Germany 2
Germany 2Germany is located in Central Europe. It borders the Baltic Sea and the
North Sea. It is between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. It is
slightly smaller than Montana.
Germany�s economy was the world�s third most powerful in 1997. The
German economy benefited from robust exports, particularly to other members of
the EU and the US, as well as strengthening equipment investments. But anemic
private consumption and contraction in the construction industry limited the
expansion. Unemployment continued to set post-war monthly records through
the end of 1997 and averaged 4.3 million for the year. In preparation for the first
of January 1999, the start of the European Monetary Union, the government has
made major efforts in 1996-97 to reduce the fiscal deficit. This effort has been
complicated by growing unemployment, an erosion of the tax base, and the
continuing transfer of roughly $100 billion a year to eastern Germany to
refurbish this ex-communist area. In recent years business and political leaders
have become increasingly concerned about Germany�s decline in attractiveness
as an investment target. They cite increasing preference by German companies
to locate new manufacturing facilities in foreign countries rather than in
Germany, to be closer to the markets, and to avoid Germany�s high tax rates,
high wage cost, rigid labor structures, and extensive regulations. For similar
reasons foreign investment in Germany has been lagging for years.
Germany is one of the world�s leading industrial nations. Western
Germany is among the world�s largest and technologically advanced producers
of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, and
electronics. Eastern Germany�s industries are metal fabrication, chemicals,
brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, textiles, and petroleum refining.
Industry employs around 41 percent of the German work force. Germany�s
biggest industry is vehicles because of luxury cars such as the BMW,
Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche, but you can�t forget the VW Beetle.
German exports value at 521.1 billion dollars. Manufacturing, such as
machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, and iron and steel
products, totals over 88 percent of all exports. Agricultural products account for 5 percent, raw materials for a little over 2 percent, and fuels as 1 percent. Other non-mentioned products total about 3 and a half percent.
German imports value at 455.7 billion dollars. manufactured items are
also the most imported at a little over 74 percent of all imports. Agricultural
products equal around 10 percent, fuels are over 6 percent, and raw materials
are almost 6 percent. Other non-mentioned materials are under 4 percent of the
total imports.
The labor force is roughly 38.7 million people. As said earlier industry
employs around 41 percent, agriculture employs 3 percent, and services employ
56 percent. The unemployment rate is 12 percent.
Children are required by law to attend school full-time from the age of 6 to 15 or 16, depending on their course of study. After four years of primary school (Grundschule), students go on to one of four kinds of secondary schools. About 60 percent attend a Hauptschule for another five or six years. this type of school provides a general education. Most Hauptschule graduates then attend a
vocational school part-time for three years while they learn a trade. Other
students, after passing an examination, may attend an intermediate school
(Realschule) for six years or a senior high school (Gymnasium) for nine years.
Realschule graduates usually train for a career in business. The Gymnasium
prepares students for entrance to a university.
Northern Germany is mostly Protestant, and southern Germany is mainly
Roman Catholic. About 500,000 Jews lived in Germany before WW II. Most
Jews who were not able to escape from the country were murdered in
concentration camps by nazis during the war. Only about 30,000 Jews live in
Germany today. The practice of religion was discouraged in East Germany
during the years of communist rule.
Festivals are held almost all year round in Berlin, and the musical events dominate the festival scene. The favorite sports are gymnastics, swimming, horseback riding, tennis, and handball. Some of the winter sports are skiing and ice skating. The most popular hobby though is hiking.
Many German folk traditions differ from region to region. The people in
old mining towns around Ore Mountains, for example, celebrate their particular
history with processions, songs, and colorful costumes. In the state of Thuringia, the Thunringian Fair is still celebrated in the traditional style, and ancient wedding rituals are still observed. Seasonal traditions are also carried on in small villages and towns along the Rhine and Moselle rivers where wine festivals celebrate the September grape harvest. The famous Oktoberfest held in Munich honors the harvesting of hops and other grain materials used to make beer.
Germany today is a federation of 16 Lander (states). The Legislature is a federal parliament made up of two chambers: the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and
the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The Bundestag is the major body, responsible
for passing the country�s laws. Its members are elected by the people for 4-year
terms. The Bundesrat delegates are elected by the Lander cabinets.
The Germans are descended from the various Germanic peoples who
arrived in northern and central Europe at least 2,000 years ago. The origin of the Germanic peoples is unclear. But they are known to have been organized into
tribes that migrated to the region over a period of many centuries. They
developed a common language, culture, and custom that distinguished them
from other peoples of Europe.
Most of Germany has a fairly mild climate without extremes of
temperature. Winter fogs and dark cloudy days are common in the northern
lowlands. Northern cities like Hamburg and Berlin have average winter
temperatures of around 36oF. Summer temperatures average 64oF or more.
Inland regions farther south and east normally have hotter summers and colder
winters.
Some important things that have happened in Germany are the
reformation, W.W.I, and W.W.II. The reformation was started by Martin Luther�s
95 theses. After W.W.II the Berlin wall was put up to prevent the easterners from moving to the west. The Berlin wall was later knocked down, ending east and
west Germany.