Germany Comenius projec2012 / 2014 partner country By Roberta Falco e Valeria Landi III G Federal Republic of Germany Germany is a federal Parliamentary Republic It has 16 states Its capital city is Berlin Germany has 81.8 million inhabitants Geography Germany is in Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria ans Switzerland to the south, France and Luxemburg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. Its main mountains are the Alps and its main rivers are Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Berlin 3.5 million inhabitants It’s the biggest and the second most populous city in Europe It’s a city of culture, politics, media and science Its economy is based on the services sector The most important cities Hamburg 1.8 million people Important port situated on the river Elbe Munich is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg. About 1.42 million people live within the city limits. The most important cities Cologne About 1 million people Located on both sides of the Rhine Frankfurt About 700.000 people Is the financial and transportation centre of Germany The Economy Germany has a social market economy, with qualified labour force, a low level of corruption and a high level of innovation. It has the largest national economy in Europe and it is the fourth in the world. The language German is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany. There are also native minority languages such as Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian. Culture Germany has been called the land of poets and thinkers because of its numerous artists and writers. Many German musicians are very famous such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Food German cuisine varies from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for example, share a culinary culture with Switzerland and Austria. In all regions, meat is often eaten in sausage form. bratwurst spatzle