17. Money
 Credit cards: petrol stations, large shops and major hotels
 American Express, Diners Club, predominating MasterCard and
Visa
 Money Charge: banks, post offices, airport, train station

18. Castles
Königsstein
Rothenburg
Neu
Schwanstein
Potsdam

19. Cities
Berlin
Munich
Dresden
Hamburg

20. Culture
Blaues
Pferd I,
1911 by
Franz Marc
Ludwig van
Beethoven
Johann
Wolfgang von
Goethe
Albert
Einstein

21. Philosophy
Immanuel Kant Karl Marx
(1724–1804) (1818-1883)
Friedrich Nietsche
(1844-1900)

22. Sports
Michael Schumacher has won
seven F1 championships and is
one of the highest paid athletes
of all time
The Allianz Arena is host to Bayern
Munich and was a venue for the
2006 FIFA World Cup

23. Drink
Thirteen wine
regions,
number one of
German wine
exports:
Riesling
1500 beer breweries

24. Cuisine
A typical cheese
and cold meat
buffet served at
private festivities
German
Bread
German
sausages
A Schwarzwälder
Kirschtorte (Black Forest
gateau)

25. Do´s and Dont´s
◊ Stand up to shake hands with someone
you meet.
◊ Flowers: Give an uneven number when you
visit someone.
◊ Servers will appreciate a tip that is
appropriate to how you were treated
and how you enjoyed your dining
experience.
◊ Cross your knife and fork if you
take a break, parallel them if you are
done.
◊ You have to order water extra and
pay extra.

26. Vielen Dank
Any comments & questions
are welcome
Contact me at hora_t@sianuonline.com
www.SinauOnline.com
@ Tjitra, 2010
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