|
6
- Other sectors
Electronic high precision material, photographic
equipment.
Germany has developed an important new technology
sector which already employs over 1.7 million
people, and there is a shortage of skilled
labour.
The Neuer Markt, which is the German equivalent of
the NASDAQ, is composed of 271 companies, 56 of
which are linked to the Internet, it represents 80%
of this sector's stock capital in Europe.
In
1999 the building industry again dropped 0.4% but
it expects to pick up by at least 1% in 2000.
Restructuring is continuing, but a lot of companies
have been weakened by several bad years.
The
10 biggest companies in Germany:
Name
....................................Sector
........................... Turnover (in
billions of euros)
Daimler-Chrysler ......automobile/aerospace
..............131.78
Volkwagen ....................automobile
............................. 68.64
Siemens ....................electromechanics
....................... 60.18
Metro .......................... distribution
............................. 46.89
Veba .............................. energy
.................................... 42.79
Deutsche Telekom
....telecommmunication................ 35.72
B M W ......................... automobile
............................. 32.28
R W E .......................... electricity
................................ 31.38
Rewe ........................... distribution
............................. 28.84
Bayer ............................. chemicals
.............................. 28.06
(source'Handelsblatt'
1998)
7 - Population
82,047,000 inhabitants.
Population density 235 inhabs./km2
0 - 14 years : 15.76%
15 - 64 years : 68.56%
65 years and over : 15.68%
life expectancy : 76.49 years
urban population : 87.10%
Ethnic
composition : Germans 91.5%, Turcs 1.7%
8 - Language
The official language is German (Hochdeutsch).
Bavarian is spoken in Munich.
English and French are often spoken and
understood.
9 - Religion
Roman
Catholics (34%) and Protestants (38%), in majority.
Muslims 1.7%.
Nearly the whole population is Christian. The north
is Protestant and the south Catholique : Rheinland,
Palatinate, Saxony and Bavaria.
10 - Weights, measures &.voltages
The
metric system is used, except for the demi-quintal
(a quintal = 100kgs)! (Zenther).
Electrical current is 220-250 V.
11 - Money
The
Deutsche Mark (1 DM= 3,50 Francs), divided into 100
pfennigs.
1 euro = 1.95583 DM
12 - Main towns
Aix-la-Chapelle
Augsburg Barweiler Bayreuth Berchtesgadener Land
Berlin Bochum Bonn Brême Brunswick
Cap Arkona (Rügen) Chemnitz Cologne
Constance
Dortmund Dresde Düsseldorf Duisburg
Emden Erftstadt Erfurt Essen
Francfort-sur-le-Main Friedberg Friedrichshafen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Giessen Greifswald Halle
Hambourg Hanovre Heidelberg Helgoland Hof
Kassel
Kempten Kiel
Leipzig Lindenberg List Lübeck
Magdebourg Mainz Mannheim Meiningen
Mönchengladbach Münster Munich
Neubrandenburg Neuruppin Norden Nuremberg
Oberammergau Oberpfaffenhofen Oberstdorf
Offenbach
PaderbornPetersdorf Polch Puttgarden (Fehmarn)
Reit im Winkl Rhin Main
Sarrebruck Schleswig Schwerin Straubing
Stuttgart
Westerland Wiesbaden Wuppertal
The
biggest towns in Germany
Berlin,
The capital of re-united Germany, 3,600,000
inhabitants.
New sky-scrapers rise in the heart of the city, the
Stalinian buildings in the east have been
classified and are being renovated.
On each side of the ex-Wall distinctly different
districts rub shoulders.
Mitte, the historical centre, heart of the old
capital of the German Republic, with its monuments,
its museums and its worksites; Charlottenburg, the
centre of West Berlin, with its shopping malls, its
shop windows, its buildings and its castle;
Schöneberg and its cafes; Kreuzberg, 'Little
Istanbul', West Berlin's old centre of controversy;
and Prenzlauer Berg, a fashionable district for
dining or having a drink in the evening.
Between nostalgia and looking towards the future,
each day the town changes a bit more.
