50 Amazing Facts about Germany ( Part 1) | Amazing Facts 4U
Land & Geography
- The population of Germany is around 82 million and it has the largest economy in Europe.
- Germany is the second-most populous country after Russia in Europe.
- With an area of 891 square km, Capital Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris.
- Germany’s land area was over 50% larger during the Second Reich (1871-1918) and included most of present-day Poland and parts of Lithuania.
People Customs & Culture
- Germany is made of tiny districts each of them carrying a different dialect. There are 35 dialects of the German language.
- German is the official language of 5 countries in Europe: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.
- The German language remains the language with the most native speakers in Europe.
- 15 million people in Germany are of non-German descent i.e. 18.5% of the population half of them being foreign residents.
- About 25 % of all American citizens claim at least partial German ancestry.
- The most popular German surname is Müller.
- In Germany shaking hands with the other hand in a pocket is considered impolite.
- German people answer the telephone using their surname and not by saying “hello”.
- Amazingly in Germany usually “Thanks” means “No” .
- Instead of crossing their fingers to wish for good luck, Germans “press the thumb” (fold a thumb in and close their fingers on it).
- When leaving an lift, Germans say good-bye to the other people in it, even if they didn’t speak to them during the ride.
- Traditionally, the schools end at lunch time. Therefore children are free to utilize the rest of the day in extracurricular activities and sports.
- Germany is the cheapest place in Europe to buy beer which are available in thousands of varieties.
- Germans are the third largest beer consumers in the world per person after the Czechs & Irish.
- Never throw water bottles in the bin, after use. You will end up losing 25 cents. This is because when you purchase a bottle of water, you pay 25 cents more. Only when you return the empty bottle to the shop, do you receive the 25 cents back. This is to ensure you return the bottle for recycling and not throw it into the trash.
- The biggest Beer Festival in the world is the Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria starting in September where the size of the beer glass is one whole litre.
- Amazing fact is in Bavaria, during the working day, the person has the right to drink beer.
- Germans love their breads. They are famous for making some of the world’s best breads.
- You can find over 300 different kinds of breads available on a daily basis. There are also bread museums.
- There are over 1,000 kinds of sausages in Germany.
- Germany is the leading producer of toilet paper. The German People use only the best. The Toilet paper in Germany is very vibrant and soft usually has the thickness of a dish towel.
- Mercedes is known for its elegance and comfort it also makes all the taxis in Germany.
- Almost all the police cars in Germany has a label “Mercedes”.
- Amazingly home schooling is illegal in Germany!
- In Germany Christmas trees are decorated by parents and aren’t seen by children until Christmas Eve, when they are allowed to enter the Christmas room.
- Getting anything repaired in Germany is so expensive that most often easier to buy a new thing.
- Dogs are most respected in Germany: they can go just about everywhere: first-class restaurants, trains and buses, even clothing shops and bookstores.
- The fact is only about 2% of Germans do not use cell phones the lowest percentage in the world.
- Germans don’t mind sharing a table with strangers at a restaurant.
- Germans are very fond of underlining everything with a ruler.
- People refer to friends or relatives with the word “the” in front of their name (e.g. Der Klaus, Die Laura).
- People generally keep quiet at home between 9 pm and 8 am to avoid disturbing the neighbors.
- Amazingly people buy a French or a Japanese car to stand out from everybody else who drives German Mercedes.
- Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is the first composer whose biography is known. Her works are considered the foundation to what later became known as opera about 400 years later.
- The term “ecology” was first coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.
Politics/ Legal
- The German Bundestag, or Parliament, has 672 members and is the world’s largest elected legislative body.
- Germans have been the pioneers of the ecological movement and green politics. The world’s first Green Party,Die Grünen, was founded in 1979-1980.
- Germany is one of the rare countries (along with Belgium) where the Greens have been part of a government coalition.
- The fine for slap is amazing 500 euros in Germany.
- A civil servant in Germany does not pay social taxes and can’t be fired.
- Germany was the first country to adopt daylight savings time at the height of the First World War in 1916.
- The GermanAutobahnis the oldest motorway network in the world (first section completed in 1932), as well as one of the densest (12,000 km ).
- Amazing fact is that Autobahn constituting about 70 % highway in in Germany has no speed limit.
- If you run out of gas on a highway, you could get fined. You cannot stop or park your vehicle on the highway.
- Amazing fact is breaking out of prison is not illegal in Germany! Germans believe that it’s basic human instinct to be free. However there is a jail sentence of up to 5 years for helping someone in their attempt to escape!
- Germany is one of the last Western European countries not to have banned smoking in workplaces, and restaurants. The Nazi officially frowned on smoking and post-war German legislators have been afraid of imitating Nazi regulations.
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