By: Shanese Breitkreitz
Germany
Capital City: Berlin
 Absolute Location:
 Latitude: 51 ̊ North of the Equator
 Longitude: 9 ̊ East of the Greenwich line
 Relative Location:
 The neighbouring country North of Germany is Denmark
 The neighbouring country East of Germany is Poland
 The neighbouring country South of Germany is Austria and
Italy
 The neighbouring country West of Germany is France,
Belgium and the Netherlands
 Germany is split into 16
states, and has 6
different regions
 They own 357,022 sq km,
and 8,350 sq km of this is
water.
 Germany is Landlocked
with long sandy beaches,
plains, hills, and
mountains (Alps).
 Germany is in the path of winds that blow over the Atlantic
ocean bringing relatively warm humid air onto the land.
Depending if you are in the Northern Lowlands, Central
Upper lands or in the Alps the average rainfall for the year
is between 500 – 2000mm of rain. The amount of
precipitation lessens when going west to east.
 In the eastern parts of the Northern Lowlands are generally
below zero in January, whereas they stay above in the
Western parts. Because of the higher altitude in the south,
the lowest mean temperatures are the lowest but don’t fall
much below -5 degrees Celsius during the winter months.
 The climate does not change dramatically from season to
season. The main difference between summer and winter is
the length of daylight.
 Even though Germany has such a high population density, it still
has 29% of land covered by woods and forests.
 The biggest amount of the forests in Germany is a mixture of
broadleaf and needlelead trees. In the lowlands the most
common species are oaks, maples and elms, and beeches, pines,
and pirs are more common in the higher altitudes.
 Soils are a product of the climate, and at the same time they
reflects the nature of the parent rock on which they are
developed. In the Northern Lowlands are poorly drained,
podzolic soils. Soils contain greater amounts of organic materials
and less leached of minerals outside the glaciated regions. This
soil has be called brown podzolic soils, and is the most typical
soil in Germany. They are similar to chernozem soils because,
they are rich in organic materials and receive moderate rainfalls.
 Agriculture products include potatoes, wheat, barley,
sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry.
 Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel,
uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber,
arable land are all natural resources in Germany.
 Germany earns approximately $1.159 trillion (2009 est.)
and spends approximately $966.9 billion (2009 est.) on
imports.
 Their production of electricity is more than their
consumption, so they export approximately 62 billion kWh
and import approximately 42 billion kWh
 Their production of oil is WAY lower than their
consumption and they export more than they produce in a
day and import a little more than they consume in a day. As
of January 1 2009 Germany had proved reserves that
contained approximately 276 million bbl of oil.
 Their production of natural gas is a lot lower than their
consumption as well, but they export a small amount and
import approximately 95 billion cu m a day. They also had
proved reserves containing approximately 175.6 billion cu
m as of January 1 2009.
 The population of Germany is 82,329,758 people (July
2010 est.), with 74% of the total population is urban.
 13.7% is between 0-14 years, 66.1% is between 15-64
years, and 20.3% is over 65 years of age.
 The overall Median age is 44.3 years old, 43 years old
for males and 45.6 years old for females (2010 est.)
 The growth rate is -0.053% (2010 est.). This rate is
caused by having a lower birth rate than death rate,
including the fact that the net migration rate does not
completely close the gap between the death rate and
birth rate.
Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty meals that include large portions of
meat and bread. Potatoes is a common food, that each region has their own
favorite way to prepare. Sometimes they are eaten with pears, bacon, and
beans. Pichelsteiner, is a meal made with three kinds of meat and potatoes. In
the capital city of Berlin potatoes are usually eaten
with bacon and spicy sausage. Sauerbraten is a large
roast made of pork, beef, or veal that is made
throughout the nation, but is flavored differently
depending on the region. Fruit and meat is usually
put together to add a sweet and sour taste to the meal.
Throughout Germany apple desserts are very popular.
Knödel (boiled of fried mashed potato and/or bread), or dumplings, are eaten
with meals mainly in the north. A smaller version called spätzle is more
common in the south. Bread is eaten with every meal, but rye, pumpernickel,
and sourdough breads more common than white. Soft pretzels are also very
popular and can be found almost anywhere.
 The National day is called Unity
 Major industries include,
chemicals, engineering,
electronics, machinery, vehicles,
machine tools, food and
beverages, shipbuilding.
 The labor force includes 43.5
million people (2009 est.) 2.4%
of this is agriculture, 29.7% is
industry, and 67.8% is services
(2005)
 The unemployment rate is 7.5%
of the population (2009 est.)
Day, and occurs on October 3
 The language spoken in
Germany is German, but they
are now required to learn
English in school.
 Some challenges in the German
culture include linguistic,
cultural, and psychological.
 inadequacies in the use of
language that result in
misunderstandings, faulty
judgments based on cultural
assumptions, and reduced
competency as a result of
performing under such
circumstances.
 In Germany the most popular religions are Protestant ,
which is one of the four major divisions between
Christianity at 34%, and Roman Catholic, which is a
similar spin off of Christianity and is lead by the pope,
at again 34%.
 There is a low number of Muslim, which is an adherent
of the religion Islam, at 3.7%.
 And 28.3% are unaffiliated or have other religions
 The unemployment rate is 7.5%, will 11% of the
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population below the poverty line.
The family is of fundamental importance for people.
Over the years if anything the importance of family
has increased.
For almost 90% of the population, family comes first
in their personal priorities. Family is also highly valued
to young people.
72.5% of 12 to 25-year olds think that being happy is
dependent on having a family.
