Discovering Germany

Economy Germany has a strong social market economy built by a highly skilled labor force with a focus on innovation. As one of the world’s largest exporters, Germany’s leading industries include the automobile industry, along with telecom and international conglomerates. Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, E. ON, and BASF are some of the largest companies in revenue and employees. Germany is also the largest national economy in Europe and acts as one of the driving forces behind the Euro. Germany’s unemployment rate remains consistently low as the national economy continues to grow. Business Hours Business hours typically begin between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and lunch is taken around noon for 30 minutes. The workday ends between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., with Fridays sometimes ending earlier.

Weather Germany lies in a temperate climate zone with four distinct seasons. Average winter temperatures are 0°C (32°F) and may vary year to year in snowfall and temperature. In the summer, temperatures range from 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) with more rainfall than other seasons. Despite the uniformity, temperatures will vary from different regions and altitudes. National Hazards/Severe Weather Severe weather and natural disasters are rare in Germany. Small earthquakes can happen on occasion. Heavy rains may cause flooding and landslides on rare occasions.

Time Zones Germany lies in one time zone, the Central European Time Zone (CET); it is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1) or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC+1). Daylight Savings Time Germany participates in Daylight Savings Time (DST) two times a year. The first is on the last Sunday of March at 2:00 a.m. when CET changes to Central European Summer Time (CEST). The second is on the last Sunday of October, switching back to CET. Telling Time Germans use both the standard 12-hour cycle, and the 24-hour cycle, referred to as military time. Because there is no German equivalent to a.m. and p.m., military time is often used.

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Discovering Germany