The town is immense, it can take a long time to get
from one point to another.
Berlin is a green town with several parks, lakes
and forests.
Cologne, city on the Rhine with about
970,000 inhabitants. It is an important industrial
centre (automobiles, chemical products).
This town, 90% of which was destroyed during the
Second World War has had its main buildings rebuilt
exactly as before, mostly using the original
stones
To visit : The twelve roman churches, the
magnificent Gothic cathedral (Kölner Dom),
with a panoramic view from the top of its 509
steps, but also the Rhine where you can pleasantly
stroll along the banks; the
Römich-Germanisches Museum which is built
around a large mosaic, the Ludwig Museum, the Gross
Saulet Martin.
The Kölnmesse (association of trade fairs and
exhibitions in Cologne) organizes 35 international
trade fairs and over 1,000 congresses each
year.
Hambourg capitale du Land avec une
population de 1,7 millions habitants.
Munich (1.4 million inhabitants) is a
cosmopolitan metropolis, both culturally and
economically, a liberal stronghold in a
conservative Bavaria.
It is also the capital of beer.
It is interesting to visit its numerous breweries
and very pleasant to sit in the beer gardens in the
summer.
It is the most expensive town in Germany.
The English Garden is a long stretch of greenery, 5
kms which connects the centre of town to the
surrounding countryside.
All Munich can be found there, on bikes, horses or
on foot, to stroll and sunbathe on sunny days, or
to drink a beer in the shade of the Chinese
Tower.
The churches, castles (especially the Nymphenburg
Castle and the Amalienburg Pavillion), museums
(about 50 of them) and parks are all worth a
visit.
Weather : lowest temperature : -10°, highest
temperature : +25°
Office opening hours : 8am - 5 pm
Francfort am Main :
With its population of 650,000, Frankfurt can be
described as the smallest of the big cities.
Thanks to the fact that the European Central Bank
is established there, Frankfurt has become the
cradle of the European single currency.
The presence of the Bank has been the cause of a
boom in the sectors of finance and insurance.
Today 60,000 people work in the 400 banks in
Frankfurt.
13 - Climate
Germany has a continental climate, a cold winter
often with snow and a hot and dry summer with
temperatures sometimes going up to 30° in
July.
In the western part of the country there is a lot
of rain and very frequent temperature changes.
Heavy winds blow from the west.
In the north-west the climate is oceanic.
The summers are hot and the winters are very
mild.
The best period to visit is from May to
September.
Temperature averages (max/min)
|
month
|
Berlin
|
Hamburg
|
Francfort
|
Munich
|
|
J
|
2/-3
|
2/-2
|
3/-2
|
1/-5
|
|
F
|
3/-3
|
3/-2
|
5/-1
|
3/-5
|
|
M
|
8/0
|
7/-1
|
11/2
|
9/-1
|
|
A
|
13/4
|
13/3
|
16/6
|
14/3
|
|
M
|
19/8
|
18/7
|
20/9
|
18/7
|
|
J
|
22/12
|
21/11
|
23/13
|
21/11
|
|
J
|
24/14
|
22/13
|
25/15
|
23/13
|
|
A
|
23/13
|
22/12
|
24/14
|
23/12
|
|
S
|
20/10
|
19/20
|
21/11
|
20/9
|
|
O
|
13/6
|
13/6
|
14/7
|
13/4
|
|
N
|
7/2
|
7/3
|
8/3
|
7/0
|
|
D
|
3/-1
|
7/0
|
4/0
|
2/-4
|
Sea temperatures (monthly average) :
|
month
|
Baltic
|
North
Sea
|
|
J
|
3
|
4
|
|
F
|
2
|
4
|
|
M
|
3
|
5
|
|
A
|
5
|
7
|
|
M
|
9
|
10
|
|
J
|
13
|
13
|
|
J
|
17
|
16
|
|
A
|
17
|
17
|
|
S
|
15
|
16
|
|
O
|
12
|
13
|
|
N
|
8
|
9
|
|
D
|
5
|
6
|
|