 Germany is a Social
market economy, which
means the state
guarantees the free play
of entrepreneurial forces,
while endeavoring to
maintain the social
balance at the same time.
 The Type of money used
in Germany is the Euro,
which is universal
throughout Europe.
 Germanys government is
a federal republic
 voting age 18 years of age;
universal
 The government is made
up of three sections, the
Executive Branch, The
Legislative Branch, and
the Judicial Branch.
 The chief of state is President Christian Wulff and he has
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been chief of state since June 30/2010
The head of government is Chancellor Angela Merkel and
she has been the head of government since November
22/2005
The cabinet is appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the chancellor
The president is elected for a 5 year term by a Federal
Convention, as well as all members of the Federal Assembly
as well as an equal number of delegates elected by the state
parliaments. The President is eligible for a second term.
The Chancellor is elected for a 4 year term, and is elected
by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly.
 Legislative Branch
 The Bicameral legislature consists of the Federal Council
and the Federal Assembly
 There are no elections for the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat is
determined by the composition of the state-level
governments, and can change at any time if one of the 16
states holds an election.
 Judicial Branch
 In the Federal Constitutional Court half of the judges are
elected by the Bundestag and half are elected by the
Bundesrat.
Picture from 2007
Source:
http://www.hartfor
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HHSDeutsch/Germ
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Ritz Land
Capital City: Cora
 Relative Location
 It is located in the South Pacific ocean
 Absolute Location
 Latitude: 35 ̊ South of the equator
 Longitude: 120̊ west of the Greenwich line
 Ritz Land is an island that resides in the South Pacific
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Ocean.
The center of Ritz Land consist of long flat plains with
rolling hills towards the coast.
The Northern coast has multiple big mountains
containing one inactive volcano.
There are thick rain forests residing at the base of the
mountains.
The coast around the rest of the island is long sandy
beaches with a few cliffs between spaces of beach.
 The yearly average temperature in Ritz Land is 35
degrees Celsius, with an average low of 15 degrees
Celsius during the winter months.
 Because Ritz Land is a small island, warm winds blow
into the land causing the weather to be warm/hot and
humid relatively all year round.
 Rain forests engulf the northern part of the island at
the base of the mountains.
 The people have an abundant supply of oil and lumber,
however they would have to have some gas and coal
imported in order to have enough.
 They mine for gold and for diamonds, but there is an
abundant supply of diamonds, unlike gold.
 People live in the cities with some farmers, there is
more work in the cities
 There is a fairly small population
 The population is growing because land is cheep
 People usually stay put
 The language in Ritz Land is called Ritz and it is very
similar to old English.
 One of the most common jobs is mining, because there is
an abundant supply of diamonds. Logging is also a very
common job for the same reason, as well as fishing. There
is also a fairly large business in the tourist section,
including tourist stores, tours of the land, hotels, etc. There
is a high need for doctors and accountants. There are also s
small amount of farms towards the center of the island.
 The common foods they eat in Ritz Land are fish, rice, beef,
chicken, grains, etc.
 They celebrate their national day on May 8 every year.
 Greek Polytheism, which is the belief in the Greek Gods .
 Zeus – God of sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate. he is also the king
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of the God’s.
Poseidon – God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes and horses.
Hades – King of the Underworld and god of death, the dead, and the
hidden wealth of the earth.
Apollo – God of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry and archery.
Ares – God of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage and civil order.
Dionysus – God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and
pleasure
Hephaestus – crippled God of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture
and volcanism.
Hermes – God of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles,
language, writing, diplomacy, athletics and animal husbandry.
 Artemis – Virgin Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, childbirth
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and plague.
Aphrodite – Goddess of love, lust, beauty, seduction and pleasure.
Athena – Virgin Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour,
handicrafts and reason.
Demeter – Goddess of fertility, agriculture, horticulture, grain and harvest.
Hestia – Virgin Goddess of the health, home and cooking.
Hera – Queen of heaven and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs,
kings and empires.
 There is lower class, middle class, and upper class
 Family is very important
 Nuclear family is much more important than extended
family but extended family is still very important
 The economic system
used in Ritz Land is
capitalism.
 The money is
called Chutes, and
one Chute is
comparable with
one Canadian
Dollar.
 There is a monarchy political system in Ritz Land, that
also has levels of parliament. Ultimately the country is
run by one central government that makes all the
choices, however there is also a large parliament who
brings ideas to the table and pushes for their ideas and
laws to be accepted/passed. The parliament members
are voted into office by the people of the land.
Different people represent different areas of the
country.
 http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time
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zone/europe/european-union/germany/map.htm
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Greenwich%20Meridian&oe=utf
-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefoxa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl
http://www.cometogermany.com/ENU/nature_active_recreation
/things_to_do_Germany.htm
http://www.about-germany.org/regions/counties.php
http://www.mapsofworld.com/germany/regions-ofgermany.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_polytheism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_religion#Classical_Gre
ek_religion
http://library.thinkquest.org/28111/newpage2.htm
 http://info.wlu.ca/~wwwgeog/special/vgt/English/ger_mod1/unit3.ht
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m
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/fields/2111.html
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/germany_job_market.htm
http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Germany.html
http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society/maincontent-08/families.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_gods
http://www.hartfordschools.net/Schools/HHS/FacultyandStaff/Foreig
nLanguage/HinmanThatcher/HHSDeutsch/GermanyGeographyandN
aturalEnvironment/tabid/952/Default.aspx
http://www.deshow.net/travel/germany-travel-landscape-605.html