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General information [add image]
Germany has a long, complex history and rich culture, but it did not become a unified nation until 1871. Before that time, Germany had been a confederacy (1815-1867) and, before 1806, a collection of separate and quite different principalities.
Germany is the seventh largest country in area in Europe, with a total area of 356,970 sq km (137,827 sq mi). The country has a varied terrain that ranges from low-lying coastal flats along the North and Baltic seas, to a central area of rolling hills and river valleys, to heavily forested mountains and snow-covered Alps in the south. Several major rivers and canals traverse the country and have helped make it a transportation center.
Germany is overwhelmingly urban, and most people lead a prosperous, comfortable lifestyle, with adequate leisure time and comprehensive social welfare benefits.The principal language is German, and two-thirds of the people are either Roman Catholic or Protestant.
Germans have made numerous noteworthy contributions to culture. Among the many outstanding German authors, artists, architects, musicians, and philosophers, the composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven are probably the best known the world over. German literary greats include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Thomas Mann.
Once unified under Otto von Bismarck in 1871, Germany experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth. During the early 20th century it embarked on a quest for European dominance, leading it into World War I. Germany’s defeat in 1918 triggered political and economic chaos. An ultranationalist reaction gave rise to the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, which gained power in the 1930s and was led by Adolf Hitler. In 1939 Nazi Germany plunged the world into a new global conflict, World War II.
In 1945 the Allied Powers of Britain, the United States, France, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) defeated Germany in World War II. The Allies agreed to divide the country into four zones of occupation: the British, American, French, and Soviet zones. When the wartime alliance between the Western powers and the Soviet Union broke up in the late 1940s, the Soviet zone became the Communist-led German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany. The three Western zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or West Germany. Control of Germany's historic capital, Berlin, was also divided between the two German states, despite its location deep within East Germany. In 1961 East Germany built the Berlin Wall and elaborate border fortifications to stop the exodus of millions of East Germans to the more prosperous and democratic West Germany. In 1989 the collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe was marked by the breaching of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of German reunification, which was governed under the West German Basic Law, or constitution. The two Germanys were reunited on October 3, 1990, as the Federal Republic of Germany. Despite its joy at unification, Germany faced a variety of social and economic problems as it tried to absorb millions of new citizens and to blend disparate cultures and institutions.
Climate
Germany has a mild weather, with hot summers and cold winters, although long periods of freeze or snow are very rare. It rains during the year, specially in July. During the summer, the storms usually bring thunders and lightning storms. It can get to be very cold in winter, and the lakes and channels of the country usually freeze. The average temperatures are 2°C in winter and 24°C in summer.
It is convenient to bring light clothes for summer, and warm ones for winter. It is also convenient to have a raincoat as part of the luggage, no matter the time of the year in which you travel.
Much of Germany lies some distance closer to the equator than the UK. You might therefore expect that the general princple would be that the weather would be warmer. You would be wrong. With the exception of the North West of the country, Germany is a long way from the sea and thus, it experiences a continental climate not at all like the temperate maritime climate enjoyed by the UK. This means that the winters are colder than in the UK and the summers are hotter.
The summers can often be uncomfortably hot but there is one other thing of which you should be aware. Rain storms, often with thunder can arrive vey suddenly even on hot days with otherwise sunny weather. Being out in one of these does not just involve getting very wet. They arise from air which has been over the mountains and is very cold. The water may be only just above freezing and given that the volume is roughly equivalent to having a bucketful chucked over you every second, you should be able to appreciate that getting stuck out in this kind of rain can be seriously bad for you. (southtravels.com)
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| Germany |
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Native Name: Deutschland
Capital: Berlin
Population: 83,030,000
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Phone Perfix: +49
Voltage: 230 V, 50 Hz
Emergency: Police: 110, Ambulance and Fire: 112
Official Site: External Site
Vaccination: None required
Abb.:
DT = Diptheria (10yr+)
P = Polio (10yr+)
MP = Malaria Prophylaxis
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Inter Rail Zone Map |
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National Rail Service |
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Operated by: Deutsche Bahn AG, DB
Rail Length: 46,039 km
Information: Deutsche Bahn AG is the main train operator in Germany, and by far the largest national operator in Europe - transporting more than 1 600 million passengers every year.
State-of-the art travel in style and comfort appropriately reflects the travel experience felt when travelling in the InterCity Express trains (280 km/h). These are the best in the DB's fleet of long-distance trains. DB trains are punctual, and the staff is very service-minded. Mind, though, that not all conductors speak English.
Note that reservations are usually not compulsory on day trains.
Web Page:
▪ German Railways
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