Germany is by far the largest of the old European members by population. It is only followed by France with 60 Mio. inhabitants. Germany´s landscape is with its lowlands, uplands and the Bavarian Alps, the Black Forest and many other interesting regions very attractive – even for Germans who are well known for their extensive travel activities.

Germany is located in Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Austria and Poland. There are many mid sized cities in Germany spanning the whole countryside, so extensive traveling is a must. The main business centres are Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart.

Germany has the world’s third most powerful economy, with its free-market system tempered by generous welfare benefits. A very typical attribute for Germany is in the regional diversified centres of economic activity. Frankfurt is the financial center, the Rhein valley with cities nearby Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Cologne are the leading chemical producers. The automotive industry is located in the North (VW), in the Middle (Ford and Opel-GM) but also in the South with DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Porsche and Audi. The media industry is in Munich, Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg. Machinery is located all over the country. Therefore to do business in Germany implies a lot of travelling to the different centres of industrial activity.

There is one main language spoken in Germany (German) with many dialects, most of them in the south of Germany (Bavarian, Swabian...). The Germans are friendly people with a strong work ethic and a comfortable lifestyle.

Facts and Figures

National Name	Deutschland/Germany/Allemagne
Size	356.910 km2
Population	82.087.361 (July 1999) (8,5% of the population is foreign)
Capital	Berlin
Largest cities	Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich
Main Religions	Protestants (38%) and Roman Catholic (34%)
Monetary Unit	Euro
Unemployment	10.6% (2003 est.)
Inflation	0.9% (2003 est)
Climate	Maritime; cool, cloudy; wet winters and summers; occasionally warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity

Economy

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest national economy in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the entire euro zone. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly, long-term process with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's ageing population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are further addressed. The government is also starting long-needed structural reforms designed to revitalize the country's economy. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit.

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western 100% digitalized part.

The domestic infrastructure is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system. Cellular telephone service is 98% available and based with 90% on the 3^rd generation technology of GSM. The international interconnection is run by and international excellent service, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the INMARSAT, INTELSAT, EUTELSAT, and INTERSPUTNIK satellite systems.

Frankfurt

Frankfurt-am-Main lies on the Main river, and is a crossroads for European trade and commerce. Since the Middle Ages, the city has developed into one of Europe’s most significant business centres.

Frankfurt is at the centre of one of Europe’s most productive and dynamic regions. This 1200-year-old city is home to the most renowned and reputable companies in the world of business and finance. Headquarters of internationally oriented corporations, world banks and countless major institutions – they can all be found in Frankfurt.

Hamburg

Hamburg with one of the biggest container ports in Europe is the center for logistics and ship industry. But because of the structural change in the ship industry, there was a restructuring undertaken and today the biggest employer in Hamburg is EADS with a multitude of suppliers. Beside the air industry attracted the international background many large companies, like Esso and Mobil or Alcoa. Hamburg had a very successful past as a financial center, because of the harbour and the need for financing the shipments. Many famous private banks are located in Hamburg. Beside the old economy Hamburg rather successfully attracted new companies like design and advertising agencies, medical appareils, contract research, film industry and others.

Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the economic, cultural, sporting and social hub of a region in the heart of Europe with more than 2.5 million inhabitants. Stuttgart is the heart of Baden-Württemberg and the center for a very powerful industrialized region. Companies like DaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Bosch, Hewlett Packard and IBM are typical for this region. Very similar to Bavaria and Munich, many new industries are heading to these cities thanks to their high skilled workforce, the positive environment and support for industry and the attractiveness of this region.

Berlin

Berlin is a relatively young city by European standards, with its origins at the end of the 12th century. On 3 October 1990, German reunification was solemnized at an official ceremony in Berlin. More than 4 Mio. people are living in Berlin today, but the lack of economic power and many unskilled workers and strangers contribute to the problems of Berlin. Berlin has not yet recovered from the consequences of the former DDR and socialist regime. Big companies, like Siemens moved after world war II away from Berlin. Today Berlin is the political center and administration of the reunified Germany.

Munich - München

Munich is one of the richest cities in Germany and the largest city in south Germany, close to the Bavarian Alps. The region has a population of 1,300,000, of which around 300,000 are foreigners. The city was founded in 1158. Munich is well known as the European Silicon Valley and is very strong in high-tech and services. Companies like BMW, Siemens, Munich Re, Allianz, Knorr and HVB have their historical roots in Munich.

Düsseldorf, Cologne and other Cities in the Rheinvalley - Ruhrpott

The former economic center of Germany after world war II was driven by the powerful old economies in steel, mining etc. The restructuring has taken place the last 20 years, but has not come to an end. Nevertheless many of Germany´s most powerful industrial companies are located in this region, like E.ON, VIAG, ThyssenKrupp, Ford Motors, RAG and many insurance companies. Based on the activities and support to modernize the local industry, many media, biotechnology and software companies were started in this region.