Simple Facts
| Geography: 357,021 sq. km |
| Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic and North Seas, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark |
| Population: 83.5 million |
| Capital: Berlin |
| Ethnic Make-up: Germans (95.1%), Turkish (2.3%), Italians, Greeks, and Poles (1.5%), Other (1.1%) |
| Language: German |
| Currency: Euro |
Economic Snapshot
Germany possesses the world's third most technologically powerful
economy after the US and Japan, but its basic capitalistic economy has
started to struggle under the burden of generous social benefits.
Growth in 2002 again fell short of 1%. Corporate restructuring and
growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow
Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic
integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities
are addressed.
Cost of Living
| One bedroom apartment: €300 - €500 (bigger cities) |
| Monthly tram ticket: €40 |
| Cost of meal in a restaurant: €15 |
| Glass of beer: €2.50 |
| Coffee: €1.50 |
| Big Mac: €2.50 |
| Cinema Ticket: €7 |
Recent History
| 1919 | Alsace-Lorraine returned to France and Eastern territories ceded to Poland by Treaty of Versailles |
| 1933 | Hitler becomes chancellor, then dictator |
| 1936 | Berlin Olympics; German army occupies Rhineland |
| 1944 | Allies land in France and begin liberation of Western Europe |
| 1945 | Germany capitulates following Allied bombing of Dresden, Cologne and Hamburg and Russian invasion of Berlin; Potsdam summit divides Germany into four zones |
| 1947 | Economic recovery outlined in Marshall Plan |
| 1948 | Stalin blockades West Berlin; Western Allies break through with airlift |
| 1949 | Germany separated into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic |
| 1953 | East German uprising suppressed by Russians |
| 1961 | Berlin Wall built in order to stem flow of refugees from East Germany |
| 1989 | Berlin Wall falls |
| 1990 | Germany reunited on October 3 |
| 1991-97 | A reunited Germany joins the European Union and prepares for the Euro (the European Monetary Unit) in 1999 |
| 1998 | Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder replaces Conservative Helmut Kohl as Germany's Chancellor |
| 2001 | Chancellor Schroeder survives parliamentary confidence vote over the government's decision to deploy 4,000 troops in the US-led campaign in Afghanistan, Germany's largest deployment outside Europe since World War II. |
| 2002 | Euro replaces DM with two month overlap period. Torrential rain across central Europe leaves the eastern city of Dresden submerged under floodwater from the River Elbe. |
Culture Tips
- Begin on a formal footing with your German acquaintances. Start by addressing them with Herr/Frau (Followed by Doktor or other title when applicable) and their last name (e.g. Herr Meier or Herr Doktor Schmidt).
- Germans appreciate order. Your neighbors might tell you to do certain things. You will be reminded when you do not observe certain innate regulations like not crossing the street when the light is red.
- In restaurants (esp. if they are busy), you may be seated at a table with strangers, if individual tables are not available. Water is not automatically served, you need to order it, it will most likely be mineral water. Tip is included in the bill.
- You shop in a Geschäft, Handlung, Kaufhaus or Laden. You get household goods, cosmetics, etc. in the Drogerie and prescription drugs and aspirin at the Apotheke. Stores are open Mo-Sat from 9:00am - 8:00pm and closed on Sunday.
- Public transportation is very good and it is possible to get around most cities without a car.
- If you make invitations, be prepared to carry them out. If you are invited, be prepared to accept and go. Casual niceties are regarded as insincere, especially if they turn out to be not what you mean.
- Good topics of conversation include international politics (be sure you know what you're talking about!), sports and travel, art and the environment. Avoid topicslike age, family (unless you know them), personal life, profession, money or salaries.
- If you are invited to dinner, you should try to be punctual. It is okay to arrive a few minutes late, but no more than ten minutes.
- Never drop by a home uninvited. Always phone to ask if it is convenient.
Links
The following sites provide additional information about Germany
http://www.howtogermany.com/
http://www.germany-tourism.de/
http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/index.html
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gm.html
|
