|
<!--Use en-UK spelling-->{{Infobox Country|
native_name = Bundesrepublik Deutschland<br />Federal Republic of Germany |
common_name = Germany |
national_motto = Unity and Justice and Freedom
([[German language|German]]: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit) |
national_anthem = The third stanza of [[Das Lied der Deutschen]] |
<!--The official national anthem of Germany is ONLY the third stanza! source: http://www.bundesregierung.de/Bundesregierung/-,8394/Nationalhymne.htm (this a page of the german government)-->
image_flag = Flah of Germans.svg |
image_coat = Bundesadler.png |
image_map = LocationGermany.png |
countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
capital = [[Berlin]] |latd=52|latm=31|latNS=N|longd=13|longm=24|longEW=E|
largest_city = [[Berlin]] |
official_languages = [[German language|German]] <sup>1</sup>|
government_type = [[Federal Republic]] |
leader_titles = [[President of Germany|President]]<br>[[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]]<br>[[Vice-Chancellor_of_Germany|Vice Chancellor]] |
leader_names = [[Horst Köhler]]<br>[[Angela Merkel]] ([[CDU]])<br> [[Franz Müntefering]] ([[SPD]]) |
sovereignty_type = [[German Empire|Formation]] |
established_events = [[Holy Roman Empire]]<br> [[German Empire]]<br> [[Federal Republic of Germany]]<br> [[German Democratic Republic]]<br> [[German reunification|Reunification]] |
established_dates = <br>[[843]] ([[Treaty of Verdun]])<br>[[18 January]] [[1871]]<br>[[23 May]] [[1949]]<br>[[7 October]] [[1949]]<br>[[3 October]] [[1990]] |
area = 357,026 |
area_rank = 61st |
area_magnitude = 1 E11 |
percent_water = 2.416 |
population_estimate = 82,443,000 |
population_estimate_year = 2005 |
population_estimate_rank = 14th |
population_census = N/A |
population_census_year = 2000|
population_density = 230 |
population_density_rank = 34th |
GDP_PPP_year = 2005 |
GDP_PPP = $2.498 [[trillion]] |
GDP_PPP_rank = 5th |
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $30,150 |
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 17th |
HDI_year=2003 |
HDI=0.930 |
HDI_rank=20th |
HDI_category=<font color="#009900">high</font> |
currency = [[Euro]] (€) <sup>2</sup> |
currency_code = EUR |
time_zone = CET |
utc_offset = +1 |
time_zone_DST = CEST |
utc_offset_DST = +2 |
cctld = [[.de]] |
calling_code = 49 |
footnotes = <sup>1</sup> [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Low German]], [[Sorbian language|Sorbian]], [[Romany language|Romany]] and [[Frisian language|Frisian]] are officially recognised and protected as minority languages by the [[ECRML]].
<sup>2</sup> Prior to [[2002]]: [[Deutsche Mark]] |
}}
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'''Germany''', officially the '''Federal Republic of Germany''' ([[German language|German]]: ''Deutschland'' or ''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'' {{Audio|De-Bundesrepublik_Deutschland-pronunciation.ogg|<small>listen</small>}}) is one of [[G8|the world's leading]] [[industrialization| industrialised]] countries, located in [[Europe]]. It is bordered to the north by the [[North Sea]], [[Denmark]], and the [[Baltic Sea]], 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 democratic federal parliamentary nation, made up of 16 (federal) [[States of Germany|states]] (''[[Bundesland|Bundesländer]]''), which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation. Germany was formed in [[1871]], after the [[Franco-Prussian War]], which united a scattering of independent states into an empire.
The Federal Republic of Germany is a member state of the [[United Nations]], [[NATO]], the [[G8]] and the [[G4 nations]], and is a founding member of what is now the [[European Union]]. It is the European Union's most populous and most economically powerful member.
==History==
{{main|History of Germany}}
The state now known as Germany was unified as a modern nation-state only in [[1871]], when the [[German Empire]], dominated by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], was forged. This was the second German ''[[Reich]]'', usually translated as "empire", but also meaning "kingdom", "___domain" or "realm." <small>(''Königreich'' means "kingdom", and ''Reich-'' as in ''Reichskanzler'' was analogous to ''Royal-'' or calling the State ''the Crown'' in Commonwealth countries. Today the analogous entity is called ''der Bund'', as in ''Bundeskanzler'' (Federal Chancellor).) </small>
===Early history of the Germanic tribes (100 BC-300 AD)===
Germanic tribes, believed to have come from Scandinavia, invaded modern-day Germany then held by the Celts, in the 100s BC to the 300s AD. The Germanic tribes were mixed with Celtic ancestry. Not much was known about their early history except through their interactions with the Roman Empire and archaeological finds.
They invaded western Europe through the Gallic tribes between 125 to 101 BC but were ejected and destroyed by the Roman general Marius from Roman controlled Italy.
It was approximately fifty years until they became powerful and expeditious enough to pose a threat again to Rome under the Suebic king Ariovistus. Julius Caesar ejected the Suebi after they threatened Rome's Gallic allies the Aedui and built the first bridge across the Rhine. Julius Caesar also used German cavalry as auxilliary whenever possible and they aided his greatest victories at Alesia and also at Pharsalus.
Under Augustus the Roman General Drusus began to invade Germany and it was from this period that the German tribes became familiar with Roman tactics of warfare whilst maintaining their national identity. The German tribes would eventually use this technology to destroy the Roman Empire.
In campaigns from 9 AD to 15 AD, German war chief [[Arminius]] drove the Romans out of modern-day Germany during an enigmatic ambush at the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]], further strengthening the regions military prowess and preserving it from Roman conquest.
[[Martin Luther]] would later consider his own fight against the Roman Catholic Church to be a renewal of German liberation from Roman domination through the [[Vatican]]. In [[1838]], drawing further inspiration from the battle, a giant statue was erected near the site of the battle called the [[Hermannsdenkmal]].
During the period c. 25 BC to 300 AD, the Germans gradually developed into a society that was based more upon agriculture and slightly less on dependance on cattle.
===Migration Period and Franks (300-843)===
{{main|Franks}}
The migration included the [[Goths]], [[Vandals]], and [[Franks]], among other [[Germanic tribes|Germanic]] and [[Slavic peoples|Slavic tribes]]. The migration may have been triggered by the incursions of the [[Huns]], population pressures, or climate changes.
The Franks were one of several west [[Confederations of Germanic Tribes|Germanic federations]]. The confederation was formed out of [[Germanic tribes]]: Salians, [[Sugambri]], [[Chamavi]], Tencteri, [[Chattuarii]], [[Bructeri]], [[Usipetes]], [[Ampsivarii]], [[Chatti]]. They entered the late [[Roman Empire]] from present central Germany and settled in northern [[Gaul]] where they were accepted as a ''[[foederati]]'' and established a lasting [[realm]] (sometimes referred to as ''Francia'') in an area that covers most of modern-day [[France]] and the western regions of Germany([[Franconia]], [[Rhineland]], [[Hesse]]), forming the historic kernel of both these two modern countries. The conversion to Christianity of the pagan Frankish king [[Clovis]] was a crucial event in the history of Europe. Under the [[Merovingian]] and [[Carolingian]] kings the Franks formed the most powerful Germanic empire, which replaced the Roman Empire in Western Europe.
