GERMANY

Borders : North - Denmark

, South Switzerland and
Austria , West -
Netherlands , Belgium,
Luxembourg and France
East - Czech Republic and
Poland
FACTFILE
POPULATION : 83 MILLION PEOPLE

DENSITY :230 people per km2

CAPITAL CITY : BERLIN

MAJOR CITIES : HAMBURG, MUNICH , KOLN, FRANKFURT, DRESDA AND

LIPSIA

FORM OF GOVERNMENT : FEDERAL REPUBLIC

LANGUAGES SPOKEN : GERMAN

CURRENCY : EURO
FACTFILE
MAIN RIVERS : DANUBE ( 2.860 km ) , RHEIN ( 1.326 km ) , ELBA ( 1.165 km ) ,
MOSER ( 545 km )

MOST IMPORTANT MOUNTAINS : ZUGSPITZE ( 2963 meters ) FELDBERG (

1874 meters ) AND GROSSER ARBER ( 1457 meters ) .

CURIOSITY : the Romans called Germany ( and Germans its

inhabitants ) the territories conquered between the rivers Danube and
Rhein , inspiring themselves to the name “ HERRMANN” , that means
warrior. The Germans called their land Deutschland a medieval name
that means land of the German people .
TERRITORY
GERMANY IS LOCATED IN THE CENTRE OF EUROPE.

ITS TERRITORY IS DIVIDED INTO 3 GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

- IN THE NORTH THE GERMAN PLAIN WHICH GOES ALL THE WAY TO
THE BALTIC SEA
- IN THE CENTRE A SERIES OF NOT VERY HIGH MOUNTAIN RANGES
AND PLATEAUS , WITH LOTS OF FORESTS
- IN THE SOUTH THE ALPINE REGION
TERRITORY
THE ALPINE REGION

IN THIS REGION WE CAN FIND

- ALGOVIAN ALPS
- SALZBURG ALPS
- BAVARIAN ALPS WHICH REACH THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT WITH THE
MOUNT ZUGSPIZE
- THEY ARE ALL FULL OF WOODS AND RICH IN LAKES
THE CENTRAL RELIEFS
THESE PLATEAUS AND MOUNTAIN RANGES ARE VERY OLD , THIS IS WHY
THEY ARE NOT VERY HIGH . EROSION BY THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS HAS
MODELLED THESE MOUNTAINS . WE CAN FIND :

- THE HARZ MASSIF IS IN THE CENTER WHERE THE HIGHEST PEAK IS

THE BROCKEN MOUNTAIN ( 1.142 meters )
- THE SCIST - RHEIN MASSIF ,WHERE THE RHEIN FLOWS , IN THE
NORTH WEST
- THE BLACK FOREST IN THE SOUTH WEST, THE TURINGIAN FOREST
IN THE EAST AND THE FRANCONIA CHAIN
- THE BOHEMIAN FOREST AND THE METAL MOUNTAINS ON THE
BORDER WITH THE CZECH REPUBLIC .
HARZ MASSIF
THE PLAINS
THE GERMANIC LOWLANDS ARE IN THE NOTHERN PART OF THE
COUNTRY .

THE REGION WAS FORMED BY THE ACTION OF THE GLACIERS THAT

20.000 YEARS AGO DISAPPERED GIVING THIS PLAIN ITS MAIN FEATURES :

- ALLUVIONAL PLAIN
- WITH SOFT HILLS
- FULL OF LAKES, PONDS AND PEATS
- NEAR THE COAST THERE ARE SANDY FIELDS , PRAIRIES AND WOODS
- IN THE SOUTH THE PRAIRIES COME TOGETHER WITH SOME
INTENSIVELY CULTIVATED FIELDS AND LOTS OF CANALS GO ACROSS
IT
- THE RUHR BASIN IS NOW AN URBANISED AND INDUSTRIAL AREA .
BLACK FOREST
RIVERS AND CANALS
THE GERMAN TERRITORY IS FULL OF RIVERS WHICH ARE FED (
ALIMENTATI ) BY THE GLACIERS AND HEAVY RAINS .

