If you don’t know much about Germany, you’re in for a surprise! Here are some fun facts to know when visiting Germany during your Forum-Nexus Trip!
Land & People
- Germany is the most populous European country (apart from Russia), with a population of 81 million.
- German people are the second biggest consumers of beer in the world (after the Irish), with an average of 119 liters per person per year (or 0.32 l per day).
- About a quarter of all American citizens claim at least partial German ancestry.
Culture & Sciences
- The Germans can be credited for the discovery of insulin, the invention of the clarinet, the pocket watch, the automated calculator, the light bulb, television (partly), paraffin, petrol/gasoline & Diesel engines, the automobile (as well as the engine, differential gear and other important devices), the motorcycle, the jet engine, the LCD screen and the Walkman.
- As of 1998, there were 5,752 museums in Germany (about as many as Italy and the United Kingdom combined).
Environment & Ecology
- The term “ecology” was first coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.
- In 2005 Germany produced approximately 35% of the world’s wind energy. There are over 20,000 wind turbines off the coast of northern Germany, the largest of which reach 200 meters in height.
- Germans are among the most avid recyclers. According to a BBC survey, Germany had the third highest recycling rate (48% of waste recycled), only just surpassed by its Swiss and Austrian neighbors.
Construction & Architecture
- The German Autobahn is the oldest motorway network in the world, as well as one of the densest. It is also the only one in Europe to have no general speed limit.
- The world’s two biggest cuckoo clocks are both located in Schonach im Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg. One of the cuckoos measures nearly five meters and weighs 150 kg.
- Ulm Cathedral is the tallest church in the world, with 161.53 metres (530 feet) in height. It was the world’s tallest building from 1890 to 1908.
Economy
- Since 2003, Germany is the world’s largest exporter of goods with $1.016 trillion exported in 2005. 10.1% of world exports come from Germany.
- Germany the world’s second producer of cars (after Japan) and motor vehicle in general (after the USA).
- The biggest train station in Europe opened in Berlin in 2006.
- The European Central Bank is located in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
- Frankfurt International Airport claims the world record in the most international destinations served Amy Parsol