GERMANYBy Ansh JindalIX - A

CONTENT1. Introduction2. History3. Culture4. Language5. Administration6. Geography7. Music8. Sports9. Cuisine10. Resources11. Social Life12. Politics13. Tourists Attraction14. Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic in western-central Europe. The country consists of 16 states, and its capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometers (137,847 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. Germany is one of the major political and economic powers of the European continent and a historic leader in many theoretical and technical fields.

HISTORYThe concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation by the Roman Empire. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Franks conquered the other West Germanic tribes. When the Frankish Empire was divided among Charlemagne's heirs in 843, the eastern part became East Francia. In 962, Otto I became the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the medieval German state.

Basic view of second- to fifth-century migrations

CULTUREFrom its roots, culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker ("the land of poets and thinkers"), because of the major role its famous writers and philosophers have played in the development of Western thought and culture.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer

LANGUAGEGerman is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany. It is one of 23 official languages in the European Union, and one of the three working languages of the European Commission. Recognised native minority languages in Germany are Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany, and Frisian; they are officially protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The most used immigrant languages are Turkish, Kurdish, Polish, the Balkan languages, and Russian; 67% of German citizens claim to be able to communicate in at least one foreign language and 27% in at least two languages other than their own.

City limits sign; this city is called Emlichheim in High German and Emmelkamp in Low German

ADMINISTRATIONMany of the fundamental matters of administrative law remain in the jurisdiction of the states, though most states base their own laws in that area on the 1976 Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz (Administrative Proceedings Act) covering important points of administrative law. The Oberverwaltungsgerichte are the highest level of administrative jurisdiction concerning the state administrations, unless the question of law concerns federal law or state law identical to federal law. In such cases, final appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is possible.

German State Police, typical officer uniforms and car colors

GEOGRAPHYGermany is in Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. It lies mostly between latitude 47° and 55° N , and longitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 62nd largest in the world.

MUSICGerman classical music comprises works by some of the world's most well-known composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.

German Singer Heino

SPORTSTwenty-seven million Germans are members of a sports club and an additional twelve million pursue sports individually. Association football is the most popular sport. With more than 6.3 million official members, the German Football Association  is the largest sports organisation of its kind worldwide. The Bundesliga, the top league of German football, is the most popular sports league in Germany and attracts the second highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world.

Signal Iduna Park, the stadium ofBundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, is the biggest stadium in Germany

CUISINEGerman cuisine varies from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for instance, share a culinary culture with Switzerland and Austria. In all regions, meat is often eaten in sausage form. Organic food has gained a market share of ca. 2%, and is expected to increase further. Although wine is becoming more popular in many parts of Germany, the national alcoholic drink is beer. German beer consumption per person is declining, but at 121.4 litres in 2009 it is still among the highest in the world.

A Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (literally, "Black Forest cherry torte")

RESOURCESThe forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany (lowest point: Wilstermarsch at 3.54 metres or 11.6 feet below sea level) are traversed by such major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Glaciers are found in the Alpine region, but are experiencing deglaciation. Significant natural resources are iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land and water.

SOCIAL LIFE Germany has variety of social and cultural life. They have their own

theatre, orchestra and museum. You can find rich and diverse cultural events everywhere in Germany. Germany is such a developed country that even its small towns have their own theatre, orchestra and museum.

Large and small towns have interesting artists, theatre performances, exhibitions and film shows. There are so many options available that it becomes difficult for people to make a choice. You can get to know about every cultural event in your area through local daily newspaper or from municipal tourist offices. You can also go through town or city’s web pages.

Around the city there is enough wealth of possible destination which is worth discovering. You can explore the places on bicycles or inline skates. Many students and Germans spend their free time in pubs and clubs. Germany has 600 000 registered clubs.

In summer you can visit beer gardens and wine bars where you can sit until late in the evening. You should go and enjoy public festivals such as Fasching or Karneval in the winter, street festivals in summer and beer and wine festivals in autumn.

POLITICSGermany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The Reichstag building in Berlin is the site of the German parliament (Bundestag)

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GERMANY

TOURISTS ATTRACTIONAccording to Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Reports, Germany is rated as one of the safest travel destinations worldwide. Germany is also the fifth most visited country in Europe, with a total of 369.6 million overnights during 2010. This number includes 56.5 million nights by foreign visitors, the majority of foreign tourists in 2009 coming from the Netherlands, the United States and Switzerland.Tourists at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reference form

Wikipedia.com

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