ALL THE MAJOR RIVERS CAN BE SAILED ( navigati ) AND ARE CONNECTED
WITH A THICK NET OF CANALS .

THE DANUBE STARTS IN THE BLACK FOREST AND RUNS THROUGH THE
GERMAN TERRITORY RECEIVING WATER FROM IS TRIBUTARIES ( affluenti )
LIKE THE ILLER, LECH AND ISAR AND THEN GOES EAST INTO AUSTRIA

THE RHEIN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RIVER OF THE COUNTRY WITHH ITS
MANY TRIBUTARIES LIKE NECKAR, MOSELLA, RUHR
LAKES, COASTS AND ISLANDS
GERMAN TERRITORY HAS MANY BIG AND SMALL LAKES OF GLACIAL
ORIGIN , ESPECIALLY IN THE ALPINE REGION .

THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS THE COSTANCE LAKE ON THE BORDER

WITH AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND .

THE NORTH COAST OVERLOOKING THE FRISON ISLANDS IS LOW WITH

SAND DUNES AND WIDE INLETS NEAR THE ESTUARIES OF THE RIVERS.

THE COASTS ON THE BALTIC SEA ARE FLAT , ROCKY AND FULL OF
INLETS.
COSTANCE LAKE
CLIMATE
-ALPINE IN THE SOUTHERN REGIONS WITH COLD WINTERS AND COOL
SUMMERS . THE FEATURE OF THIS AREA IS THE FOHN , A HOT WIND THAT
BLOWS IN THE ALPINE VALLEYS AND CAUSES THE MELTING OF THE
SNOWS .

- CONTINENTAL ( VERY HOT SUMMERS AND VERY COLD WINTERS ) IN

THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY

- ATLANTIC IN THE NORTHERN PART WITH HEAVY RAINS AND WARMER

TEMPERATURES DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE SEA.
ECONOMY
GERMANY IS THE FOURTH ECONOMIC POWER IN THE WORLD , AFTER
USA, CHINA AND JAPAN .

IT IS VERY RICH IN UNDERGROUND RESOURCES AND HAS A SOLID AND

EFFICIENT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

PRIMARY SECTOR: AGRICULTURE

MAIN PRODUCTS ARE OATS, RYE AND BARLEY, SUGAR BEETS ,

POTATOES AND HOP THE MAIN INGREDIENT USED IN THE PRODUCTION
OF BEER .

NEAR THE RIVER RHEIN THERE ARE VINEYEARDS, WHILE THE FORESTS
IN THE CENTRAL REGIONS PROVIDE FOR WOOD AND PAPER INDUSTRY .
BREEDING AND FISHING
THERE IS CATTLE, MAINLY COWS AND PIGS WHICH ARE THE MAIN PART
OF THE PRIMARY SECTOR IN GERMANY . THESE ANIMALS PROVIDE FOR
THE PRODUCTION OF MILK , BUTTER AND CHEESES .

FISHING IS PRACTISED IN THE NORTH SEA AND THE ICELAND SEA .

SECONDARY SECTOR: INDUSTRY
THE AREA OF THE RUHR HAS THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF
FACTORIES IN EUROPE .

THERE ARE SIDERURGICAL , MECHANICAL AND METALLURGIC

COMPANIES .

IN THE RHEIN VALLEY WE FIND CHEMICAL AND PETROL COMPANIES .

CAR COMPANIES LIKE BMW , VOLKSWAGEN ARE VERY IMPORTANT TOO.

IT ALSO LEADER IN PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS

TERTIARY SECTOR
COMMERCE IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE GERMANY KS ONE OF THE
LEADING EXPORTING COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD .

FINANCIAL AND BANKING SERVICES ARE VERY WELL ORGANISED TOO,

AS INSURANCE COMPANIES .

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM , THE TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANY IS THE

MAJOR COMPANY IN THIS AREA

TOURISM

THE MOST VISITED PLACES ARE THE BLACK FOREST , THE RHEIN
VALLEY , THE BAVIER AND THE NORTH COAST.