The German Way: Life in Austria, Germany, Switzerland

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The Germans call it Deutschland (doytsh-lahnt). In English we call it Germany. But how much do you really know about Germany and the other German-speaking countries? On this page you can learn more about this nation of 82 million people, the most populous country in the European Union. Please read on...

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Germany: History

The nation that we informally call Germany (full name: Federal Republic of Germany, Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is much younger than the United States of America! Even if we go back to Prussia (Preussen) and the first German unification of 1871, that makes Germany as a nation almost a century younger than the US (Constitution ratified in 1789).

The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), the current German government and constitution (das Grundgesetz), was established on May 23, 1949. (Konrad Adenauer became the new nation’s first chancellor, serving for 14 years.) But from the very beginning, in the aftermath of World War II, Germany was divided into eastern and western halves. The Soviet occupation zone in eastern Germany became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) on October 7, 1949. East Germany had a much more centralized, communist government.

Until the infamous Berlin Wall was built in August 1961, Germans could travel freely back and forth between East and West Germany. The Wall would become a stark symbol of both the Cold War and a divided Germany until its amazing collapse in November 1989. Berlin (East and West) was a hotbed for espionage and Cold War intrigue.

Although most Germans believed it would never happen, German reunification arrived with little warning in 1990. The collapse of the Soviet Union and other historical events led to rapid changes in the world map and the political landscape. West German chancellor Helmut Kohl presided over the quick return of East Germany back into the fold, despite those who claimed that it was too much, too soon.

Germany Today: Facts and Figures

  • Official Name: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD (Federal Republic of Germany, FRG)
  • Government: Federal republic; parliamentary democracy with two legislative bodies: the Bundestag (lower house of representatives) and the Bundesrat (upper house); members of the Bundestag serve a term of four years. About half are elected by direct mandate (representing a specific district), while the others are "listed candidates" who are elected in a "second vote" system in which voters also select a second choice. Members of the Bundesrat are selected by the 16 state (Bundesland) parliaments.
  • Chancellor (Bundeskanzlerin): Angela Merkel (since 2005) - The office of chancellor is similar to that of a prime minister in a parliamentary system of government. The chancellor is chosen by the members of the Bundestag following a national election.
  • President (Bundespräsident): Joachim Gauck (sworn in on March 18, 2012), Christian Wulff (June 2010-Feb. 17, 2012*), Horst Köhler (2004-2010) - The office of German president is a largely ceremonial position with no political power. The president normally serves a term of five years (max. 2 terms). He or she is elected by a special body made up of members of the Bundestag, state parliament (Landtag) delegates and public figures.
    *Wulff resigned on Feb. 17, 2012 after a series of financial and ethical scandals. His successor (Gauck) took office a month later.
  • Size: 137,847 sq mi (357,021 sq km), slightly smaller than the US state of Montana (145,552 sq mi)
  • Population: 81.8 million (2010 est.)
  • Capital City: Berlin (since Oct. 3, 1990), Bonn (West Germany, 1949-1990)
  • National Holiday: October 3, Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit), since 1990 - More: Other German holidays
  • Largest Cities: Berlin 3,274,500, Hamburg 1,686,100, Munich (München) 1,185,400, Cologne (Köln) 965,300, Frankfurt am Main 648,000, Essen 588,800, Dortmund 587,600, Stuttgart 581,100, Düsseldorf 568,900, Bremen 527,900, Hanover (Hannover) 516,300, Duisburg 513,400
  • Ethnicity: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, Italian 0.7%, Greek 0.4%, Polish 0.4%, other 4.6%
  • Religions: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 0.1%, unaffiliated or other 28%
  • Monetary Unit: Euro (€, EUR, since 2002), Deutsche Mark (DM, German mark, 1949-2001)
  • GDP: $3.6 trillion, 4th in the world (2011 est.)
  • Climate: Temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters (snow mostly in mountainous areas); mild summers with occasional heat waves; occasional warm mountain winds (Föhn) in Alpine regions
  • Highest Point: Zugspitze 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Bavarian Alps
  • Seacoast: Baltic Sea, North Sea; total coastline 1,484 mi (2,389 km)
  • Neighboring Countries (9): Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland
  • Famous Germans: Konrad Adenauer, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Steffi Graf, Wernher von Braun, Angela Merkel, Dirk Nowitzki, Friedrich Nietzsche and many more...

MORE > Cultural Differences - USA-Germany - Comparison charts

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Original Web content ©1997-2012 Hyde Flippo | Graphic design by Erik Flippo www.erikflippo.com
Hyde Flippo is solely responsible for the content of this site and, other than permission granted to publish copyrighted material, McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Publishing has no direct involvement, financial or otherwise, with this site. When in Germany, Do As the Germans ©2002 McGraw-Hill; The German Way ©1999 McGraw-Hill/Passport Books. All rights reserved | Site Map