conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
357,021 km²
Berlin
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
49
.de
German
Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim
82,400,996
federal republic
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. It is also a country with many neighbors: Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.
European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Germany has a very good transportation infrastructure. It's generally best to go by car or by train.
In 2008 some cities like Berlin, Hamburg, and Hanover introduced a ban on older cars without proper catalytic converter. You'll need a colored badge that indicates the emission calss of your car. If you don't have a proper badge in Berlin you can be fined up to 40 EUR (59 USD). Read more in this DW-TV article.
Be aware that since 2008 eight German states introduced a smoking ban for public places with Bavaria having a very strict regulation. For more info see this BBC article.