===The Holy Roman Empire (843–1806)===
[[Image:Electoral princes.png|thumb|left|The [[prince-elector]]s of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. From ''Bildatlas der Deutschen Geschichte'' by Dr Paul Knötel (1895)]]
{{main|Holy Roman Empire}}
The medieval empire—since 1448 sometimes called the '''Holy Roman Empire of German Nation''' ("Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae") but usually the '''Holy Roman Empire''' —stemmed from a division of the [[Carolingian Empire]] in [[843]], which was founded by [[Charlemagne]] on [[25 December]] [[800]], and existed in varying forms until [[1806]], its territory stretching from the river ''Eider'' in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the south. During this period of almost a thousand years, the Roman Empire expanded its influence successfully with the help of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the [[Teutonic Order]] and the [[Hanseatic League]] to the East.
Under the reign of the [[Ottonian]] emperors ([[919]]-[[1024]]), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed the duchies of [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]], [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]], [[Franconia]], [[Swabia]], [[Thuringia]] and [[Bavaria]]. Under the reign of the [[Salian]] emperors ([[1024]]-[[1125]]), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed [[Italy]] and [[Burgundy]].
During the long stays of the [[Hohenstaufen]] emperors ([[1138]]-[[1254]]) in Italy, the German princes became stronger and began a successful colonization of Slavic lands, so the empire increased in size and came to include [[Pomerania]], [[Silesia]], [[Bohemia]], and [[Moravia]]. The princes became virtually independent rulers within their territories. After the [[Great Interregnum]] ([[1256]]-[[1273]]), a period of anarchy in which there was no emperor and German princes vied for individual advantage, followed the death of the last Hohenstaufen king in [[1254]], princes of miscellaneous Houses were elected emperor and strongly relied on the lands of their own family. The edict of the [[Golden Bull of 1356|Golden Bull]] in [[1356]] provided the basic constitution of the empire up to its dissolution. Since [[1438]] for three hundred years, the Emperors exclusively had been elected from the Austrian [[Habsburg]] family.
In [[1530]], the attempt of the [[Protestant Reformation]] of Catholicism turned out to have failed, and a separate Protestant church was acknowledged as new state religion in many states of Germany. This led to inter-German strife, the [[Thirty Years War]] ([[1618]]) and finally the [[Peace of Westphalia]] ([[1648]]), that resulted in a drastically enfeebled and politically disunited Germany, the Habsburg emperors relied more on their role as Austrian archdukes and were challenged by the new kingdom of [[Prussia]] since [[1740]]. The empire itself was unable to resist the stroke of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], during which the ''Imperium'' was overrun and dissolved ([[1806]]).
===Restoration and revolution (1814–1871)===
[[Image:800px-Nationalversammlung.jpg|thumb|259px|left|Frankfurt Parliament in 1848/49]]
{{main|German Confederation}}
Following Napoleon's fall and the end of the [[Confederation of the Rhine]], the [[Congress of Vienna]] convened in [[1814]] in order to restructure Europe. In Germany, the [[German Confederation]] was founded, a loose league of [[List of German Confederation member states|39 sovereign states]]. Disagreement with the [[restoration]] politics partly led to the lifestyle called ''[[Biedermeier]]'' and to intellectual [[Liberalism in Germany|liberal]] movements, which demanded unity and freedom during the [[Vormärz]] epoch each followed by a measure of [[Klemens Wenzel von Metternich|Metternich]] repressing the liberal agitation. The ''[[Zollverein]]'', a tariff union, profoundly furthered economic unity in the German states.
The states also started to be shaped by the [[Industrial Revolution]], which was the initial step of the growing [[industrialisation]] in Europe and contributed to a wave of poverty in it, causing social uprisings. In light of a [[Revolutions of 1848|series of revolutionary movements in Europe]], [[The Revolutions of 1848 in France|which in France]] successfully established a republic, intellectuals and common people started [[the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states]]. The monarchs initially yielded to the revolutionaries' liberal demands, and an intellectual [[Frankfurt Parliament|National Assembly]] was elected to draw up a constitution for the new Germany, completed in [[1849]]. However, the Prussian king [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|Frederick William IV]], who was offered the title of Emperor but with a loss of power, rejected the crown and the constitution. This prompted the demise of the national assembly along with most merits of the revolution. The restoration set in again lasting until 1858.
In [[1862]], conflict between the Prussian King [[Wilhelm I of Germany| Wilhelm I]] and the increasingly liberal parliament erupted over military reforms. The king appointed [[Otto von Bismarck]] the new [[Prime Minister of Prussia]]. Bismarck used the desire for national unification to further the interests of the Prussian monarchy. He successfully waged [[Second war of Schleswig|war on Denmark]], [[Austro-Prussian War|on Austria]] and, finally, [[Franco-Prussian War| on France]]. The lasting effect of the Austro-Prussian War came to be the division between [[Austria]], formerly the leading state of Germany, from the more western and northern parts. After the Franco-Prussian War the new [[German Empire]] was created.
===German Empire (1871–1918)===
[[Image:Reichsgruendung2.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Foundation of modern Germany, Versailles, 1871. Bismarck is in white in the middle]]
{{main|German Empire}}
After the French defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]], the [[German Empire]] (''Deutsches Kaiserreich'') was proclaimed in [[Versailles]] on [[18 January]] [[1871]]. Virtually a result of the wars, the empire was a unification of the scattered parts of Germany but without Austria—''[[Kleindeutschland]]''. Later, [[List of former German colonies|colonies were established]]. After 1888, the ''[[Year of Three Emperors]]'', Bismarck was forced to quit by the new emperor, young [[William II of Germany|William II]], in 1890 due to political and personal differences. The emperor's foreign policy was opposed to that of Bismarck, who had established a system of alliances in the era called ''[[Gründerzeit]]'', securing Germany's position as a great nation and avoiding war for decades. Under Wilhelm II, however, Germany took an [[imperialism|imperialistic]] course, [[New Imperialism|not unlike other powers]], but it led to friction with neighbouring countries. Most alliances in which Germany had been previously involved were not renewed, and new alliances excluded the country. Austria and Germany became increasingly isolated.
Although not one of [[Causes of World War I|the main causes]], [[Assassination in Sarajevo|the assassination]] of [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Austria's crown prince]] triggered [[World War I]] on [[28 July]] [[1914]], which saw Germany as part of the unsuccessful [[Central Powers]] in the [[World War I casualties|second-bloodiest]] conflict of all time against the [[Allied Powers]]. In November [[1918]], the second [[German Revolution]] broke out, and Emperor William II and all German ruling princes abdicated. [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|An armistice was signed]] on [[November 11]], putting an end to the war. Germany was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in [[1919]], whose unexpectedly high demands were perceived as humiliating in Germany and as a continuation of the war by other means.
===Weimar Republic (1919–1933)===
[[Image:German Revolution.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The [[German Revolution]] of [[1918]]–[[1919]] ended the [[German Monarchy|Monarchy]]]]
{{main|Weimar Republic}}
After the [[German Revolution]] in November [[1918]], a Republic was proclaimed. That year, the [[Communist Party of Germany| German Communist Party]] was established by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, and in January [[1919]] the German Workers Party, later known as the ''Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' ([[National Socialist German Workers Party]], NSDAP, "Nazis"). On [[11 August]] [[1919]], the [[Weimar Constitution]] came into effect. [[1920s Berlin]] was a vibrant and exciting city that flourished with the activity of artists and intellectuals, many of them Jews, during the [[Weimar Republic]]; many considered it to be the cultural capital of [[Europe]] during this time.
In a climate of economic hardship due to both the world wide [[Great Depression]] and the harsh peace conditions dictated by the [[Treaty of Versailles]], and growing tired with a long succession of more or less unstable governments and continuous coalition changes, the political masses in Germany increasingly lacked identification with their political system of parliamentary democracy. This was exacerbated by a wide-spread right-wing ([[Monarchism|monarchist]], [[Völkisch movement|völkische]], and [[National Socialist German Workers Party|nazi]]) ''[[Dolchstoßlegende]]'', a political myth which claimed the [[German Revolution]] as the main reason why Germany had lost the war, decried the Revolutionists as traitors (''Novemberverbrecher'' = ''November criminals'') and the [[political system]] born of the Revolution as illegitimate. On the other hand, radical left-wing communists such as the [[Spartacist League]] had wanted to abolish what they perceived as a [[Capitalism|"capitalist rule"]] in favor of a [[Council communism|"Räterepublik"]] and were thus also in opposition to the existing [[form of government]].
During the years following the Revolution, German voters increasingly supported anti-democratic parties, both [[right-wing|right-]] ([[DNVP|monarchists]], [[NSDAP|Nazis]]) and [[left-wing]] ([[KPD|communists]]). In the two extraordinary elections of [[1932]], the Nazis got 37.2% and 33.0%, the communists got 17% in the latter election - half of the parliament were actually anti-democrats, not including smaller parties with questionable credentials in this respect. As a result, democrats like the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) were a minority.
At the beginning of the [[1930]]s, Germany was not far from a civil war. Paramilitary troops, which were set up by several parties, intimidated voters and seeded violence and anger among the public, who suffered from high unemployment and poverty.
On [[30 January]] [[1933]], [[President of Germany|President]] [[Paul von Hindenburg|von Hindenburg]] appointed [[Adolf Hitler]] [[Chancellor of Germany]].
===Third Reich (1933–1945)===
{{main|Nazi Germany}}
<!-- politics -->
On [[27 February]], the [[Reichstag fire|Reichstag was set on fire]]. Basic rights were abrogated under an emergency decree. An [[Enabling Act]] gave Hitler's government full legislative power. A centralised [[totalitarian]] state was established, no longer based on the rule of democratic law.
The new regime made Germany a [[one-party state]] by outlawing all oppositional parties and repressing the different-minded parts of the public with the party's own organisations [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] and [[Schutzstaffel|SS]], as well as the newly founded state security police [[Gestapo]].
<!-- economy -->
Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements in order to shift the economy towards a war production base. Massive public work projects and extensive [[deficit spending]] by the state helped to significantly lower the high unemployment rate. This and large welfare programmes are said to be the main factors that kept support of the public even late in the war.
[[Image:1936NurembergRally.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Nazi party Rally in Nuremberg, 1936]]
<!-- war -->
In [[1936]], German troops entered the demilitarised [[Rhineland]] in an attempt to rebuild national self-esteem. Emboldened, Hitler followed from [[1938]] onwards a policy of [[expansionism]] to establish a [[Grossdeutschland|"Greater Germany"]], starting with the [[Anschluss|forced unification with Austria]] and the annexation of the [[Sudetes]] region in Bohemia from [[Czechoslovakia]]. [[Neville Chamberlain|The British Prime Minister]] realised that his policies of [[appeasement]] towards Germany had failed. To avoid a two-front war, Hitler concluded the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]] with the [[Soviet Union]]. In 1939 Germany launched a [[Blitzkrieg]] against [[Poland]], which, following British and French war declarations, began [[World War II]].
Germany quickly gained direct or indirect control of large parts of [[Europe]]. In 1941, Hitler broke the pact with the Soviet Union by opening the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. Later the [[United States]] entered the war in support of the United Kingdom and France, and by 1943 the Soviet Union started to push Germany back, too. On [[8 May]] 1945, [[V-E Day|Germany surrendered]] after the [[Red Army]] occupied [[Berlin]], where Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier.
<!-- genocide -->
Before and during the Second World War, Nazi Germany pursued the persecution and [[genocide]] of the [[Jews]], as well as other nations they considered [[subhuman]], homosexuals and political prisoners throughout occupied Europe. Persecution of the Jews began from the time the Nazis came to power, and became increasingly severe, as in 1935 the ''Nürnberger Rassengesetze'' ([[Racial policy of Nazi Germany|Nuremberg race laws]]) came into force, which deprived Jews of their German citizenship and thus of most rights. This pre-war persecution culminated in the so called [[Reichskristallnacht]] on [[9 November]] 1938, a [[pogrom]] in which Jews and Jewish-owned businesses were attacked across Germany and Austria.
Following the beginning of the war, Germany began the systematic genocide of the Jews, [[the Holocaust]], which resulted in about six million Jewish deaths, and up to five million non-Jewish people killed. The Holocaust was carried out throughout the areas Germany occupied, and included the use of special [[Einsatzgruppen|killing squads]] and [[extermination camps]] in a massive and centrally-organized effort to murder every possible member of the populations targeted by the [[Nazis]].
===Division and reunification (1945–1990)===
<!-- section should be shortened-->
[[Image:Besatzungszonen ohne text.gif|thumb|right|Occupation zones of Germany in 1945.]]
{{main|History of Germany since 1945}}
The war resulted in the death of several million Germans, [[Oder-Neisse line|large territorial losses]] and [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|the expulsion of approximately 0.5 to 2 million Germans]] from Eastern Germany ([[East Prussia]], [[Silesia]], Eastern parts of [[Pomerania]] and [[Brandenburg]]) and other parts of Eastern Europe (especially [[Sudetenland]]). All major and many smaller German cities lay in ruins. Germany and [[Berlin]] were occupied and partitioned by the [[Allies]] into four military occupation zones – [[France|French]] in the south-west, [[United Kingdom|British]] in the north-west, [[United States|American]] in the south, and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] in the east.
On [[23 May]] [[1949]], the Federal Republic of Germany (''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'') was established on the territory of the Western occupied zones, with [[Bonn]] as its capital, and declared "fully [[sovereignty|sovereign]]" on [[May 5]], [[1955]]. On [[7 October]] [[1949]] the Soviet Zone was established as the [[East Germany|German Democratic Republic]] (GDR, ''Deutsche Demokratische Republik''), with [[East Berlin]] as its capital. In English the two states were known informally as "[[West Germany]]" and "[[East Germany]]" respectively. The former German capital, [[Berlin]], was a special case, being divided into [[East Berlin]] and [[West Berlin]], with West Berlin completely surrounded by East German territory.
West Germany was allied with the United States, the UK and France. Established as a liberal parliamentary republic with a "[[social market economy]]," the country enjoyed prolonged economic growth following the currency reform of June 1948 and U.S. assistance through the [[Marshall Plan]] aid (1948-1951).
East Germany was at first occupied by and later (May 1955) allied with the USSR. An authoritarian country with a Soviet-style [[command economy]], East Germany soon became the richest, most advanced country in the [[Eastern bloc]], but many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. The flight of growing numbers of East Germans to non-communist countries via West Berlin led on [[13 August]], [[1961]], to East Germany erecting the [[Berlin Wall]] and a fortified border to West Germany.
Relations between East Germany and West Germany remained icy until the Western Chancellor [[Willy Brandt]] launched a highly controversial rapprochement with the East European communist states (''[[Ostpolitik]]'') in the 1970s, culminating in the [[Warschauer Kniefall]] on [[7 December]] [[1970]].
[[Image:Berlin-wall-dancing.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The [[Berlin Wall]] that had partitioned [[Berlin]] in front of the [[Brandenburg Gate]] shortly after the opening of the wall.]]
During the summer of [[1989]], rapid changes took place in East Germany, which ultimately led to [[German reunification]]. Growing numbers of East Germans emigrated to West Germany via [[Hungary]] after Hungary's reformist government opened its borders. Thousands of East Germans also tried to reach the West by staging sit-ins at West German diplomatic facilities in other East European capitals, especially in [[Warsaw]] and [[Prague]]. The exodus generated demands within East Germany for political change, and mass demonstrations with eventually hundreds of thousands of people in several cities – particularly in [[Leipzig]] – continued to grow.
Faced with civil unrest, East German leader [[Erich Honecker]] was forced to resign in [[October]], and on [[9 November]], East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to enter West Berlin and West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This led to the acceleration of the process of reforms in East Germany that ended with the [[German reunification]] that came into force on [[3 October]] [[1990]].
==Politics==
{{main|Politics of Germany}}
===Legal system===
{{main|Judiciary of Germany}}
Germany has a [[civil law (legal system)|civil or statute law system]] based ultimately on [[Roman law]]. Legislative power is divided between the Federation and the individual federated states. While [[criminal law]] and [[private law]] have seen codifications on the national level (in the ''[[Strafgesetzbuch]]'' and the ''[[Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch]]'' respectively), no such unifying codification exists in [[administrative law]] where a lot of the fundamental matters remain in the jurisdiction of the individual federated states. There are a series of specialist supreme courts; for civil and criminal cases the highest court of appeal is the ''[[Federal Court of Justice of Germany|Bundesgerichtshof]]'' (Federal Court of Justice), located in [[Karlsruhe]]. The [[courtroom style]] is [[Inquisitorial system|inquisitorial]].
The Federal Constitutional (''[[Federal Constitutional Court of Germany|Bundesverfassungsgericht]]''), also located in Karlsruhe, is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of [[judicial review]]. It acts as the highest legal authority and ensures that legislative and judicial practice conforms with the [[Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law]]. It acts independently of the other state bodies but cannot act on its own behalf.
===Foreign Relations===
[[Image:Merkel and chirac.jpg|thumb|German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] is greeted by the French President [[Jacques Chirac]]]]
{{main|Foreign relations of Germany}}
Germany plays a leading role in the [[European Union]], having a strong alliance with [[France]]. Germany is at the forefront of European states seeking to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defence and security apparatus.
Since its establishment on [[23 May]], [[1949]], the Federal Republic of Germany kept a notably low profile in international relations. In [[1999]], however, on the occasion of the [[Kosovo War|NATO war against Yugoslavia]], [[Gerhard Schröder|Chancellor Gerhard Schröder]]'s government broke convention by sending German troops into combat for the first time since [[World War II]].
In [[2003]], Germany and France were leaders in the coalition of nations opposing the [[United States|US]]-led [[2003 invasion of Iraq|war in Iraq]]. Nevertheless, the German government has offered help to the reconstruction efforts in [[Iraq]], but only outside of the war-torn country, mainly by training Iraqi military and police personnel.
<!-- this parapgraph is too long -->Despite the recent disagreement between Germany and the U.S. concerning the Bush Administration's foreign policy, Germany and the [[United States]] have been close allies ever since the end of the Second World War. The [[Marshall plan]] and continued U.S. support during the rebuilding process after [[World War II]], as well as the significant influence American culture has had on German culture, have crafted a strong bond between Germany and the U.S. that lasts until this day. Not only do the United States and Germany share many cultural similarities but they are also deeply economically interdependent. 8.8% of all German exports are U.S. bound, and U.S.-German trade according to the U.S. [[Census Bureau]] totaled $108.2 billion for 2004. An illustration of the strong economic relations between the U.S. and Germany may be the fact that 18.3% of all cars sold in the U.S. were manufactured by German car manufacturers.
Together with [[Japan]], [[India]], and [[Brazil]], Germany is currently seeking a permanent seat on the [[UN Security Council]].
===Armed Forces===
[[Image:Eufor handover.jpg|thumb|right|German troops (with red berets in the front row) are part of the [[EUFOR]] peace-keeping force in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]]]
Germany's military, the ''[[Bundeswehr]]'', is a defence force with ''[[Heer]]'' (Army), ''[[German Navy|Deutsche Marine]]'' (Navy), ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' (Air Force), ''Zentraler Sanitätsdienst'' (Central Medical Services) and ''Streitkräftebasis'' (Joint Service Support Command) branches. It employs some 250,000 personnel, 50,000 of whom are 18-23-year-old men on national duty for currently at least 9 months. In peacetime, the Bundeswehr is commanded by the Minister of Defence, currently [[Franz Josef Jung]] (since [[2005]]). If Germany is at war, the Chancellor becomes commander in chief of the German 'Bundeswehr'.
The military budget has not kept up with the Bundeswehr's mission, which has changed dramatically from protecting Germany's borders against a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] invasion into a mobile unit deployed around the world. The funding levels for the Bundeswehr have actually been falling since [[1990]], when military spending amounted to about 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Today, defence spending equals about 1.2 per cent of German GDP, compared to the [[NATO]] average of 2.3 per cent and the [[United States]]' more than 4 per cent. Critics argue that the current budget of €24.4 billion is too small to finance the necessary transformation of the Bundeswehr into a well-equipped force ready for NATO and [[United Nations|UN]] led missions abroad. Opponents argue that the transformation from a manpower based army securing the Eastern border to a modernized force with less soldiers kept in pay is duly reflected in a lower budget.
Currently, the German military has about 1,180 troops stationed in [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]]; 2,650 Bundeswehr soldiers are serving in [[Kosovo]]; 3,900 Bundeswehr troops are assisting the [[United States|US]] anti-terrorism operation called [[Operation Enduring Freedom|Enduring Freedom]] off the Horn of Africa. In [[Afghanistan]], 4,500 German troops currently make up the largest contingent of the NATO-led [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]] force.
===Energy policy===
{{see also|Nuclear power phase-out|Nuclear energy policy}}
[[Image:E-112 Egeln feb2005.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Wind turbine in Germany]]
In [[2000]], the German [[SPD]]-led government along with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen ([[Alliance '90/The Greens]]), officially announced its intention to [[Nuclear power phase-out|phase out the use of nuclear energy]]. [[Jürgen Trittin]] (from the German [[Greens]]) as the Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, reached an agreement with energy companies on the gradual shut down of [[List of nuclear reactors#Germany|the country's nineteen nuclear power plants]] and a cessation of civil usage of [[nuclear power]] by [[2020]].
In [[1999]], electricity production in Germany was made up by [[coal]] (47%), [[nuclear power]] (30%), [[natural gas]] (14%), [[renewable energy|renewable sources]] (including [[hydroelectricity|hydro]]) (6%), and [[petrol|oil]] (2%) ([http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/germany.html]). As for energy consumption, oil accounted for 41% of the total. The German government declaring [[Greenhouse effect|climate protection]] as a key policy issue, announced a [[carbon dioxide]] reduction target by the year 2005 compared to 1990 by 25% ([http://www.agores.org/Publications/EnR/GermanyREPolicy2000.pdf], pdf).
In 2005, the German government reached an agreement with Russia in building a gas pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic sea directly from Russia to Germany.
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Germany}}
===States ([[States of Germany|Länder]])===
{{main|States of Germany}}
Germany is divided into sixteen federal [[State (national)|state]]s (in German called ''Länder'', singular ''[[States of Germany|Land]]''; though more commonly ''Bundesländer'', singular ''Bundesland''). It is further subdivided into 439 districts (''[[List of German districts|Kreise]]'') and cities (''kreisfreie Städte'') ([[2004]]).
<BR>
[[Image:Germany Laender Map.png|right|thumb|215px|States of Germany]]
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
!colspan=3|[[English language|In English]]
!colspan=2|[[German language|Auf Deutsch]]
|-
!colspan=2|[[States of Germany|Federal State]] !! [[Capital]] !! [[States of Germany|Bundesland]] !! Hauptstadt
|-
|'''1'''|| [[Baden-Württemberg]]||[[Stuttgart]]||Baden-Württemberg||Stuttgart
|-
|'''2'''|| [[Bavaria|(Free State of) Bavaria]]||[[Munich]]||(Freistaat) Bayern||München
|-
|'''3'''|| [[Berlin]]||[[Berlin]]||Berlin||Berlin
|-
|'''4'''|| [[Brandenburg]]||[[Potsdam]]||Brandenburg||Potsdam
|-
|'''5'''|| [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]]||[[Bremen (city)|Bremen]]||(Freie Hansestadt) Bremen||Bremen
|-
|'''6'''|| [[Hamburg]]||[[Hamburg]]||(Freie und Hansestadt) Hamburg||Hamburg
|-
|'''7'''|| [[Hesse]]<!--please do not change it to 'Hessen', it really is 'Hesse' in the English language-->||[[Wiesbaden]]||Hessen||Wiesbaden
|-
|'''8'''|| [[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]]||[[Schwerin]]||Mecklenburg-Vorpommern||Schwerin
|-
|'''9'''|| [[Lower Saxony]]||[[Hanover]]||Niedersachsen||Hannover
|-
|'''10'''|| [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]||[[Düsseldorf]]||Nordrhein-Westfalen||Düsseldorf
|-
|'''11'''|| [[Rhineland-Palatinate]]||[[Mainz]]||Rheinland-Pfalz||Mainz
|-
|'''12'''|| [[Saarland]]||[[Saarbrücken]]||Saarland||Saarbrücken
|-
|'''13'''|| [[Saxony|(Free State of) Saxony]]||[[Dresden]]||(Freistaat) Sachsen||Dresden
|-
|'''14'''|| [[Saxony-Anhalt]]||[[Magdeburg]]||Sachsen-Anhalt||Magdeburg
|-
|'''15'''|| [[Schleswig-Holstein]]||[[Kiel]]||Schleswig-Holstein||Kiel
|-
|'''16'''|| [[Thuringia|(Free State of) Thuringia]]||[[Erfurt]]||(Freistaat) Thüringen||Erfurt
|}
<BR>
===Territory===
[[Image:Loreley von Spitznack.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Rhine River]] valley]]
Since [[German reunification|reunification]] Germany has resumed its role as a major centre between [[Scandinavia]] in the north and the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] region in the south, as well as between the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] west and the countries of [[Central Europe|central]] and [[Eastern Europe|eastern]] Europe.
The territory of Germany stretches from the high mountains of the [[Alps]] (highest point: the [[Zugspitze]] at 2,962 m) in the south to the shores of the [[North Sea]] in the north-west and the [[Baltic Sea]] in the north-east. In between are found the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: [[Neuendorfer]]/[[Wilstermarsch]] at 3.54 metres below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major [[river]]s such as the [[Rhine]], [[Danube]] and [[Elbe]].
Due to its central ___location Germany has more neighbours than any other European country; these are [[Denmark]] in the north, [[Poland]] and the [[Czech Republic]] in the east, [[Austria]] and [[Switzerland]] in the south, [[France]] and [[Luxembourg]] in the south-west and [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]] in the north-west.
===Climate===
The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate.
In the ''north-west'' and the ''north'' the climate is oceanic and rain falls all the year round. Winters there are relatively mild and summers tend to be comparatively cool, even though temperatures can reach above twenty-eight degrees Celsius for prolonged periods of time.
''(Average temperatures: [[Hamburg]]: January 0.3°C / July 17.1°C; [[Essen]]: January 1.5°C / July 17.5°C)''
In the ''east'' the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Here, too, long dry periods are often recorded. ''(Average temperatures: [[Berlin]]: January -0.9°C / July 18.6°C)''
In the ''central part'' and the ''south'' there is a transitional climate which varies from moderately oceanic to continental, depending on the ___location.
''(Average temperatures: [[Munich]]: January -2.2°C / July 17.6°C; [[Freiburg]]: January 1.2°C / July 19.4°C)''
==Economy==
[[Image:Frankfurt-Skyline-NilsJeppe.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Frankfurt am Main]] is Germany's financial centre]]
[[Image:50ec ger.png|thumb|right|150px|A [[euro coins|50 euro cent coin]]
featuring the [[Brandenburg Gate]], symbol of division and reunification]]
{{main|Economy of Germany}}
Germany is the largest [[European]] economy and the fifth largest economy in the world measured by [[gross domestic product]] [[ purchasing power parity]], placed behind the [[United States]], [[People's Republic of China|China]], [[Japan]] and [[India]]. According to the [[World Trade Organization]], Germany is also the world's top exporter, ahead of the United States and [[China]]. Its major trading partners include [[France]], the United States, the [[United Kingdom]], [[Italy]] and the [[Netherlands]]. Germany is the largest trading partner of most European countries. A major issue of concern remains the persistently high [[unemployment]] rate and weak domestic demand which slows down economic growth. However, according to Bert Rürup, head of Germany's Council of Economic Advisers, [[German Reunification|reunification]] is to blame for two-thirds of Germany's growth lag compared to its [[European Union|EU]] neighbours. In particular, eastern Germany lacks a solid base of small and medium-sized companies, which provided the foundation for [[West Germany]]'s economic prosperity.
Other major problems in the current political debate are high non-wage labor costs, the complex tax system ([[Taxation in Germany]]), bureaucratic regulations and labor market regulations like dismissal protection.
===Exports===
As mentioned above the exporting of goods is an essential part of the German [[economic system|economy]] and one of the most relevant reasons for Germany's wealth. Like many other [[export]] oriented countries, Germany itself does not have the climate or the [[natural resources]] necessary to support a [[standard of living| high living standard]]. These shortages have long made [[international trade]] completely indispensible to the German economy. Considering these economical forces it should not come as a surprise that Germany is the world's largest exporting country, with exports for 2004 totaling $893.3 billion.
Germany's main exports:
* [[Machinery]]
* [[Car|Vehicles]]
* [[Chemicals]]
* [[Metals]] and [[Manufacturing|Manufactures]]
* [[Food industry|Foodstuffs]]
* [[Consumer electronics]]
* [[Textiles]]
* [[Electricity]]
===Imports===
As a nation that relies heavily on [[international trade]], Germany also imports a wide variety of [[Good (economics)|goods]]. Germany is the world's second largest importer of goods with a total of $716.7 billion in imports. It is, however, important to remember that it is vital to the German economy to have a [[trade surplus]]. For 2004 the German trade surplus totaled $176.6 billion.
