Interesting facts about Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany lies in the heart of Europe and is a cosmopolitan, democratic country with a great tradition and a lively present. Germany is the European Union's most populous nation with 81.2 million inhabitants.This blog was about some unkown facts of Germany

1. Did you know Germany's Capital had been changed seven times?

          The cities of Aachen, Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, Weimar, Bonn and Berlin have all been capitals of Germany.From 1949 to 1990 Bonn was the provisional capital of West Germany.Berlin become as the capital of Germany in the year 1991.Berlin is 9 times bigger than Paris and has more bridges than Venice.



2. Did you know Germany was  one of the world's largest car producers?

        Germany was known as hub of luxury car manufacturers. Germany produced over 5.72 million cars in 2016 with an increase of 0.5 percent compared to 2015.The dollar value of almost one-quarter of all cars manufactured in Germany are exported, as 21.8% of 2016 worldwide exports was attributable to Germany.German car manufactures earns US$151.9 billion in the year 2016.
        The German manufacturer leading the production of cars is Volkswagen in 2016. The Volkswagen Group sold a massive 10.10 million vehicles and captured market share of 11.1 percent. It took the leadership from Toyota and as mentioned earlier, despite the diesel gate scandal, the company was able to produce more vehicles than any other car manufacturing groups in the world.
        Mercedes-Benz is the second-largest manufacturer in Germany, representing approximately 9% of the market share in the country.
3. Did you know Prison escape is not punishable by law in Germany?

        In Germany, there's no punishment for a prisoner who tried to escape from jail because it is a basic human instinct to be free.Escapes, however, rarely go unpunished because prisoners are held liable if they cause damage to property or inflict bodily harm against any individual upon their breakout.

4. Did you know about the world's first magazine?

        The earliest magazine to be published in the world was called "Erbauliche Monaths Unterredungen" which when translated to English means "Edifying Monthly Editions". It was first published in 1663 by a poet and theologian from Hamburg known as Johann Rist. The magazine discussed topics revolving around literature and philosophy. It was published until 1668 and it set the pace for publication of other journals in the same decade and over the years. Today, there are thousands of different types of periodicals to be found all over the world thanks to Rist.

5. Did you know Germany offer excellent education almost free of cost for international students?

        When it comes to excellent higher education at minimal or no cost, Germany tops the list. The public universities in Germany do not charge any tuition fee at all, however nominal university administration fee of €150-250 (that's ₹11,500-19,000 approx.) is charged, which doesn't pinch as that's exactly what we pay as annual fee in a DU college.
Reason:
        Germany needs skilled workers, and this reality creates a win-win situation for American students. All students enrolled in any of the country’s public universities can attend for free. What’s more, German universities offer a wide range of programs entirely in English, and an American student can earn a university degree in Germany without speaking a word of German. Top-ranked institutions, such as the University of Munich and University of Bonn, mean that U.S. students don’t have to trade prestige for cost.

6. Did you know run out of fuel on highways is illegal in Germany?

        The autobahn highway famously has large stretches with no posted speed limit, allowing drivers to go as fast as their hearts desire. But don't use all your gas up and get caught with an empty tank. While it's not technically illegal to run out of fuel, it is unlawful to stop for any reason other than an emergency. Running out of gas is not considered an emergency
        While it’s no secret that the German autobahn is one of the last places where you can drive as fast as you want, the fabled public highways aren’t a free-for-all. Today, some sections of the autobahn have speed limits, though great stretches remain unrestricted. And while most of the autobahn’s driving rules will be familiar to Americans, the Germans have unique laws and rules of conduct in place that they say help to keep high-speed driving safe. And we probably don’t need to tell you that Germans take their rules seriously.

7. Did you know Berlin still hasn't recovered its pre-WW2 population?

        we all know second world war(WW2) period was 1 Sep 1939 – 2 Sep 1945.Before WW2 starts Berlin's Population was 4.3 million but end of WW2 population of Berlin was reduced to 2.3 million.Even after 80 years Berlin still hasn't recovered its pre-WW2 population .Current populationof Berlin is 3.5 million in 2016. 

8.Did you know German citizens can travel more territories than any other country citizens?

        German citizens can travel to 177 territories without a visa nor a visa given on arrival, the most in the world.Germany retains the top spot in 2018 on the Henley Passport Index for the fifth year in a row.
9. Did you know Smoking is banned in public places but drinking is still legal in Germany?

