Tourism Country Analysis-Germany Essay Example for Free

Tourism Country Analysis-Germany Essay Introduction Germany is a country with astounding diversity with one of the richest historical heritage in the world, standing out as one of the tourist attraction features. Germany is the most centrally placed in Europe among all the European countries. It has a history of a disunited nation having distinct states and tribes. For this reason, Germany more that any other European nation bears different names depending on the language used. For example it is called Deutschland within Germany; in French it is called ‘Allemagne’ and ‘Niemcy’ in Polish. (Country profile) On October 3rd 1990, Western Germany was unified with the German Democratic Republic. The leaving standards in the latter could not march those ones of the former; it has been a major challenge to do this because of the inherent industrial enterprise inefficiencies that characterized the German Democratic Republic. Another major factor that has posed challenges include the difficulty in East Germany of resolving property ownership and the lack of infrastructure and the environmental degradation that occurred during the communist rule. (Berghahn V. R. 1987) The extremist violence especially from the political right that is usually witnessed in East Germany is always related to the economic uncertainty in this region. Most times the violence is directed towards foreigners and in particular non-Europeans. (Berghahn V. R. 1987) Politics Germany is considered to be a Federal, Parliamentary, and representative democratic Republic. The ‘Grundgestz’ or the Basic Law is the framework that was laid down in 1949 that guides the German political system up to today. For any amendments to take place in the Grundgestz, a two-thirds majority in Parliament is required. (Country profile) The Chancellor heads the Government and the position is currently held by Angela Merkel and she exercises executive powers that are similar to a Prime Minister’s. Parliament that consists of the Bundestag and Bundesrat (Federal Council) is vested with Federal legislative Powers. Members of the Bundestag are elected directly and members in the Bundesrat represent the governments of the 16 states. These members are appointed by the state cabinet, which possesses the power to remove them any time. (Country profile) The Christian Democratic Party Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany are the dominating parties since 1949. However there’s existence of other smaller parties, which include the Free Democratic Party and the Alliance 90/ The Greens (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union). The President of Germany also doubles up as the Head of State and is normally elected by the Federal Convention (Bundesversammlung), which is the institution made up of members of the Bundestage and some members of the State delegate. The President of the Bundestag is the second highest official and the Bundestag itself elects him/her. His/her responsibilities include the overseeing of the body’s daily sessions. The Chancellor on the other hand doubles up as the head of Government and is the third highest official who is nominated by the Germany President and then is elected by the Bundestag. A constructive motion of no confidence by the Bundestag is what is necessary to remove the Chancellor.( Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) Economy In Europe, Germany’s National Economy is the largest. It is ranked the third largest in the world by nominal GDP, but ranked fifth in regards to gross domestic product. As per 2006 statistics, the average growth stands at 2.8% per annum. Germany has been renowned world over since the industrial age as one of the best motor innovators and has greatly benefited from the globalized world economy. (Berghahn V. R, 1987) One of its major drivers of its export economy is the trademark â€Å"Made in Germany,† which the world has continuously associated with sturdiness and durability. This has turned out the country to be the world’s top exporter with the export figures as at 2006 standing at $ 1.133 trillion generating a trade surplus of approximately â‚ ¬165 billion. 70% of its total GDP is generated by the service sector with 29.1% contributed by the industrial sector and agriculture falling behind with about 0.9%. (Berghahn V. R, 1987) Germany’s automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods contribute greatly to the export portfolio. In solar and wind turbine technology, Germany leads the world (Global Wind Energy Market ).   Amongst its most popular brands include Siemens, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Nivea among others. Germany uses the common market currency the Euro and the country stands out as a major advocate for the European Union. Society (People and Culture) The majority German population is made up inhabitants of ethnic Germans and over 7 million foreigners. Majority of the foreigners are made up of the so called â€Å"guest workers† who were mostly Turkish workers, who in the 1950s and 60s were invited to fill in for the labor shortages, Germany thus has quite a good number of ethnic Turks. Many political and economic refugees from the world over especially the developing world choose Germany as a prime destination. (Country profile) Germany boasts of having one of the world’s highest levels of education with exquisite technological advancement coupled with an unrivaled economic productivity. University enrolment has steadily risen and has more than tripled since World War II; the trade and technical schools that are sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany support the universities. The majority of the population is made up of the middle class with a per capita income standing at $ 28,700, this is combined with a comprehensive social welfare system that caters for the universal medical care and unemployment care besides other social needs. (Berghahn V. R, 1987) Culturally Germany is usually called â€Å"the land of poets and thinkers† (Wasser J. 2006). Religious and secular currents that have taken place in Europe for a long time have continuously shaped the German culture. One of the most famous German classical music composers is Ludwig Van Beethoven (Wasser J. 2006). Geography The geography of Germany is rich and diverse ranging from the high Alps in the South, the Bavarian plain, and the flowing hills of central Germany to the coast of the North and Baltic Sea. This makes the country’s countryside scenery worth visiting, â€Å"it all looks like a miniature train landscape packed with the nicest of old towns, medieval houses, gothic churches and small villages; its exotic!† (Country profile) Global Position Germany has continued to play a very important role in the formation and the continued strengthening of the European Union and has continued to cultivate a very close relationship with France. One of Germany’s closest allies has been the U.S, whose help was quite invaluable during the 1948 Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany after World War II. Ties with America have gone to other areas like trade where a more balanced trade relationship has continued to flourish. (Country profile) REFERENCES Berghahn, Volker Rolf. (1987) Modern Germany: Society, Economy, and Politics in the 20th Century. 2d ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union: Retrieved on 6th March 2008 from U.S. Library of Congress:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ,   Global Wind Energy Market 2006-2011, Retrieved on 6th   March 2008 from www.windtech-international.com: Wasser, Jeremy. (2006) Spà ¤tzle Westerns Spiegel Online International: Retrieved on 6th March 2008 Country profile: Germany: Retrieved on 6th March 2008 from   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1047864.stm: