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Germany
wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, picture-postcard
small towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth of
art and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts
of forest, delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all
there for the enjoying. Germany's reunification in 1990 was
the beginning of yet another chapter in Germany's complex
history. No visitor will remain untouched by this country's
past and the way it affects the nation today.
Full
country name: Federal Republic of Germany
Area: 357,030 sq km
Population: 82 million
Capital city: Berlin (pop: 3.45 million)
People: Predominantly Caucasian, with significant Turkish
minority. Germany has absorbed most of the refugees from the
former Yugoslavia.
Language: German
Religion: 90% Christian. There are 1.7 million Muslims and
about 74,000 Jews (the pre-Holocaust figure was over half
a million).
Government: Federal republic
Chancellor: Gerhard Schröder
GDP:
US$2,040 billion
GDP per head: US$24,900
Annual growth: 2.7%
Inflation: 1%
Major industries: motor vehicles, engineering, chemicals,
iron, steel, coal, electronics, environmental technology,
food, clothing
Major trading partners: EU (esp. France, Netherlands, Italy,
UK, Belgium/Luxembourg, ), USA, Japan
Member of EU: yes
Euro zone participant: yes
Germany
Flight from UK
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