Saksamaa
Quick Facts:
| Area: | 357,021 sq km | | Population: | 83,251,851 (July 2002 est.) | | Capital: | Berlin | | Language: | German | | Religion: | Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, other 26.3% | | Currency: | Euro | | YFU web site: | www.yfu.de |
Introduction
Germany is the richest and most populous country in Western Europe. It is a key member of Europe’seconomic, political and defense organizations. Situated in the heart of Europe, Germany has often been the battleground for armed or intellectual conflict. In 1990, after the break up of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, eastern and western Germany were united. Since then Germany has expendedconsiderable funds to bring easternGerman wages and productivity up to the western German level.
Short Facts Area: Germany is the second largest country in Europe (after Russia) and is slightly larger than Finland. Germany is divided into four geographical zones: the wide lowlands in north, the central and eastern uplands, the wide valley and gorge of the Rhine River in the south west and the Bavarian Alps in the south.
Climate: Germany has a 2,389km long coastline and the climate is temperate. It ranges from the mild oceanic climate of Western Europe to the continental climate of Eastern Europe.
Population: Germany is densely populated. More than 80% of its population live in towns or urban areas. About 8,5% of the population are non-Germans, consisting In 12 years of tyranny and crime, he brought the country to World War II and destruction, humiliation, and guilt. From 1945 to 1990, Germany was divided into East and West. With the peaceful revolution in East Germany in November 1989, Germany’s re-unification became reality in 1990. However, because of the collapse of the East German economy, the economic and social perspectives are still a little bit different in the affluent West and the currently impoverished East. Today's united Germany has its problems, but the social dislocationwhich was widely forecast has been minimal. Although the euphoria of reunification has subsided, and there is resentment and disaffection from both sides, Germany is working towards true unity in typically diligent fashion. The extreme right wing, although insidious and occasionally violent, is politically weak. Germany has absorbed the majority of refugees from the former Yugoslavia, and these and other immigrants are targets of renewed racist attacks.
Economy: Germany is the world’s third most powerful technological economy and it is one of the top five industrial states of the world, producing cars, steel, aluminum, high technology and other electrical products. The integration and upgrading of the eastern German economy is still a costly long-term challenge, costing almost $100 billion a year. Germany’s biggest trading partners are the EU (55.3%), the USA (10.1%), and Japan (2.0%). mainly of Turks. Germans have on average 2.1 children.
Religion: Most Germans are either Roman Catholics or Protestants, but there arealso Jews and Muslims in Germany.Especially the last mentioned minority group has been growing over the last few years as more refugees come to Germany.
Government: Germany is a parliamentary democracy. In addition to the Federal government, there are 16 state governments. There is a two-house federal legislature: one chamber is the directly elected Federal Parliament (Bundestag); the other is composed of representatives of the individual state governments (Bundesrat). Germany has a Federal President, whose role is largely representative.
History: Germany did not become a nation-state until 1871. Prior to that time, it was divided for much of its history into a patchwork of small states and principalities under the broad umbrella of the Holy Roman Empire. After the unification engineered by the Prussian leader Otto van Bismarck, Germany became a powerful, modern, industrialized, military state. Though Germany had one of the earliest comprehensive welfare systems, it was not fully developed politically. The loss of World War I in 1918 led the end of the monarchy and the emergence of Germany’s first (Weimar) Republic, a weak government lacking popular support. When the depression struck Germany after 1930, the despairing Germans turned to Hitler and his Nazi party.
Education: Students in the Federal Republic of Germany begin school at the age of six, though they go to preschool before that age. Elementary school, which all students attend, goes from first through fourth or sixth grade. At that point, students and their parents must make a choice as to the type of secondary education. Secondary education continues in one of three institutions:
•Hauptschule is loosely connected with the vocational training system in Germany. It prepares students for a variety of technical careers and goes goes until 9th grade.
•Realschule follows a general program and prepares students for nonprofessional careers. It goes to grade 10 with subjects taught at a more advanced level.
•Gymnasium prepares students for entrance into the German university system. It goes to grade 13.Different programs are emphasized in different Gymnasiums: foreign languages, math and science, or the classics. East and West German schools sometimes differ to some extent.
Family life: The average German family has 2.7 members, the third smallest average in the world. A family with more than three children is considered large. The emphasis on order, discipline, responsibility and achievement is still reflected in the family to a certain degree, but not as much as people in other countries sometimes believe. Germans are considered to be well educated, well informed and inquisitive. Most will appreciate intelligent conversations with stimulating ideas and insights, but they may typically receive them critically. Vigorous discussions with a free exchange of ideas and points of view based upon facts and logical analysis are considered to be important elements of social life.
Food: Breakfast is typically “continental” with rolls, marmalade and coffee. The main meal is served at lunchtime and consists of soup, a main dish, and dessert. Supper usually consists of sandwiches, unless the family decides to eat out. Germans love a wide assortment of sausages, cold cuts and cheeses. Potatoes, noodles, dumplings, beans, cakes and pastries are also popular.
Recreation: The most popular sport in Germany is soccer, but gymnastics, tennis,track and field and skiing have a broad appeal. Interestingly, however, is the fact that there are no team sport competitions in schools or universities. Many Germans enjoy nature, spending weekends and holidays hiking throughout the country and the rest of Europe. Touring in cars and cycling are enjoyed everywhere. Almost all German workers have a fourweek paid vacation.
YFU Germany
In 1957 a small group of alumni exchange students founded YFU Germany as an independent membership organization. Since that time over 39,000 young people have participated in YFU exchange programs either to or from Germany, and the organization has grown to having over 4500 members. The national office of YFU Germany in Hamburg is staffed by about 23 employees whose primary purpose is to coordinate international communication and national procedures and to provide whatever support is necessary for volunteers to perform their tasks. A reconstructed farmhouse just outside of Hamburg, in Nienwohld, serves as a location for many seminars and workshops. YFU Germany places great emphasis on the educational potential of the exchange experience and invests much time and energy in providing participants and alumni with opportunities (seminars, workshops, activities and projects) for furthering their understanding of intercultural processes.
Exchange Activities for inbound students: When arriving in Germany the students go to a one-week-orientation or four week orientation and language course. The orientations includes visits to a medieval city and/or a Concentration camp. In the middle of the year there is a selection of sevenday mid-year orientations. At the end of the year students are prepared for reentry into their native culture several weeks prior to departure. YFU Germany offers between 10 to 15 different “Expeditions”. These “Expeditions” are to various cities in Germany and a trip to Poland, and each explores a certain theme pertaining to Germany. The students are responsible for the costs of the trips. In the local areas there will be different get-togethers and weekend activities that are organized within the regions, so students and families in the same area have opportunities to get to know each other.
Common Phrases | English | German | | Hello | Guten Tag | | Good morning | Guten Morgen | | Good evening | Guten Abend | | Please | Bitte | | Thank You | Danke | | Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | | Yes | Ja | No | Nein |
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