The official name of Germany is Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany).  Located in Europe, Germany is surrounded by Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, and Poland.  The capital city is Berlin, however some government offices still remain in the former West German capital of Bonn.

    The current German flag is the flag of former West Germany.  It was retained when Germany was reunified in 1990.  The colors come from the uniforms worn by German volunteers during the Napoleonic wars and have been flying over German lands since 1848.  The black represents gunpowder, the red represents blood, and the gold represents fire.

    Germany has a total land area of 137,735 sq mi (356,733 sq km).  The highest point, Zugspitze, is 9,718 ft (2,962 m) above sea level and the lowest point of Germany is along the coast.  The average temperatures of Germany fall from 31°F to 65°F all year round.  An average precipitation of 24-38 in (60-96 cm) falls each year.  In 1995 the population of Germany was estimated at 81,264,000 people, 590 persons/sq mi (228 persons/sq km).  Most people, 86%, live in an urban area, while only 14% of the population lives in a rural area.  The largest cities of Germany include Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.  Roughly 95% of the population is German, the other 5% includes Turks, Italians, Kurds, Greeks, Poles, and peoples from the former Yugoslavia.  The official language is German, although other languages are spoken.  Christianity is the major religion of Germany.  More specifically, 36% is Protestantism (consisting mostly of Lutheranism), 35% Roman Catholicism, 2% Islam, and 27% other (including Judaism and nonreligious).  Most of the Jewish population was eliminated during the Holocaust and have never returned.
 
 

    The Gross Domestic Product of Germany is $1.7 trillion (estimated in 1996).  The major products of Germany include wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, lignite, bituminous coal, petroleum, chemical products, and transportation equipment.  The labor force is made up by 49% industrial, 56% services, and 3% agricultural.  Major exports include machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals, textile yarn and fabrics, iron and steel, power generating equipment, precision instruments, office machines and data processing equipment, and clothing.  Some imports include road vehicles, food products, clothing and accessories, petroleum and petroleum products, electrical machinery, and office machines and data processing equipment.  Germany trades mostly with France, Netherlands, Italy, United States, Great Britain, Belgium and Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland.  The German monetary unit is the Deutsche mark.  One US $1 is equal to 1.53 Deutsche marks.
    Germany hasn't exactly been the most stable country in the past 100 years.  In this time period, Germany was involved in two major wars and the Holocaust.  Here is a timeline of major events in German history since 1871:
 

 

1871:  Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck realized his dream of a united Germany as the German Empire was founded.     1918-1919:  Germany was forced to accept harsh terms under the Treaty of Versailles that brought an end to World War I.  The Weimar Republic was founded.     1933:  Adolf Hitler and the Nazis assumed power.     1939:  Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II.     1945:  Allied armies occupied Germany and divided it into four zones of occupation. Nazi war criminals were tried at Nuremberg.     1949:  Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany. Berlin, in East Germany, was also divided between the two countries.     1955:  East Germany became a Communist state, while West Germany became a parliamentary republic.     1961:  The East German government built the Berlin Wall.     1989:  The Communist government in East Germany collapsed, and the Berlin Wall was dismantled. Thousands of East Germans emigrated to West Germany.     1990:  Germany was formally reunified under the government of the former West Germany.     1994:  In a close election, Chancellor Helmut Kohl was returned to power               for a fourth consecutive term. b

    Like in the United States, Christmas is a big holiday for Germany.  This is not suprising as Christianity is the dominant religion in Germany.  The Germans celebrate Advent and even have a "mini-christmas" before December 25.  December 6 is St. Nicholas's feast day.  On the night before, St. Nicholas makes his visit to all the homes in Germany.  He leaves sweets in the shoes of the good children, but those who have been bad receive switches so that they may be punished.
    In America, we have Black Friday.  That is the traditional start to Christmas shopping.  German Christmas is not as commercialized as it is in America.  Homemade gifts are especially popular in Germany.  As Christmas gets closer, the women spend a lot of time baking many kinds of cookies and cakes, including pfeffernuss, a sugar-coated spice cookie; lebkuchen, a small spicy cake; gingerbread, and stollen, a fruit bread.  Marzipan is one of the favorite Christmas candy.  Here is a recipe for marzipan:
 
 

    In Germany, the christmas tree is treated a little differently.  On December 24th, the mother secretly trims the Christmas tree.  No one is allowed to see the tree or the presents heaped nearby until Christmas Eve. On a signal, which may be a hand bell or carol played on the piano, everyone comes into the room, and the candles on the tree are lighted.  Most German families exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, instead of on Christmas Day.  The traditional Christmas dinner consists of roast goose with applesauce and potato dumplings.  Duck and ham are the more popular variations.  One favorite carol in Germany is Stille Nacht (Silent Night):

    One traditional product of Germany is straw shoes.  Today, straw shoes are still made in the south-western portion of Germany in the Black Forest (see map at top).  In earlier times the Black Forest farmers manufactured strawshoes for their own purposes because they could not afford to buy other shoes.  Using native materials, they made and invented the straw shoe.  They were usually worn in the house as a slipper, but also outside during the long and cold winters.  For this reason straw shoes had to be convenient, warm and robust.

    The shoe is mainly made of dry straw.  The inside is lined with wool, which keeps your feet warm.  The sole is traditionally made of leather, but since the invention of rubber, a rubber sole is sometimes used.  Today straw shoes are mainly used as slippers.  They are available in all sizes for women, men and children.  To purchase a pair of these straw shoes, you can go here.  In the Black Forest the shoes are also part of many traditional costumes and liveries.  One such holiday is Fasnacht.  Fasnacht is very similar to Carnival.  It is traditionally held on the Monday after first day of lent.
 

    For the most part, families in Germany are similar to that of American families: both parents work and the family shares the housework.  One of my penpals, Gregor, has a small, part-time job...like me.  His reasons are the same as mine to have a job, "I don`t earn much, but it is enough to live [on]."  I wasn't able to learn very much about German schools.  Gregor told me that they start school at 8:00 a.m. and have class until 1:00 p.m.  On occaison, they go until 3:00 p.m.
    I found one point that Gregor made very interesting.  He was telling me about how most Germans feel that Americans are very lucky and contrary to what I've heard before, find us to be friendly.  He also told me that America still seems to be the rich promise land that Europeans felt it was since the 15th century.  And like immigrants in the 19th century, Gregor feels that you can move to America and become rich.  Not only that, but come with very little and start a new life.  I found this to be very interesting because it relates directly to the time period I'm studying in History class now (the 19th century and immigration).  Even more so, I thought that since immigration had settle down some, the thought of coming to America to start over and become rich had faded away.  On a more personal level, this thought really struck me funny because, technologically, Americans seem better off, but I do not see myself as being rich.
    The next time I talked to Gregor, wrote to him about Halloween, one of my favorite holidays.  Near his hometown, Wiesbaden, is an American Air Base.  The Americans there celebrate Halloween like in America and sometimes the Germans participate with the Trick-or-Treating and other celebrations.  Although he didn't go into detail, he said most Germans celebrate Halloween, but not like we do.
    Something else that Gregor talked about was his "holidays."  Last year, he went to Sweden.  The countries in Europe are so small and so close together, it'd be like each of the states being a different country with a different language and a different money system.  For an American family to go to Florida to Disney World is the same as German families going to Sweden for a week or too.  I have a penpal in Sweden from several years prior.  From what I understand, it is a very beautiful country and it has lots to do.