Germany

• Germany, officially Federal Republic

of Germany or German Deutschland,
is one of Europe’s largest countries.
• Capital City- Berlin
• Official Language- Standard German
• Central bank- Deutsche Bundesbank
• Currency used- Euro
 History
• 100 AD- Germania
• 300 AD- Migration Period
• 10th century - Holy Roman
Empire.
• 1815 - After the collapse of Holy
Roman Empire, German
Confederation formed
• The German revolutions of 1848–
49- Frankfurt Parliament
established major democratic
rights
• In 1871- Germany becomes a
nation state
• 1914-1918- World War I
• German Revolution of 1918–19-
Weimar Republic
• 1933- Nazi seizure of power
• 1938- Annexation of Austria
• 1939-1945- World War II,
Holocaust
• After World War II- Austria re-
established as an independent
country; two new German states
founded: West Germany and East
Germany.
• Revolutions of 1989- end of
communist rule in Central and
Eastern Europe
• 3 October 1990- country reunified
Demography
 Population
Germany is the most
populous European
country (apart from Russia)

Total population-
82,695,000

Annual population growth-

0.4%

Population density
(people/sq km)- 236.7
Source- World Bank (2017)
 Income Level and Poverty
Germany is a high income level
country with-
• GNI, PPP (current international
$)- 4274017184829.3
• GNI per capita, PPP (current
international $)- 51680

Germany’s poverty rate is rising

despite economic growth. The
poverty rate in Germany reached
the new record level of 15.7
percent in 2015. In 2006, the world's youngest
billionaire is the German Prince
Albert II von Thurn und Taxis, with
Source- World Bank (2017), OECD
net worth estimated at $1.9 billion
(USD).
Age
 Gender Composition and Education
Level
Sex ratio - (CIA estimate, 2016)
At birth 0-14 15-24 25-54 55-64 Over 65 Total

1.06 1.05 1.04 1.02 0.98 0.78 0.97

Education Level indicators-

• School enrollment, primary (% gross)-103.0
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross)-101.9

Source- World Bank (2017), www.cia.gov

Migration and Cosmopolitan character
Net migration (number of immigrants minus the number of
emigrants)- 1850000
Geography
 Location
• Central Europe
• Location: 51.1657° N, 10.4515° E
• North South Distance: Northern border with
Denmark to the alps in the South: 853 KM
• Width: 650 kilometers from the Belgian-
German border to the Polish frontier
• Land boundaries:
– total: 3,714 km
Topography
 Topography
• Irregular, elongated shape
• Recurring sequence of landforms found the
world over
• Four distinct topographic regions:
• the North German Lowland;
• the Central German Uplands;
• Southern Germany;
• and the Alpine Foreland and the Alps.
Coast

Plains

Uplands

Mountains
Elevation Extremes:

•Lowest point:
Neuendorf bei Wilster
-3.54 m

•Highest point:
Zugspitze 2,963 m
Administrative
Divisions:
16 states
(Länder)
Largest Wooded Area: The Black Forest
Largest Wooded Area: The Black Forest
 Climate
• Moderate
– Northwestern and coastal Germany have
a maritime influenced climate
– inland, the climate is continental, marked by
greater seasonal variations in temperature
– Extremes less in the north than in the south.
– Alpine regions, some areas of the Central German
Uplands: mountain climate. Lower temperature,
greater precipitation.
 Climate
“Föhn”:
– occasional condition
– warm tropical air drawn across the Alps,
– loses moisture on the southern slopes of the
mountains
– makes the Alps visible from points where they
normally would be out of sight, and they also are
responsible for the abrupt melting of the snow
 Climate
• Weaker low pressure systems can cause
showery weather, and sometimes even
(severe) thunderstorms
Specific regional patterns:
• Northwestern and lowland areas – warm,
moist air from the North Sea’s Westerly
Winds.
• Precipitation diminishes eastward
Climate
Agriculture
High natural fertility, wheat, barley, corn (maize), and
sugar beets are the principal crops.
Chickens, eggs, pigs, and veal calves: concentrated into
large battery units
Calves in a Battery Unit
The best agricultural land: the loess areas of the North
German Plain
Altes Land: Is one of the largest fruit growing areas in
Northern Europe
Around the Cities
Flowers, Fruits and
Vegetables are
grown
Cornflower: National Flower
 Forests
• 3/10 of Germany’s total land area is covered
with forest
• Central German Uplands and the Alps- forests
are particularly plentiful
• Conifers predominate
• Spruce popular now – Suitable for buildings,
paper and chipboard
 Fishing
• Shrimp and mussels important on the mud flats
fringing the North Sea.
• Fishing began to decline markedly from the 1970s
because of overutilization of traditional fishing
grounds
• Imports
 Soil
•Finest around
loess of
northern flank
of the Uplands
•Range from
black to
extremely
fertile brown
soil types
 Soil
• The till (ground moraine) of the North German
Plain and Alpine Foreland has heavy but fertile
soil
• Brown soil: covers much of the Central
German Uplands
• The remainder of German soil types range
from sand to loam, from loam to clay, and
from clay to rocky outcrops.
Viticulture in the Southern hill regions flourishes
in an otherwise inhospitable type of soil
 Rivers
• Most German rivers follow the general north-
northwestward inclination
• The major exception to the rule is the Danube
– boundary between the Central German Uplands
and the Alpine Foreland.
• The most majestic of the rivers flowing
through Germany is the Rhine
Wildlife
• Varied Wildlife
• Several varieties of deer, quail, and pheasant
• In the Alpine regions, the chamois and ibex
• Their numbers are protected by stringent game laws.
Otter and Wildcat are Among the Rarer Animals of The
Elbe Basin.
 Bird Reserves
• Several internationally recognized bird reserves.
• The tidal flats of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches
Wattenmeer)
• Schleswig-Holstein along the North Sea coast
• The lakes of the Mecklenburg plains, and
• glacially formed lakes of the North German Plain
• Vital areas for the European migration of ducks,
geese, and waders.
National Bird: The Black Eagle
CULTURE
Culture and historical monuments
❖ Period of 1871: Land of poets and thinkers
❖ Philosophers: Immanuel Kant, Luther,
Nietzsche and Thomas Mann
❖ Authors: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
Friedrich Schiller and the brothers Grimm
❖ Classical music composers: Johann Sebastian
Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert
❖ UNESCO World Heritage and other famous sights:
Regensburg: Historical center Berlin: Museum island

❖ The UNESCO lists 33 German contributions to world heritage: 31 world cultural heritage and 2 natural
heritage which are spread over 15 of the 16 German states

Berlin: Brandenburg Gate Schwangau: Neuschwanstein Castle

 ETHNICITY
1% -1%
1%
1% 9%
2% 1% German
2% Turk

Pole
4%
Russian

Italian

African German

Arab

Romanian

Greek
80%
Others
 LANGUAGE
0% 0% 0%
0.9% 1% 0%
0%
3%
9%
German
English
French
Russian
Turkish
Kurdish