Germany's main [[imports]] are:
* [[Machinery]]
* [[Vehicles]]
* [[Chemicals]]
* [[Foodstuffs]]
* [[Textiles]]
* [[Metal|Metals]]
''[http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html| CIA Factbook 2004]''
===Agriculture===
For many years now agriculture in Germany has been in a state of decline. Poor earnings and lack of profitability are counted as the main reasons for the failure of many medium and small [[farming|farms]]. The main crops grown are [[potato]]es, [[wheat]], [[barley]], [[sugar beet]] and [[cabbage]]. Germany ranks among the world's largest producers of [[milk]], milk byproducts and [[meat]]. Agricultural support is managed under the [[EU]] [[Common Agricultural Policy]].
===Industrial sector===
[[Image:MB_S-Class_2.jpg |thumb|left|250px|German Cars are famous all over the world]]
As in most other large economic nations, Germany's industrial sector has declined in favour of the service sector. Germany is among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of [[iron]], [[steel]], [[cement]], [[chemicals]], [[machinery]], [[motor vehicles]], [[machine tool]]s and [[electronics]], as well as a world leader in the [[shipbuilding]] industry. Major car manufacturers like [[BMW]], [[DaimlerChrysler]] ([[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]]), [[Opel]] (owned by [[General Motors|GM]]), [[Porsche]] <!-- before somebody asks - Porsche is independent --> and [[Volkswagen Group|Volkswagen AG]] (including [[Audi]] and more non-German brands) , and it is also home to huge multinational corporations like [[BASF]], [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]], and [[Siemens AG]], which consistently rank among the world's largest firms.
===Service sector===
The [[service sector]] has grown steadily in recent years and now contributes the largest share of GDP. This sector includes [[tourism]]. As of [[2004]], the largest numbers of foreign visitors to Germany came from the Netherlands, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom ([http://www.destatis.de/basis/e/tour/tourtab4.htm]). Germany also has a large (and possibly underrated) presence in the banking world, lead by [[Deutsche Bank]] and [[Allianz]].
===Natural resources===
Germany is lacking in natural raw materials, if one disregards the hard [[coal]] deposits in the [[Ruhr Area|Ruhr area]], in the [[Aachen]] district and in the [[Saarland]], where mining is profitable only thanks to state subsidies. Brown coal from mines in the [[Leipzig]]er Bucht and the Niederlausitz is still the major energy source in the eastern [[States of Germany|states]], while [[petroleum]] enjoys this position in the western "''Länder''". The previous [[Red-Green Alliance|red-Green]] (1998-2005) coalition government was pursuing a long-term strategy of phasing out [[nuclear energy|nuclear power]] in favour of [[renewable energy|renewable]] sources of energy. The current coalition has not yet agreed on its nuclear policy.
==Society==
===Demographics===
{{main|Demographics of Germany}}
Due to the country's federal and decentralized structure Germany has a number of larger cities. The most populous cities of Germany are [[Berlin]], [[Hamburg]], [[Munich]], [[Cologne]], [[Frankfurt]] and [[Dortmund]]. By far the largest urban conurbation is the [[Rhine-Ruhr]] region, including the Düsseldorf-Cologne district and the cities of [[Dortmund]], [[Duisburg]] and [[Bochum]]. The federal structure keeps the population oriented towards a number of large cities and with this also characterizes a demographic structure unlike most other European countries. Only [[Italy]] shows a similar structure.
As of [[2004]], about 7.5 million foreign citizen residents were living in Germany. By far the largest number came from [[Turkey]], followed by [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Croatia]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Albania]], [[Kosovo]], [[Serbia and Montenegro]], [[Spain]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Austria]], [[Portugal]], [[Vietnam]], [[Morocco]], [[Poland]], [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]], [[Lebanon]] and [[France]]. [http://www.destatis.de/basis/e/bevoe/bevoetab10.htm] Thanks to [[German citizenship reform]], many of these immigrants are eligible for [[naturalisation]] ([http://www.destatis.de/basis/e/bevoe/bevoetab8.htm]).
9% of the population is not ethnically German.
Germany is still a primary destination for political and economic [[refugee]]s from many [[developing country|less industrialized countries]], especially [[Turkey]] and [[southern Europe|southern]]/[[southeastern Europe|southeastern]] [[Europe]], but the number of annual asylum seekers has been declining in recent years, reaching about 50,000+ in 2003.
An [[Danish people|ethnic Danish]] minority of about 50,000 people lives in [[Schleswig]], most of them close to the Danish border, in the north; a small number of [[Slavs|Slavic]] people known as the [[Sorbs]] lives in the states of [[Saxony]] (about 40,000) and [[Brandenburg]] (about 20,000). The [[Frisian language]] is [[mother tongue]] to about 12,000 speakers in Germany. In rural areas of Northern Germany, [[Low German]] is widely spoken. The [[North-Rhine Westphalia]]n border is a transitional area between German and [[Dutch language|Dutch]].
There are also a large number of [[ethnic German]] immigrants from the former [[Soviet Union]] area (1.7 million), [[Poland]] (0.7 million) and [[Romania]] (0.3 million) ([[1980]]–[[1999]] totals), who are automatically granted German citizenship, and thus do not show up in foreign resident statistics; unlike non-ethnic German immigrants, they have been settled by the government almost evenly spread throughout Germany.
===Religion===
[[Image:Luther46c.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Martin Luther]], Father of the Protestant [[Reformation]] and reformer of the German language, 1529]]
[[Image:Berliner Dom.jpg|thumb||250px|[[Berliner Dom]]]]
{{main|Religion in Germany}}
Germany is the home of the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] launched by [[Martin Luther]] in the early 16th century. Today, [[Protestantism|Protestants]] (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and [[Catholicism|Catholics]] (particularly in the south and west) also 33%. In total more than 55 million people officially belong to a [[Christian]] denomination. The third largest religious identity in Germany is that of non-religious people (including [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]]), who amount to a total of 28.5 % of the population (23.5 million).
Most German Protestants are members of the [[Evangelical Church in Germany]]. [[Free church]]es (as [[Baptists]], [[Methodism|Methodists]] and other independent Protestants are usually called in Germany) exist in all larger towns and many smaller ones, but most such churches are small. The current pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, [[Pope Benedict XVI]], is German.
Besides this there are several hundred thousand [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] (mostly [[Greece|Greeks]] and [[Serbia|Serbs]]), 400,000 [[New Apostolic Church|New Apostolic Christians]], more than 150,000 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and numerous other small groups. The highest numbers of members of these denominations in Germany has the [[Greek Orthodox Church]], the [[Serb Orthodox Church]] coming fourth.
[[Islam in Germany|Approximately 3.2 million Muslims]][http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug212005/foreign1834142005820.asp] (mostly from Turkey, including Turkish and Kurdish people) live in Germany.
Today's Germany has Western Europe's third-largest [[Jew|Jewish]] population. In [[2004]], twice as many Jews from former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] republics settled in Germany as in [[Israel]], bringing the total influx to more than 200,000 since [[1991]]. About half joined a settled Jewish community, of which there are now more than 100, with a total of 100,000 members—up from 30,000 before reunification. Some German cities have seen a revival of Jewish culture, particularly in [[Berlin]], where there are also 3,000 Israelis. Jews have a voice in German public life through the [[Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland]].
{{seealso|History of the Jews in Germany}}
In the territory of the former East Germany, there is much less religious feeling than in the West. Only 5% attend a mass at least once per week, compared with 14% in the West according to a recent [http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/Releases/1997/Dec97/r121097a.html study]. About 30% of the total population are officially religiously unaffiliated. In the East this number is considerably higher.
