Facts about Germany

Germany has a temperate climate. In summer the temperature is about 18-20°C although in many places the thermometer can reach over the 30°C mark, while in winter the mean temperature is about 1.5°C on the plains and -6°C in the mountains. Rain falls all the year round, especially in autumn. The German landscape is extremely varied. The North is characterised by lakes, heaths and moorland; the coast by island chains, estuaries and dunes. In the South is the Swabian-Bavarian plateau with its hills and large lakes as well as the German part of the Alps. In the area in between there are deciduous and coniferous forests, slate hills and a green landscapes of lush river valleys and plains.

Germany is one of the world's largest economic powers and is a financial and business hub in Europe. Well-known German companies include: BMW, Siemens, Volkswagen, BASF, Audi, Porsche, Lufthansa, Zeiss and Mercedes-Benz etc. The currency is the Euro and German is the official language, although English is widely spoken. More than half of the people living in Germany live in towns with populations between 2,000 and 100,000- there are 86 larger towns and cities with more than 100,000 (like Wiesbaden and Mainz) inhabitants spread throughout the country. Since re-unification the capital of Germany is once again Berlin, with a current population of 3.5 million. German cities boast lively, varied cultural scenes and most contain established theatres, orchestras, art galleries and museums as well as offer exciting entertainment and shopping opportunities.

A democratic country, Germany's liberal-democratic constitution dates back to 1949. Since the Unification Treaty of October 3, 1990 between the former German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, the constitution governs the whole of Germany. The constitutional bodies comprise the Federal President, the Bundestag (Federal German Parliament), the Bundesrat (Council of Constituent States), the Federal Government, and the Federal Constitutional Court. The federal structure of Germany is reflected by the 16 Bundesländer (Federal States) which have state authority and pass their own state constitutions in accordance with the principles of a republican, democratic and social constitutional state.