An Overview of Germany for Visitors

Germany has experienced a chaotic history : beginning a World War, being split into 2 states and much more. If you are planning a trip, here is some background information you must know.

An top level view of Germany for Travelers

The official name of the country is the Fed. Republic of Germany. Germany covers a landmass of over 135,000 square miles and is about the size of the state of Montana. The capital is Berlin with over 3.5 million residents living within the town borders. Other cities of note include, but aren't restricted to, Hamburg with 1.7 million residents, Munich with over 1.2 million folk, Cologne with slightly under 1,000,000 residents, Frankfurt with 640,000 residents, Dortmund with 592,000 people, Stuttgart with 580,000 residents, Dusseldorf with about the same number, Bremen with 540,000 people and Hanover with a population just exceeding 500,000 residents. Put an alternative way, Germany crams a lot of people into a relatively small area.

From a terrain has a hint of everything. The north consists often of plains and shoreline, while the center of the country is a fertile basin. The south of the country is basically mountainous, sharing formations with Switzerland. With this divergent terrain, the climate varies from area to area, but is generally cool with significant periods of rain.

Citizens of the Fed. Republic of Germany are known as Germans. The most recent population study found the total population surpassed 82 million. The ethnic break down is primarily German, but Danish minorities exist in the north while Slavic minorities can be discovered in the south. Regardless of the policies promulgated by Hitler, the country has a powerful in-flow of immigrants with over 7.3 million people qualifying as such.

From a religious viewpoint, Germans are split in two major camps. There are approximately twenty-six million Protestants and twenty-six million Roman Catholics. Approximately 3.3 million people consider themselves to be Muslim.

The official language of the country is German, although English is spoken in many areas as is Russian and French. Education is mandatory for 10 years and the literacy rate is more than ninety nine percent. Live expectancy for a German man is 74 years whilst girls live an extra six years on average.

As this overview unearths, Germany is the home to lots of good and bad history. As a travel destination, it is extraordinary if you're going to see history or visiting for the World Cup.