Country's Full Name: Federal Republic of Germany

Brief History:
The fossils of Neanderthals are found in the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf. Celts are believed to be the first inhabitants followed by German tribes at the end of 2nd Century BC. Holy Roman Empire had its legions established in the medieval period. In 1866 Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of Prussia annexed most of Germany, forming the greater German Empire in Europe. He also had a resounding victory over France in 1871. Wilhelm II dismissed Bismarck in 1890; lead Germany into WW I, then with fall of Berlin sneaked off to Holland in 1918. Post First World War from 1918 to 1933 Germany under Weimar Republic struggled with civil unrest, and economic problems. National Socialist German Worker's (or Nazi) Party under the leadership of Adolph Hitler assumed power in 1933. The authoritarian removed all democratic structure, had hatred towards Jews under Aryan supremacy - killing millions in his infamous ‘gas chambers’. The Treaty of Versailles signed after the defeat of First World War had the major resentment among Germans, was scrapped by Hitler in 1934. His initial success against France and Soviets put the whole world in war from 1939 to 1945. The victorious allied power of UK, USA, USSR and France made the German cities in rubble. Post World War II Soviets had its occupation zone; installed the single Socialist Unity Party in it terming Democratic Republic of Germany in 1949. Millions fled from East Germany to the west forcing the communists to make most infamous Berlin Wall erected in 1961. It was dismantled on November 9, 1989. Chancellor Helmut Kohl made efforts with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev leading to unified East and West Germany in 1990.

What is the country known for:
Who can forget the Second World War which was forced on the world by it.
It is a powerful economy in the world forming G7.
It is remembered for its art, architecture and rich cultural heritage.
Second most populous country in Europe after Russia

Main Industries:
Among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Main Trading Partners:
Exports: $1.53 trillion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: France 9.7%, US 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2007)

Imports: $1.202 trillion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners: Netherlands 12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China 6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5.6%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2007)

Major Cities:
Berlin (capital since Oct. 3, 1990), 3,933,300 (metro. area), 3,274,500 (city proper)
Other large cities: Hamburg, 1,686,100; Munich, 1,185,400; Cologne, 965,300; Frankfurt, 648,000; Essen, 588,800; Dortmund, 587,600; Stuttgart, 581,100; Düsseldorf, 568,900; Bremen, 527,900; Hanover, 516,300; Duisburg, 513,400

Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

Size:
Total: 357,021 sq km
Land: 349,223 sq km
Water: 7,798 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana

Time Zone: CET - Central European Time: UTC/GMT 1 hour

DST starts on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 2:00 AM local standard time
DST ends on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 3:00 AM local daylight time

Type of Government:
Germany is a federation comprising 16 states, or Lander, each with its own constitution, government and parliament. The Federal Parliament in Berlin consists of bicameral legislature with lower house forming Federal Assembly or Bundestag (614 seats; elected by popular vote for a four-year term under a system of personalized proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain proportional representation and caucus recognition). The upper house consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments sit in the Council; each has three to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)

Chief of state: President Horst Koehler (since 1 July 2004)
Head of government: Chancellor Angela Merkel (since 22 November 2005)

National Holidays:

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan * Epiphany.
2 Apr Good Friday.
5 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
13 May Ascension.
24 May Whit Monday.
3 Jun *Corpus Christi.
15 Aug * Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct * Day of Reformation.
1 Nov * All Saints' Day.
17 Nov * Repentance Day.

2011
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan * Epiphany.
22 Apr Good Friday.
25 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
2 Jun Ascension.
13 Jun Whit Monday.
23 Jun * Corpus Christi.
15 Aug * Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct * Day of Reformation.
1 Nov * All Saints' Day.
16 Nov * Repentance Day.

Note
*Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption, Day of Reformation, All Saints’ Day and Repentance Day are not observed in all areas. Consult the German National Tourist Office for details (see Contact Addresses).

Population:
82,369,552 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 5,826,066/female 5,524,568)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 27,763,917/female 26,739,934)
65 years and over: 20% (male 6,892,743/female 9,622,320) (2008 est.)

Median age: total: 43.4 years (male: 42.2 years; female: 44.7 years)

Life expectancy at birth: (2008 est.)
Total population: 79.1 years (male: 76.11 years, female: 82.26 years)

Religion:
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%

Language: German

Local Customs:
If invited to a German host, bring a gift such as chocolate or flowers.
Caution should be taken calling a person. Do use a person's title and surname until invited to use their first name - say Herr (Mister) or Frau (Mrs.) and the person's title and surname.
Your visiting cards for business should have printed material written in both English and German.
Water in Germany is not free, you can be asked for a price for the mineral water.
In Germany, women's toilets are marked with an F for Frauen and men's toilets with an H for Herren.
Carnival in Germany is referred as Karneval or Fastnacht or Fasching depending on the region.
Germans do gardening more for the children to play and make their surroundings green.
It can be found that some women bathe topless at the beach, and even full nudity is tolerated.

Best Time to go:
Most of the people visit the busiest May to September months when the temperatures are mild. But mind it; everybody wants to join the melee making the vacation costly. The ski season starts from mid December to early March when temperature is subzero.


Currency:
1 Euro = 0.89016 British Pound
1 British Pound (GBP) = 1.12339 Euro (EUR)

1 Euro = 1.25858 US Dollar
1 US Dollar (USD) = 0.79455 Euro (EUR)

Customs Regulations:
Visitors residing in an EU country with goods purchased tax free, or visitors from EU countries with goods bought tax free.

Tobacco: 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
Liquor: 1 liters of spirits with an alcohol content exceeding 22% by volume or 2 liters of sparkling wine or liquor wine; 2 liters of any other wine

Visitors entering from an EU country (except Denmark) with tax paid goods
Tobacco: 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 1000 grams of tobacco
Liquor: 10 liters of spirits or liquor with an alcohol content exceeding 22% by volume; 90 liters of wine (including 60 liters of sparkling wine); 20 liters of intermediate products (such as fortified wine); 110 liters of beer.

Note: The tobacco and alcohol allowances are granted only to those 17 years of age. Although there are no legal limits imposed on importing duty-paid tobacco and alcoholic products from one EU country to the another, travelers may be questioned at customs if they exceed the above amounts and may be asked to prove that the goods are for personal use only.

Tipping:
English is widely spoken and understood in Germany.
In most bars and restaurants service charge is included in the bill marked with the word ‘Bedienung’. The tipping could be 5-10% for good service if not included in the bill. The service staff is paid on hourly basis but the tipping is encouraged. An extra Euro or two to cab driver, bell boy makes him happy. Hairdresser expects 3-5% as tip. Pay public toilet attendants for their service.