Germany
Updated: Oct 1, 2022
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Country Name
Germany, or officially the Federal Republic of Germany.
Location
Germany is a country in Central and Western Europe. Germany shares borders with nine European countries, Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Switzerland (its only non-EU neighbor), Austria in the south, France in the southwest, and Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands in the west.
Capital
Berlin.
Reason for Naming
The English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the people east of the Rhine. The German term Deutschland, originally dytiscid land ("the German lands") is derived from Deutsch, descended from Old High German diutisc "of the people" (from diot or diota which means "people"), originally used to distinguish the language of the common people from Latin and its Romance descendants.
Flag
The first use of the flag was in 1848. The current flag of Germany was adopted on 23 May 1949. The flag of Germany has a simple design and the symbolism behind it is fairly straightforward.
It consists of three horizontal stripes of black, red, and gold, the three-color stripes represent the national colors of Germany, these national colors date back to the republican democracy proposed in the mid-1800s to symbolize unity and freedom. At the time of the Weimar Republic, these colors represented the centrist, democratic, and republican parties.
The country also has a state flag that has the same design of three horizontal bands with the addition of the country’s national emblem located in the center.
*Flag Facts:
-The flag of Germany is similar to the flag of Belgium, though the flags do share the same colors, the major difference is that Belgium's stripes are vertical while Germany's are horizontal.
Language
Germans are typically multilingual: 67% of German citizens claim to be able to communicate in at least one foreign language and 27% in at least two. German is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany, German is the most widely spoken first language in the European Union*, with around 100 million native speakers. Danish, Low German, Low Rhenish, Sorbian, Romany, North Frisian, and Saterland Frisian are recognized native minority languages in Germany.
Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Polish, Balkan languages, and Russian are the most commonly used immigrant languages.
* It is one of 24 official and working languages of the European Union, and one of the three procedural languages of the European Commission.
Religion
Christianity is the largest religion in Germany, 31.7% declared themselves as Protestants, including members of the Evangelical Church in Germany, while 31.2% declared themselves as Roman Catholics, and Orthodox believers constituted 1.3%.
Islam is the second-largest religion in the country, most of the Muslims are Sunnis and Alevites from Turkey, but there are a small number of Shi'ites, Ahmadiyyas, and other denominations
35.4% of Germany's population identifies with either Atheism or Agnosticism. Irreligion in Germany is more common in the eastern regions than in the western parts of the country.
Currency
Euro (€) (EUR).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
+01:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Federal parliamentary republic.
Climate
The climate of Germany is fairly continental, with cold winters, with average daily temperatures around 0 °C (32 °F) or slightly higher, and mild summers, with maximum temperatures in July and August ranging from 22 to 24 °C (72 to 75 °F). The northernmost region (Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck, Rostock, and Kiel) is significantly milder, although it is also rainier and windier due to the Atlantic Ocean's impact.
Snowfalls are common during the winter. Temperatures in much of Germany can reach -15 to-20 °C (-4/5 °F) during cold waves, however, these periods only last a few days in the north and center parts, while they last longer in Bavaria.
In spring, the temperature gradually rises in March, which is still a cold month, with average lows around freezing and highs ranging from 8 to 11°C (46 to 52 °F). Daytime temperatures in April vary from 12 to 13 °C. Short snowfalls with night frost are still possible in early April, and the average temperature in May is approximately 18 to 20 °C (64/68 °F).
Summer is not very sunny; there are chilly and wet days, and on warmer days, temperatures can reach 30/32 °C (86/90 °F) or more.
The best period to visit Germany is from mid-May to September since the temperatures are generally pleasant, there can be cool and rainy days, with highs around 15 °C (59 °F) or slightly higher, while in other periods, even hot days may occur, with highs around 30 °C (86 °F) or above, although nights remain pleasantly cool.