Germany

Cars, fairy tales and the heart of Europe

Germany is Europe's most populous country and its strongest economy. The first car was built by the German Karl Benz (1886), and today Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen are made here. The Brothers Grimm wrote down 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'Cinderella'. German autobahns have no speed limit! Germany has 1,500 kinds of sausage and 20,000 castles. Until 1990 Germany was split in two — the Berlin Wall.

Capital: Berlin. Language: German.

The Federal Republic of Germany covers 357,588 km² with 84 million people (the most in the EU) in 16 federal states. Nature: the Alps (Zugspitze 2,962 m), the Black Forest, the Rhine, the Baltic and North Seas. History: Germanic tribes, the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), Gutenberg's printing press (1450), Luther's Reformation (1517), unification in 1871 (Bismarck), the two World Wars, the Holocaust, division in 1949, the Berlin Wall in 1961, reunification in 1990, a founder of the EU. Science: Einstein, Planck, Koch, Röntgen, over 100 Nobel prizes. Music: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. Economy: 3rd in the world (2023), cars (Benz 1886, Diesel), engineering, Siemens, SAP, the 'Mittelstand'. Culture: Oktoberfest, Grimm's fairy tales, Bauhaus, football (4 World Cups). A leader in green energy. With Uzbekistan: Germany is the main EU partner, GIZ projects, the Goethe-Institut, Silk Road archaeology.

Fun facts

• The first car was built by the German Karl Benz in 1886.
• Most German autobahns have no speed limit.
• Germany has over 20,000 castles — almost one in every village.