Facts about Germany 
Germany is a diverse, exciting, constantly surprising country, and there's always something new to discover, even for people who have lived there for decades. From sports and history to language, music, food, culture and technology, there's so much to find out.
- Germany became an independent state in 1871, when the German Empire was proclaimed. However, some will say that Germany really became a modern country in 1990, when West and East Germany were reunited.
- Reading is has deep roots in German culture. These days, Frankfurt's Book Festival is easily the largest of its kind in the world.
- Bread is also a key symbol of German identity, and the country's 17,000 bakers create over 300 different styles.
- Football dominates German recreation. There are 26,000 football clubs in Germany, with over 6 million members, and the national team is hugely successful, having won 4 World Cups.
- Germans love to travel, and their money travels too. In fact, they spend more abroad than any other travellers.
- When children enter school, they receive a cone of gifts called the Schultüte. Containing toys or sweets, the cone is a symbol of entering "serious" life - and a way to ease the stress of being in a strange environment.
- No city in the world has more canals than the German capital, which hosts 120 miles of waterways. Great for sailing excursions!
- Berlin also hosts a museum dedicated solely to Currywurst (curry sausages). That's no surprise, as Berlin natives eat 70 million of them every year.
- Over 30% of Germany is covered in forest, so that means that its 80 million people are squeezed in between the trees!
- Germany really is a fairy tale land. The Grimm Brothers dedicated their lives to collecting German folk tales and weaving them into tales that have been a part of children’s bedtimes around the world for centuries. Germany still proudly celebrates the Brothers’ gift for storytelling all along its Fairy Tale Route. It is believed that they drew inspiration for their magical stories from their surroundings: places across Germany where they were born, spent their formative years, studied and worked.