Germany is the most populous European country (apart from Russia), with a population of 81 million.
Germany's land area was over 50% larger during the Second Reich (1871-1918) and included most of present-day Poland and parts of Lithuania.
German people are the second biggest consumers of beer in the world (after the Irish), with an average of 119 litres per person per year (or 0.32 l per day).
The German language was once the lingua franca of central, eastern and northern Europe, and remains the language with the most native speakers in Europe.
15 million people in Germany are of non-German descent (first and second generation), i.e. 18.5% of the population. About half of them are foreign residents, not German citizens.
About a quarter of all American citizens claim at least partial German ancestry.
Germany has nearly 700 zoological gardens, wildlife parks, aquariums, bird parks, animal reserves, or safari parks, including 414 registered zoos (more than the USA) ! Berlin's Zoologischer Garten is the largest zoo in the world, both in terms of number of species (1,500) and animal population (14,000).
The world's youngest billionnaire is the German Prince Albert II von Thurn und Taxis, with net worth is estimated at around $1.9 billion (USD) as of 2006.
German athletes have won a total of 1548 Olympic medals (summer and winter combined), i.e. more than any other country in the world except the USA.
The Fairy Grottoes (Feengrotten) in Saalfeld, Thuringia, are the world's most colourful caves, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
There are some 2.5 million half-timbered houses in Germany, by far the highest number of any country worldwide.
The Germans can be credited for the invention of the clarinet, the pocket watch, the automated calculator, the light bulb, television (partly), 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.
There are 1,300 beer breweries in Germany, making some 5,000 kinds of beer. German people are the world's third biggest beer drinkers after the Czechs and the Irish.
