FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

Region named Germania inhabited by several Germanic peoples has been known and documented before 100 AD. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire that lasted until 1806. During the 16th century, northern Germany became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. As a modern nation-state, the country was first unified amidst the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. In 1949, after World War II, Germany was divided into two separate states—East Germany and West Germany—along the lines of Allied occupation. The two states were unified in 1990. West Germany was a founding member of the European Community (EC) in 1957, which became the European Union in 1993. It is part of the borderless Schengen zone and adopted the European currency, the euro, in 1999.

BERLIN is the largest city in Germany and it is best known for its historical associations as the German capital. It offers a wonderful combination of history, night life, architecture and culture. Berlin has modest beginnings, but over time it grew into a European powerhouse and since reunification in 1990 it became into a dynamic and creative city. Berlin has wonderful sights although it is not as centralized or small as other European cities. It is also known as one of the greenest cities in Europe: over 60% of its surface area is either a park or a river, it is beautiful! Berlin is also an industrial city; key industries such as electronics, manufacturing and information technology reflect the hopes for a brighter future for the city.In Berlin, you will find the leisure time activities that you would find in every big city all over the world, and in the city limits there are numerous recreational areas, nature reserves and parks. You can find a lot of amazing things simply strolling along one of its fascinating streets. Berlin is a city that thrives on change and that has made a virtue out of reinventing itself s one of Europe’s finest capitals.


FRANKFURT AM MAIN is called “the Manhattan of Germany” because of its location on the Main river. The city is the financial heart not only of Germany but also of the European Union, pumping euros into the world economy. Frankfurt is a dynamic metropolis and for many visitors it will be the first point of call in Europe, because its airport is the largest in terms of passengers on the European continent. During World War II Frankfurt was deeply bombed, and as consequence, its medieval city was destroyed. Happily, the city recovered quite quickly after the war, and its modern shape was formed. With the rebuilding process, one of the Europe’s most efficient underground transportation systems was developed. That system includes a subway train system (S-Bahn) and a deep subway with smaller coaches (U-Bahn). Frankfurt also contains the tallest skyscraper in the European Union, the Commerzbank Tower, which is also the second tallest on the continent (after the Triumph-Palace building in Moscow).

MUNICH is the capital city of Bavaria, the largest federal state of Germany and one of Europe's most prosperous and expensive cities. Munich is a wonderfully charming 800-year-old city that enjoys contradicting itself, there folk traditions ride alongside BMWs and Black Forest cake shares the table with haute cousin.Founded by Duke Henry the Lion, in 1158, within a century, the city had become the seat of the Wittelsbach dynasty, who ruled the duchy, electorate and kingdom of Bavaria until the end of World War I. Their influence is evident in the concentration of grand Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and neo-classical architecture adorning Munich’s streets. Possibly most significantly, the Wittelsbach’s patronage of the arts and extensive collections provided the basis for Munich’s world-class museums and galleries.

Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. The climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, which is the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea including the peninsula of Jutland and the area along the Rhine, which flows into the North Sea. Consequently in the north-west and the north, the climate is oceanic; rainfall occurs year round with a maximum during summer.
Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for prolonged periods. In the east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can be very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental. Again, the maximum temperature can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in summer.

Christianity is the largest religious denomination in Germany, with 53 million adherents (64%). The second largest religion is Islam with 3.3 million adherents (4%) followed by Buddhism and Judaism, both with around 200,000 adherents (c. 0.25%). Hinduism has some 90,000 adherents (0.1%). All other religious communities in Germany have fewer than 50,000 (or less than 0.05%) adherents. About 24.4 million Germans (29.6%) have no registered religious denomination.

Protestantism is concentrated in the north and east and Roman Catholicism is concentrated in the south and west. Each denomination comprises about 31% of the population. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, was born in Bavaria. Non-religious people, including atheists and agnostics, make up 29.6% of the population, and are especially numerous in the former East Germany and major metropolitan areas.
Of the 3.3 million Muslims, most are Sunnis and Alevites from Turkey, but there are a small number of Shi'ites.1.7% of the country's overall population declare themselves Orthodox Christians, Serbs and Greeks being the most numerous.Germany has Western Europe's third-largest Jewish population.In 2004, twice as many Jews from former Soviet republics settled in Germany as in Israel, bringing the total Jewish population to more than 200,000, compared to 30,000 prior to German reunification. Large cities with significant Jewish populations include Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Around 250,000 active Buddhists live in Germany; 50% of them are Asian immigrants.