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Description:
Germany, (officially: the Federal Republic of Germany), (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the largest country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by Denmark, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Germany is a federation of 16 states, similar in structure to the USA, each with a distinct and unique culture. Contrary to the general foreigner's conception Germany it not a very homogeneous nation and regionalism is alive and well making it a very diverse place for its size. Being the largest Central European country in population, Germany has the largest economy in Europe and is also the world's biggest exporter nation. In contrast, its size is tiny compared with most of the other powerful nations in the world. Germany is a federalist country with a highly decentralized structure and has several large urban cities. Therefore, the capital Berlin is not as dominant over the rest of the nation as say London is in the United Kingdom or Paris in France. Nevertheless, it has been touted as one of the world's most fashionable big cities since the early 90's. The undisputed financial capital of Germany is Frankfurt am Main and most likely all of continental Europe, (not to be confused with Frankfurt an der Oder on the Polish border). It features an unusual modern skyline in Central Europe with its many high-rise buildings, an ever growing airport and thus the city is sometimes referred to as "Mainhattan". The historically decentralised structure lead to a regional stronghold of traditions. Germany's famous beer culture is centered around Southern Germany's biggest city (Munich), where beer is traditionally served in 1 liter mugs (but not in Kneipen (pubs) and Restaurants). Munich is also the site of the annual Oktoberfest , Europe's most visited festival and the world's largest fair. Germany's south-western regions are known for their wine growing areas (e.g. Rheinhessen and Palatinate) and Bad Duerkheim on the 'German wine route' organises the biggest wine festival worldwide with over 600,000 visitors annually. It has been almost 20 years since German Reunification. In its early stages the idea to reintegrate the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) or East Germany with the West met significant opposition in West Germany due to its outrageous price tag. However, today most Germans as well as their neighbors support the idea of a reunified Germany and while the eastern regions still suffer from higher unemployment and a brain-drain the overall event is seen as a success. The 3rd of October is celebrated as the day of "German National Unity" or Reunification Day. Cars are a symbol of national pride, and manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volkswagen (VW) are famous internationally for their quality, safety and style. This quality is matched by Germany's excellent network of roadways including the world famous Autobahn network, which has many sections without speed limits and attracts lots of speed hungry drivers. Amazingly for its size Germany is home to the third largest freeway/motorway network in the world! Germany also features an extensive network of high speed trains - the InterCityExpress (ICE) and is an overall global leader in precision engineered goods with a reputation for quality and high price tag to match! Germany was the host of the FIFA World Cup 2006.
Capital: Berlin
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Government: Federal Republic
Population: 82,400,996 (July 2007 est.)
Religion: N/A
Time zone: UTC +1
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