Church and state are separate, but there is cooperation in many fields, most importantly in the social sector. Churches and religious communities, if they are large, stable and loyal to the constitution, can get special status from the state as a ''corporate body under public law'' which allows the churches to levy taxes called ''Kirchensteuer'' ([[church tax]]) on their members on the basis of laws of the Länder, and to apply laws of public service to their ministers. In most cases, the revenue is collected by the state in return for a collection fee, while some smaller-sized religious bodies chose to administer the collection of the taxes themselves (such as the Jewish Community of [[Berlin]]). See [[Status of religious freedom in Germany]] and [[Separation of church and state#Germany|Separation of church and state in Germany]].
Over six million Jews were killed in Germany during the period of 1940 to 1945. This action, known at the [[Holocaust]], is the largest example of murder based on religious motivation in the history of Europe. The term [[genocide]] was created to describe the behavior of the German government during the Holocaust. The [[Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]] was adopted by the [[UN General Assembly]] to prevent future crimes against humanity of this nature.
Also of note is that Germany hosts one of only seven [[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'í]] [[Bahá'í House of Worship|Houses of Worship]] in the world. Completed in 1964, it is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains in the village of Langenhain, approximately 25 kilometers west of [[Frankfurt]].
===Education===
{{main|Education in Germany}}
[[Image:klasse.jpg|300px|thumb|Standard classroom at a secondary school in Germany in 1998]]
Germany has one of the world's highest levels of education and many famous universities. The most important foreign languages taught at school are [[English language|English]], [[Latin]] and [[French language|French]]. [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Greek language|Ancient Greek]], and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] are not taught everywhere. Since the end of [[World War II]], the number of youths entering [[university|universities]] has more than tripled, but university attendance still lags behind many other European nations. In the annual league of top-ranking universities compiled by [[Shanghai Jiaotong University]] in [[2004]], Germany came 4th overall, but with only 7 universities in the top 100 (to compare, the [[United States]] had 51). The highest ranking university, at #45, was the [[Technical University of Munich|TU Munich]].
For Germany, the results of the [[PISA (student assessment)|PISA student assessments]] were a nationwide shock. The comparatively low scores brought on heated debate about how the school system should be changed. Furthermore it was revealed that more than in other countries students with higher-earning parents are better-educated and tend to achieve higher results. There is also some diversity between the schools of the various states that determine their respective school system independently.
In addition to academic education, Germany also has an elaborate system of [[vocational education]], called the ''dual system'', which combines apprenticeship in enterprises with theoretical teaching in vocational schools.
Germany prohibits home-schooling; however, this is still practiced by a number of people. There has been some publicity to government prosecution of this practice.
The German school system consists of an elementary school (Grundschule) where pupils go for 4 years (1.-4. grade) after that, in some states, they go to a secondary school where they learn English, French or Latin as their first foreign language (erste Fremdsprache). In the 5. grade (in those states with secondary schools its in the 7.) they have to decide wether they will go to 'Hauptschule' (7.-9. grade), where they only have English as a foreign language and have less chance to get a job, or 'Realschule' (7.-10.), where they can learn both English and French but also have less chance to get a job, or 'Gymnasium'(7.-13. or 7.-12. grade), where they learn English and French or Latin. In the 9. grade in 'Gymnasium', they may learn Spanish, (Ancient) Greek or Russian (not at every school avaiable). In Germany it is easier to get a job when you have 'Abitur', which you get when you have successfully taken the exams at the end of the 13. or 12. grade (at the end of 'Gymnasium').
===Social issues===
[[Image:KreuzbergStreet.jpg|320px|thumb|right|The borough of [[Kreuzberg]] in [[Berlin]] is sometimes called the "second largest Turkish city in Europe, after Istanbul"]]
{{main|Social issues in Germany}}
The German social market economy ([[German language|German]]: ''soziale Marktwirtschaft'') helped bring about the "economic miracle" (the german "''Wirtschaftswunder''") that rebuilt Germany from ashes after World War II to one of the most impressive economies in Europe.
Germany continues to struggle with the number of social issues although problems created by the [[German Reunification]] of 1990 have begun to diminish. The standard of living is higher in the western half of the country, but easterners now share a reasonably high standard of living. Germans continue to be concerned about a relatively high level of unemployment. Germany has passed several reforms to curb unemployment. Some of these reforms will require people in the labour force to worker harder and more efficiently.
For centuries, a woman's role in German society was summed up by the three words: Kinder (children), Kirche (church), and Küche (kitchen). Throughout the twentieth century, however, women have gradually won victories in their quest for equal rights. Despite significant gains, discrimination remains in united Germany. Women are noticeably absent in the top tiers of German business. They only hold 9.2 percent of jobs in Germany's upper and middle management positions, according to 2002 figures from the Hoppenstedt business databank.
Since World War II, Germany has experienced intermittent turmoil from various extremist groups. In the [[1970s]] the terrorist [[Red Army Faction]] engaged in a string of assassinations and kidnappings against political and business figures and there has been a recent surge in right-wing extremist crimes. According to former Interior Minister [[Otto Schily]], the number of these crimes rose 8.4% to 12,553 cases in [[2004]], which the minister attributed to such crimes as the display of illegal [[Nazism|Nazi]] symbols being reported more frequently. The majority of these cases are not violent crimes, although these do exist as well.
Germany has failed to implement EU laws prohibiting racial discrimination. The European Court of Justice ruled on [[29 April]] [[2005]], that Germany had breached EU law by failing to transpose fully the 'Racial Equality Directive' prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin (Directive 2000/43/EC). The deadline for EU Member States to transpose this Directive was [[19 July]] [[2003]] – except for the 10 new Member States, who had to ensure that their legislation complied with the Directives by their accession to the EU on [[1 May]] [[2004]]. Immigrants to Germany may generally face integration issues and other difficulties. In addition to the challenges of adapting to a new language and culture, they may be subject to security-related police inquiries and violence from right-wing extremist groups. The government has attempted to improve immigrant integration by mandating courses on language, culture, politics, and society for some immigrants.
Some German states have banned Muslim teachers from wearing [[headscarf|headscarves]] in class and all states have banned crosses from the classroom as well, generally by prohibiting the use of all religious symbols by teachers. This is legitimate by combining the German states' privilege of educational laws with the principle of separation of church and state, both provided for in the German federal constitution: According to this legal view, teachers in their vocational function within a state administered educational system are obliged to maintain and publicly exhibit religious neutrality when on duty. As this status of employment does not hold for pupils, whose constitutional right to religious freedom thus remains unencumbered by these provisions, this ban cannot legally be extended to them as it is in [[France]]. The question of headscarves and crosses in schools has been heavily discussed politically throughout Germany in recent years, but could only be solved by a decision of the Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) in 2003.
