Germany,
officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic
in western-central Europe consisting of 16 constituent states, which retain
limited sovereignty. Its capital city and largest city is Berlin.
Their motto was: : "Einigkeit und
Recht und Freiheit" (German) "Unity and Justice and Freedom"
(unofficial). Their capital is Berlin. Their official Official languages: German Language, Low German.
Germany is a federal parliamentary republic in
western-central Europe consisting of 16 constituent states, which retain
limited sovereignty. Its capital city and largest city is Berlin. Germany
covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) and has a largely
temperate seasonal climate. With 80.6 million inhabitants, it is the most
populous member state in the European Union. Germany is a major economic and
political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many
cultural, theoretical and technical fields. The western sectors, controlled by
France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, were merged on 23 May 1949
to form the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland); on 7
October 1949, the Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche
Demokratische Republik, or DDR). They were informally known as "West
Germany" and "East Germany". East Germany selected East Berlin
as its capital, while West Germany chose Bonn as a provisional capital, to
emphasise its stance that the two-state solution was an artificial and
temporary status quo. The Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate shortly
before its fall in 1989. Today the Gate is often regarded as Germany's main
national landmark.
Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which
humid westerly winds predominate. The country is situated in between the
oceanic Western European and the continental Eastern European climate. The
climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, the northern extension of the
Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea;
consequently in the northwest and the north the climate is oceanic. The east
has a more continental climate; winters can be very cold and summers very warm,
and longer dry periods can occur. Central and southern Germany are transition
regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental.
Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative
democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework
laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic
Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of
parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the
articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal
structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.
Twenty-seven million Germans are members of a sports club
and an additional twelve million pursue sports individually. Association
football is the most popular sport. With more than 6.3 million official
members, the German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) is the
largest sports organisation of its kind worldwide. The German men's national
football team won the FIFA World Cup in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014 and the UEFA
European Championship in 1972, 1980 and 1996. Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup
in 1974 and 2006 and the UEFA European Championship in 1988. Among the most
well-known footballers are Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Jürgen Klinsmann,
Lothar Matthäus, Oliver Kahn, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller. Other popular
spectator sports include wintersports, boxing, handball, volleyball,
basketball, ice hockey, tennis, horse riding and golf. Water sports like
sailing, rowing, swimming, wind- and kitesurfing, wakeboarding, underwater
diving, fishing, powerboating and yachting are popular in Germany as well,
especially with large annual events such as Kiel Week or Hanse Sail Rostock.
Oktoberfest is the world's largest funfair held annually in
Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16-day festival running from late September
to the first weekend in October with more than 6 million people.
Points of interest: Brandenburg gate, Cologne cathedral,
Berlin wall, German museum of technology, romantic stadium, Europa-park,
Frankfurt zoological garden and 43 points of interest.
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bremen |
Recommended destination: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg,
Bamberg, Bremen, Mainz and 43 more recommended destination.
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Frankfurt |