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General Info
Area: 357,027 sq km (137,849
sq miles).
Population: 82,536,680
(official estimate 2002).
Population Density: 231.2 per
sq km.
Capital: Berlin. Population:
3,392,900 (official estimate 1999).
GEOGRAPHY: The Federal
Republic of Germany shares frontiers with Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland and
Switzerland. The northwest of the country has a coastline on the North Sea with
islands known for their health resorts, while the Baltic coastline in the
northeast stretches from the Danish to the Polish border. The country is
divided into 16 states (Bundesländer) including the formerly divided
city of Berlin. The landscape is exceedingly varied, with the Rhine, Bavaria
and the Black Forest being probably the three most famous features of western
Germany. In eastern Germany, the country is lake-studded with undulating
lowlands which give way to the hills and mountains of the Lausitzer Bergland,
the Saxon Hills in the Elbe Valley and the Erzgebirge, whilst the once divided
areas of the Thuringian and Harz ranges in the central part of the country are
now whole regions again. River basins extend over a large percentage of the
eastern part of Germany, the most important being the Elbe, Saale, Havel, Spree
and Oder. Northern Germany includes the states of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen),
Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and the city states of Bremen
and Hamburg. The western area of the country consists of the Rhineland, the
industrial sprawl of the Ruhr, Westphalia (Westfalen), Hesse (Hessen), the
Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and the Saarland. In the southern area
of the country are the two largest states, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria
(Bayern), which contain the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Lake Constance
(Bodensee) and the Bavarian Alps. Munich (München), Stuttgart and Nuremberg
(Nürnberg) are the major cities. The eastern part of the country is made up of
the states of Thuringia, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. The
major cities in eastern Germany are Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Halle, Potsdam,
Schwerin and Rostock. Apart from Leipzig and Rostock, these are also all
recently reconstituted state capitals.
Government: Federal Republic. Head
of State: President Horst Köehler since 2004. Head of Government:
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder since 1998.
Language: German. English is
widely spoken and French is also spoken, particularly in the Saarland. In the
north of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish is spoken by the Danish minority and taught
in schools. In Brandenburg and Saxony, Sorbic is spoken by the ethnic minority
called the Sorbs and is also taught in about 50 schools. Regional dialects
often differ markedly from standard German.
Religion: Approximately 34
per cent Protestant, 34 per cent Roman Catholic, with Jewish, Muslim and other
non-Christian minorities.
Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from
last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 230 volts AC,
50Hz. European-style round two-pin plugs are in use. Lamp fittings are screw
type.
Communications:
Telephone: Full IDD is
available. Country code: 49. Outgoing international code: 00. National and
international calls can be made from coin- or card-operated telephone booths.
Calls can be made from post offices. Cheap rate applies Mon-Fri 1800-0800 and
all day Saturday and Sunday. Discount phonecards from private companies can be
bought from shops and kiosks.
Mobile telephone: GSM 900 and
1800 networks cover the whole country. It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile
telephone while driving.
Fax: Facilities are readily
available.
Internet: There are many
Internet cafes all over the country. Large Internet access centres exist in
most main cities. Hotels also provide facilities. ISPs include Data Online
(website: www.d-online.com).
Telegram: These can be sent
during opening hours from all post offices.
Post: Stamps are available
from hotels, slot machines and post offices. A five-figure postal code is used
on all internal addresses. Poste Restante mail should be addressed as
follows: recipient’s name, Postlagernd, Hauptpostamt, post code, name of town.
Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1200. Smaller branches may close
for lunch.
Press: The most influential
dailies include the Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and
the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The most widely read of the weekly publications
are Der Spiegel and Die Zeit. Some new or revamped newspapers,
such as Berliner Kurier, have emerged out of eastern Germany and are
competing well with western German papers. Most major English newspapers and
international magazines are also available in Germany.
Radio: BBC World Service
(website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice)
and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov)
can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most
up-to-date can be found online.
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Money
Single European currency (Euro):
The Euro is now the official currency of 12 EU member states
(including Germany). The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January
2002 and completely replaced the Deutschmark on 28 February 2002. Euro (€) =
100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5.
Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Note: Eurocheques are no
longer guaranteed and can no longer be accepted for encashments. However, they
may still be used for payments without the guarantee in certain places.
Currency exchange: Foreign
currencies and travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks, bureaux de change,
post offices, airports, railway stations, ports and major hoteld at the
official exchange rates.
Credit & debit cards: These
are accepted in approximately 60 per cent of all shops, petrol stations,
restaurants and hotels. Nationals of other Western European
countries, Canada and the USA, will find less credit card availability
than they are used to in their own countries and it is advisable to carry cash
or a Eurocheque card as well. All major credit cards are accepted. Check with
your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and
other services which may be available.
Travellers cheques: Generally
provide the best rate of exchange. To avoid additional exchange rate charges,
travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or
US Dollars.
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Health
| |
Special Precautions |
Certificate Required? |
| Yellow Fever |
No |
No |
| Cholera |
No |
No |
| Typhoid and Polio |
No |
N/A |
| Malaria |
No |
N/A |
Other risks: Tick-borne
encephalitis is present in forested areas of southern Germany.
Vaccination is advisable. HIV testing is required for foreigners staying more
than 180 days in Bavaria. Foreign tests are not accepted.
Rabies is present; look out for ‘Tollwut’ signs. For those at high risk,
vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek
medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care: There is a
reciprocal health agreement with the UK. On presentation of the form E111
(obtainable from post offices in the UK), UK citizens are entitled to free
medical and dental treatment. Prescribed medicines may, in some cases, have to
be paid for. The cost of treatment in public hospitals (on referral from a
doctor, unless in emergencies) is covered by public health authorities, except
for a small daily charge from the start of hospital treatment up to a maximum
of 14 days. Private insurance is recommended for specialist medical treatment
outside the German National Health Service, which can be very expensive.
Surgery hours are generally 1000-1200 and 1600-1800 (not Wednesday afternoon,
Saturday or Sunday). The emergency telephone number is 112; additionally, there
is an emergency call-out service out of surgery hours (1800-0700). Chemists are
open Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1200. All chemists give alternative addresses
of services available outside the normal opening hours. There are 350
officially recognised medical spas and watering places with modern equipment
providing therapeutic treatment and recreational facilities for visitors
seeking rest and relaxation. A list of the spas and health resorts and various
treatments can be ordered from the German National Tourist Office, or directly
from Deutscher Heilbäderverband e.V. (German Spas Association), Schumannstrasse
111, 53113 Bonn (tel: (228) 201 200; fax: (228) 201 2041; e-mail:
info@dhv-bonn.de; website:
www.deutscher-heilbaederverband.de).
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Climate
Temperate throughout the country with warm summers and cold
winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain falls throughout
the year.
Required clothing: European
clothes with light- to mediumweights in summer, medium- to heavyweights in
winter. Waterproofs are needed throughout the year.
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Passport
| |
Passport Required? |
Visa Required? |
Return Ticket Required? |
| British |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Australian |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Canadian |
Yes |
No |
No |
| USA |
Yes |
No |
No |
| OtherEU |
1 |
No |
No |
| Japanese |
Yes |
No |
No |
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