===Culture===
[[Image:Goethecut.png|thumb|right|240px|[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] is regarded as a major German poet]]
[[Image:Albert Einstein by Yousuf Karsh.jpg|thumb|right|222px|[[Albert Einstein]], the famous German-born physicist]]
{{main|Culture of Germany}}
Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as ''das Land der Dichter und Denker'' (the land of poets and thinkers). German '''literature''' can be traced back to the Middle Ages, in particular to such authors as [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] and [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]], considered some of the most important poets of medieval Europe. The [[Nibelungenlied]], whose author is not known, is also a major contribution to German literature. Theologian [[Martin Luther|Luther]], who translated the Bible into German, is widely credited for having set the basis for modern "High German" language. The mostly admired German poets and authors are without doubt [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]], [[E.T.A. Hoffmann|Hoffmann]], [[Gottfried Keller|Keller]] and [[Friedrich Schiller|Schiller]]. Other poets include [[Heinrich Heine]], [[Rainer Maria Rilke]] and authors of the 20th century include [[Nobel prize]] winners [[Thomas Mann]], [[Hermann Hesse]], [[Heinrich Böll]], and [[Günter Grass]]. Other authors include [[Bertolt Brecht|Brecht]] and [[Hans Magnus Enzensberger|Enzensberger]]. Germany's influence on world '''philosophy''' was significant as well, as exemplified by [[Gottfried Leibniz|Leibniz]], [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]], [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]], [[Karl Marx|Marx]], [[Friedrich Engels|Engels]], [[Feuerbach]], [[Arthur Schopenhauer|Schopenhauer]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]], [[Edmund Husserl|Husserl]], [[Eduard von Hartmann|Hartmann]], [[Karl Jaspers|Jaspers]], [[Martin Heidegger|Heidegger]], [[Hans-Georg Gadamer|Gadamer]] and [[Jürgen Habermas|Habermas]].
In the field of '''music''', Germany's influence is noted through the works of, among others,
[[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Georg Friedrich Händel|Händel]], [[Telemann]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy|Mendelssohn Bartholdy]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Schubert]], [[Anton Webern|Webern]], [[Helmut Lachenmann|Lachenmann]], [[Carl Orff|Orff]] and [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]].
In '''Art''', there are several fine German painters such as the [[Renaissance]] artist [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]], the romanticist [[Caspar David Friedrich|Friedrich]], the [[Surrealism|surrealist]] [[Max Ernst|Ernst]], the [[Expressionism|expressionist]] [[Franz Marc|Marc]], the [[Conceptualism|conceptual]] artist [[Joseph Beuys|Beuys]] or the neo expressionist [[Georg Baselitz|Baselitz]]. Architecture also flourished in Germany. Several [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s are scattered throughout Germany (including, for instance, the cathedral of [[Cologne]] and the [[Museum Island]] in [[Berlin]]). Famous architects include [[neoclassicism|neoclassicist]] [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel|Schinkel]] and [[Walter Gropius|Gropius]], the founder of the [[Bauhaus]]. A significant part of the architectural heritage of Germany, however, has been irrevocably destroyed by air raids on city centers during World War II.
Germany was also the homeland of '''scientists''' like [[Hermann von Helmholtz|Helmholtz]], [[Joseph von Fraunhofer|Fraunhofer]], [[Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit|Fahrenheit]], [[Johannes Kepler|Kepler]], [[Ernst Haeckel|Haeckel]], [[Wilhelm Wundt|Wundt]], [[Rudolf Virchow|Virchow]], [[Paul Ehrlich|Ehrlich]], [[Alexander von Humboldt|Humboldt]], [[Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen|Röntgen]], [[Karl Ferdinand Braun|Braun]], [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]], [[Max Born|Born]], [[Max Planck|Planck]], [[Werner Heisenberg|Heisenberg]], [[Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt|Creuzfeldt]], [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz|Hertz]], [[Robert Koch|Koch]], [[Otto Hahn|Hahn]], [[Gottfried Leibniz|Leibniz]], [[Justus von Liebig|Liebig]], [[Ernst Mayr|Mayr]] and [[Robert Bunsen|Bunsen]]; and inventors and engineers such as [[Johann Gutenberg|Gutenberg]], [[Nikolaus August Otto|Otto]], [[Robert Bosch|Bosch]], [[Werner von Siemens|Siemens]], [[Wernher von Braun|von Braun]], [[Gottlieb Daimler|Daimler]], [[Carl Benz|Benz]] and [[Rudolf Diesel|Diesel]].
Important '''mathematicians''' were born in Germany such as [[Adam Ries|Ries]], [[Richard Dedekind|Dedekind]], [[Friedrich Bessel|Bessel]], [[Carl Friedrich Gauss|Gauß]], [[David Hilbert|Hilbert]], [[Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi|Jacobi]], [[Bernhard Riemann|Riemann]], [[Felix Klein|Klein]] and [[Karl Weierstrass|Weierstraß]].
Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were important and influential figures in German culture, such as [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], [[Franz Kafka]], [[Stefan Zweig]] and [[Nicolaus Copernicus]].
The '''[[German language]]''' was once the [[lingua franca]] of central, eastern and northern Europe. Within the [[European Union]], German is the language with the most native speakers before English, French, Spanish and Italian. As a foreign language, German is the third most taught worldwide.[http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/en/aussenpolitik/kulturpolitik/sprache/deutsch_html] It is also the second most used language on the [[Internet]]. The language has its origin in [[Old High German]]. There are numerous [[dialect]]s of German, many of which are not intelligible to speakers of standard German. Some consider [[Low German]] to be a different language from German; Low German has been given the status of a minority language by the [[European Union]], although it is less used today in the traditionally Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany.
Since about [[1970]] Germany has once again had a thriving popular culture, now increasingly being led by its new old capital [[Berlin]], and a self-confident music and art culture. Germany is also well known for its many opera houses, the most famous of which being located in [[Bayreuth]].
==Miscellaneous topics==
{{portal}}
* [[Communications in Germany]]
* [[Historical Eastern Germany]]
* [[List of English exonyms for German toponyms]]
* [[List of Germans|List of famous Germans]]
* [[List of German districts]]
* [[List of German towns]]
* [[List of Germans]] - [[German people]]
* [[List of political parties in Germany]]
* [[List of universities in Germany]]
* [[Tourism in Germany]]
* [[Taxation in Germany]]
* [[Transportation in Germany]]
* [[German federal election, 2005]]
* [[Nuclear power phase-out]]
==External links==
{{Commons|Germany}}
{{Wikinews|Germany}}
{{cookbook}}
<!-- Wikipedia is not a link list nor a Web directory. If your link points to a site that does not cover many subjects about Germany, it's most likely in the wrong place here and you should go and search for a more specific article. -->
* [http://www.deutschland.de/home.php?lang=2 Deutschland.de] — Official German portal
* [http://www.facts-about-germany.de Facts about Germany] — by the German Federal Foreign Office
* [http://www.panorama-cities.net CityPanoramas] — Panoramic views of German cities
* [http://www.handbuch-deutschland.de/book_en.html A manual for Germany] — by the German Government Representative for Migration, Refugees and Integration
* [http://www.destatis.de/e_home.htm Destatis.de] — Federal Statistical Office Germany (in English)
* [http://www.worldwide-tax.com/germany/indexgermany.asp Germany economy and business indicators] — Germany key Data on Taxes and Income Tax.
* [http://www.livingingermany.de LivingInGermany.de] — Resource site for Ex-Pats about living and working in Germany in English.
== References ==
* [[Jean Edward Smith]], ''Germany Beyond The Wall: People, Politics, and Prosperity'', Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1969.
* [[Jean Edward Smith]], ''Lucius D. Clay: An American Life'', New York: Henry, Holt, & Company, 1990.
* [[Jean Edward Smith]], ''The Defense Of Berlin'', Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1963.
* [[Jean Edward Smith]], ''The Papers Of Lucius D. Clay'', 2 Vols., Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1974.
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[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:European Union member states]]
[[Category:Germany| ]]
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