        Since September 2007 smoking is prohibited in all federal government office buildings. This includes courthouses, the German Parliament and other federal buildings. Smoking is banned on public transportation as well. Smoking in train stations is allowed only in designated smoking areas. Fines for violations range from €5 to €1,000.

        The possession of open containers of alcohol and drinking in public (street, park etc.) is legal for people of the legal drinking age (16 for beer and wine; 18 for distilled spirits).
10.Did you Know Germany is the second most popular immigrant destination in the world?

        After the United States of America, which has an immigrant population of 44 million people, Germany comes in second with 12 million of its population having been born in foreign countries.It was ranked as number two by both the OECD and the Migration Policy Institute. Most immigrants are from Europe, with the top three foreign nationalities being Turkish, Polish and Italian. The immigrant workforce helps cushion the effects of Germany’s low birth rate, rising life expectancy and aging society; the UN predicts the number of Germans in the workplace will fall to 54 percent by 2030.

Quotes About Germany:-

Quotes about Germany

Interesting facts about South Africa

South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho (which is completely surrounded by South Africa). It is a vast country with widely varying landscapes and has 11 official languages, as well as an equally diverse population. South Africa is renowned for its wines and is one of the world's largest producers of gold. South Africa has the strongest economy in Africa, and is an influential player in African politics. In 2010, South Africa hosted the first Football World Cup to be held on the African continent.

 1. Table Mountain in Cape Town alone has more floral  species than the whole of the United Kingdom.

      
     There are more than 1 500 plant species on Table Mountain in Cape Town alone.This represents more floral species than the whole of the United Kingdom.
     Table Mountain is acknowledged as being one of the oldest mountains on the planet

 Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top.The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. Table Mountain is home to large array of fauna and flora, most of which is endemic.

 2.South Africa is home to UNESCO's eight World Heritage Sites:

       1.The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape

      2.Robben Island

     3.The Cape Floristic Region

The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the world’s six floral kingdoms – and the only one which is wholly contained within a single country.

      4.The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

     5.Vredefort Dome (the oldest meteor scar in the world)

     6.The Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and environs fossil hominid sites.

     7.The iSimangaliso Wetland Park

     8.The Ukhahlamba / Drakensberg Park

 3.South Africa is the world's largest platinum producer.

         South Africa is the world's largest platinum producer, producing more than twice as much as every other country on Earth combined. South Africa has three major platinum bearing areas, the Merensky Reef, the Upper Group 2 (UG2) Reef and the Platreef.

       It produce 110,000 kg, 68.32% of world's platinum.

 4.South Africa hosted some of the most exciting sport events

     Some of the most exciting sporting events that have been hosted in South Africa include the 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2003 Cricket World Cup, 2005 and 2006 Women’s World Cup of Golf, 2006 inaugural A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport, 2009 IPL Cricket, and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

5.Can you think of any other place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on the same street?

 South Africa is the only country were a street has produced two Nobel price winners in history. Vilakazi Street in Soweto was the residential address of two Nobel Peace Prize winners – Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

 6.Did you know South Africa supplies two-thirds of whole Africa's electricity?

     South Africa produces around 240,300 gigawatt-hours (865,000 TJ) electricity annually.Most of this electricity is consumed domestically, but around 12,000 gigawatt-hours are annually exported to Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and other Southern African Development Community countries participating in the Southern African Power Pool.

 7.The Great Karoo desert 

 The Karoo is an odd place. You either love it or you hate it. Rich fossil beds, spanning over 600 million years set the Karoo apart from any other place on earth and make it the curator of many secrets of evolution.

    The Karoo region in the Western Cape is home to some of the best fossils of early dinosaurs. In fact, it is estimated that some 80% of the mammalian fossils found to date were found in the Karoo. 

 8.Oldest dinosaur nesting site discovered in South Africa

    A dinosaur nesting site discovered in South Africa is thought to be 190 million years old.It tells scientists lots about how dinosaurs went about breeding.They were found in a strip of rock in South Africa's Golden Gate Highlands National Park and as the rock becomes weathered, scientists think even more nests will be found.

  

9.The South African coast boasts more than 2 000 shipwrecks 

There are more than 2000 shipwrecks off the South African coast, most dating back at least 500 years.Details of shipwrecks

 10.Did u know SA is only country with three official capitals ?

South Africa has three capital cities: Pretoria is the Executive Capital, Cape Town the Legislative Capital and Bloemfontein the judicial Capital. 

Quotes about South Africa