55% Upper Sorbian

32%
Lower Sorbian
Romani
Danish
North Frisian
 FESTIVALS
• Carnival in Germany
• International Film Festival in Berlin
Oktoberfest in Munich
• Bach Fest in Leipzig
Wine Festival and Wurstmarkt in Bad Duerkheim
May Day
Berlin Festival of Lights
 FOOD HABITS
• BREAKFAST LUNCH
DINNER
• BEVERAGES
RELIGION
 EAST-WEST DIVIDE
• Economy & personal wealth
• Society
• Demographics
• Mentality & language
• Political views
• Sports
 Cosmopolitan
• Quality of life
• Work and private life
• Healthcare system
• Public transportation
• Higher education
• Sports clubs
• Big Cities
• Hamburg – Ranked #19
• Berlin – Ranked #13
• Frankfurt – Ranked #7
• Dusseldorf – Ranked #6
• Munich – Ranked #4
Economy
 Overview
• Highly developed social market economy
• Largest national economy in Europe
• Founding member of the European union and
the Eurozone
• World's top location for trade fairs
• Allianz, Daimler, Volkswagen, Siemens, BMW,
Deutsche Telekom, Bayer, BASF, Munich
Re and SAP.
SUMMARY STATISTICS
 SECTORS
• Agricultural sector amounts to less than 1% of
GDP
• Industrial sector amounts to about 30.5% of
GDP
• Services sector amounts to 68.7% of GDP
 Economic Institutions
 Ministries
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
Ministry of Education and Research
 Statistical Office
Federal Statistical Office
 Central Bank
Deutsche Bundesbank
 Stock Exchange
Deutsche Börse Group
Energy and Resources
 Energy
• Oil is major source
– Most petroleum is imported
• Bituminous coal: second most important
– Ruhr is the major region
– About 7/8 of all the coal is fed straight to electric-
power generating stations
– Lignite is used as well
• Nuclear power in western Germany they are
typically located on the coast. Plans to shut
them by 2022 (after Fukushima)
Transport and Communication
 Water Transport
• Rivers
– Rhine is the most important waterway of
Germany.
– 80% of goods
– mouths of the larger rivers are important ports,
such as Hamburg on the Elbe River, or Bremen on
the Weser River
– Duisburg, located at the Ruhr/Rhine Rivers, is the
busiest close port in the world
 Water Transport
Seaports:
– Hamburg: Germany’s principal port. 1/3 of overall
tonnage by weight in Germany
– Wilhelmshaven for oil imports
– Ferries for passengers, road vehicles, or railcars
link Germany with Scandinavian destinations.
 Railways
• High-speed passenger rail service: Links major
German urban centres with one another and
with other European destinations.
• Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche
Reichsbahn were officially merged under the
name Deutsche Bahn in 1994
 Highways
• Federal Interstates (“Autobahn”)
– Dense network of interstate highways that allow
for speedy and efficient travel.
– Congestion is a serious problem
– The current length of the entire road network is
more than 12,000 km, making it the third largest
system in the world.
 Airways
• Germany’s major long-distance
airline: Lufthansa.
• Frankfurt’s airport: one of the world’s busiest,
is the country’s largest.
• Airports in Düsseldorf, Munich, and Berlin
(Tegel) are also of major importance.
 Communications
• After World War II West Germany developed
an advanced telecommunications system
• Late 1990s rapid reconstruction of the system
using current technology made eastern
Germany a world leader in
advanced telecommunications infrastructure.
• Vodafone
Politics
 Political Outline
• Germany is a democratic, federal parliamentary
republic.
Executive Power
• Head of Government is the Chancellor
• The Head of State is the President
Legislative Power
• Bundestag
• Bundesrat
Main Political Parties
• Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
• Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)

Current Political Leaders:

• President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (since 19
March 2017) – SPD
• Chancellor: Angela MERKEL
Trade and International Relations
 Trade Indicators
Merchandise Trade (% of GDP)-71.7

Import of goods and services (% of GDP)- 39.7

Export of goods and services (% of GDP)- 47.2

No. of Import Partners- 221

Ranked No.7 on Fortune
No. of Export Partners- 231 500 List 2018

Most Exported Commodity- Automobiles

Germany is the world's fourth largest producer of motor vehicles (after
China, U.S. and Japan).

Most Imported Commodity- Petroleum and Natural Gas

Source- World Bank (2017), WITS (2017), OICA (2017)
Top 5 Export Partners
Partner Share (%)
U.S. France China U.K. Netherlands Others

9%
8%

7%

6%

64% 6%
Top 5 Import Partners
Partner Share (%)

China Netherlands France U.S. Italy Others

10%

8%

6%

6%

65% 5%
 India-Germany Relations
• India and Germany have a 'Strategic Partnership' since 2001,
which has been further strengthened with the
Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) at the level of Head of
Governments

• Regular High-level and Ministerial visits

• Institutional Cooperation Arrangements: Foreign Office

Consultations, High Technology Partnership Group, High
Defense Committee, Indo-German Energy Forum, Indo-
German Environment Forum, India-Germany Committee on
S&T and Joint Working Groups
• Economic & Commercial Relations: Germany is India's largest
trading partner in Europe. India was ranked 24th in Germany's
global trade during 2016.
• Germany is the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India
since January 2000. This mainly in the sectors of
transportation, electrical equipment, metallurgical industries,
services sector (particularly insurance), chemicals,
construction activity, trading and automobiles.

• Defense Cooperation: India-Germany Defense Cooperation

Agreement (2006) provides a framework for bilateral defense
cooperation.

• Science & Technology: Indo-German Science & Technology

cooperation started with the signing of the Intergovernmental
S&T Cooperation Agreement in 1971 and 1974.