Discovering Germany

Page 5

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.