Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Area: 35,751 square kilometers Capital: Stuttgart Population: 10.3 million
Baden-Württemberg is located in southwestern Germany, and is bordered to the west and south by France, Switzerland and Austria. Baden-Württemberg is located in the southwestern part of Germany. The state is crossed by the northern foothills of the Alps, and the Rhine River flows from north to south. The state is divided into four administrative regions, with nine cities and 35 counties.
Bavaria has a well-developed economy, strong financial resources and a low unemployment rate, and is known as a "model state". The industry is dominated by machinery, automobiles, electrical appliances, chemistry, optics and precision instruments, and the watch and jewelry industry in the Black Forest region is also very famous. Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe are the three major industrial centers. Bavaria is also home to world-class companies such as Mercedes-Benz (the picture on the left shows the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart), Porsche, Bosch, IBM, Lorentz Standard Elektronik AG, and Porche. The state's industry is also characterized by a strong presence of small and medium-sized enterprises. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 98% of all companies in Bavaria. These companies are located in both urban and rural areas, so that economic development is relatively well coordinated between the regions and the unemployment rate is consistently among the lowest in Germany. The strength of Bavaria's economy is reflected in the fact that its total exports are almost as large as those of Spain, Sweden or Singapore combined.
Agriculture accounts for less than 2% of the state's GDP. The diversity of the soil and the pleasant climate here make the Rhine Plain and the shores of Lake Constance particularly suitable for the cultivation of specialty cash crops such as fruit, grapes, tobacco, asparagus, hops for brewing beer and vegetables. This is Germany's second largest winemaking region, and red and white wine has long been a daily drink. The southern mountains are rich in water and grass, and animal husbandry flourishes, mainly grazing dairy and beef cattle.
Bavaria has a long cultural tradition. The state has the largest number of German institutions of higher learning. The University of Heidelberg (inset), founded in 1386, is the oldest in Germany. The universities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe are known for their science and technology, while the University of Mannheim is known for its economics. In addition, it is the home of the famous German poet Schiller and philosopher Hegel. Stuttgart has a world reputation for its ballet and the International Bach Society. It is also an important media center and home to major publishing houses, where 33 percent of Germany's magazines and 22 percent of its books are published.
Bavaria has a thriving tourism industry, second only to Bayern among the L?nder. The dense forests of the Middle Range cover two-thirds of the state. The famous Black Forest (pictured right) is a popular retreat, stretching 160 kilometers from north to south and from 20 to 60 kilometers from east to west. The rolling hills are densely forested, so green that they are black and dark when viewed from afar, hence the name. There is also Lake Constance located between Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Rhine River, the Neckar River and the rugged Swabian Mountains are also popular vacation spots for tourists. Even more tourists come to Bavaria every year than residents of the state.
Bavaria Bayern
Area: 70,552 square kilometers Capital: Munich Population: 12 million
Bavaria is located in southeastern Germany, with Austria and the Czech Republic to the south and east. The Alps run through the entire state, and the state's topography is characterized by many peaks, forests and lakes. The state is the largest state in Germany in terms of area and is divided into seven prefectures with 25 cities and 71 counties.
Bavaria is a state with a thousand years of history and the oldest traditions in Germany, and the only state whose boundaries were preserved as they were after the collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945. For historical reasons, Bavaria has a large degree of independence from the central government. The state is strongly Catholic and has always been considered conservative.
The state is the largest agricultural region in Germany. However, the proportion of the population engaged in agriculture and forestry has fallen from 30% in the 1950s to around 7% today. The state is now one of Europe's most dynamic economic regions as a modern high-tech center and has been called Germany's "California. The state capital, Munich (view of Munich from the left), is known as the "second capital of Germany" and is the cultural and economic center of the state. The Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen regions are the center of the machine building, electrical and toy industries, with famous companies such as Siemens, Kevlar and Gund. Augsburg is the seat of machine building and textile industry. Regensburg has the electrical industry and the famous Bavarian BMW engine plant. Ingolstadt is also famous for its automobile manufacturing industry, and its production of Audi brand small cars is well known to the Chinese people. The beer produced in Bayern is world-famous, with hundreds of breweries. Equally famous is Franconian wine.
Bavaria has one of the highest tourism rates in Germany and is the number one favorite vacation spot in the country. Tourism is an important part of the state's economy. In addition to the historic cities of Munich and Nuremberg, there are also the well-preserved medieval city of Regensburg, the Baroque and Rococo Bantz, the monasteries and churches of Ettal, the Cathedral of the Fourteen Saints, and the Church of the Wisdom, etc. These church buildings and the bishop's city, Würzburg, were included in the world's cultural treasures by UNESCO.
Germany's highest peak of 2962 meters Zug (right), the lakes and mountains in the Alps for the old Bavaria added endless charm. The state's major lakes are Lake Starnberg, Lake Tegernsee, Lake Amur, Lake Monin and Lake Constance, which harbor rich water resources. The Bavarian Forest, the first German national park, and the valleys of the Danube, Main and tributaries are known as Germany's "Romantische Strasse" (Romantic Road). The annual Munich Oktoberfest is traditionally a great folk festival.
Berlin Berlin
Area: 889 square kilometers Capital: Berlin (Berlin) Population: 3.46 million
The state of Berlin is located in eastern Germany and has 23 districts. It developed from a fishing village and commercial center to become the capital of Prussia, which has a history of more than 750 years. 1871 after the establishment of the German Empire, Berlin became the political, industrial, scientific and cultural center of Germany. 1918, November 9, Weimar **** and the state was proclaimed, and Berlin became the capital of the state of **** and the state in 1939, the population of Berlin has reached more than 4 million. The Second World War had disastrous consequences for Berlin, with massive destruction of the city and industrial areas, and in 1945 the city was divided between the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. In the decades that followed, the Berlin Wall became a symbol of the division of Germany and the "Cold War" between East and West, and after the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, Berlin became the capital of the country. 1991, the Reichstag voted to move the seat of government from Bonn back to Berlin.
After reunification, Berlin is now Germany's largest city. Today's Berliners are not really native Berliners. Berliners have historically been mainly immigrants, coming from France, Bohemia and Poland, and now more from Eastern Europe, an international mix of nationalities.
Berlin is one of Europe's largest industrial centers, and electrical and mechanical engineering and precision instruments, which consume few raw materials and are known for their technology, have always been Berlin's traditional strengths. Food, cigarette, clothing and chemical industries also occupy a certain position in Berlin. There are two world-class enterprises here: Siemens AG and General Electric Company (AEG).
Berlin's strengths also lie in the close integration of research and development, production and sales. three universities, four universities of the arts, the European University of Economics, nine specialized universities, some 250 extra-university research institutes, and a large number of small and medium-sized technology enterprises constitute a powerful engine for economic growth and new jobs. In the south-east of the city is the Adlerhof Economic and Scientific Site (WISTA), Europe's largest integrated technology park. The growing number of companies in the fields of communications and information technology is making Berlin an efficient and innovative location for organizations.
Berlin is an important fair and conference city. Events such as the International Radio Fair, the Berlin Green Week (agriculture, horticulture) and the Tourism Expo have a wide international impact.
Berlin has a long tradition of rich and varied culture. It has a wide range of museums and collections, as well as three grand opera houses (Deutsche Oper, Staatsoper under the Bodhi Tree, and the Opera Comique), several major symphony orchestras including the Philharmonic Orchestra, and dozens of theaters, concert halls, and libraries. Berlin is famous for its performance weeks, film festivals and theater productions. Performances take place all year round, and attending performances has become an important part of life for modern Berliners.
Berlin's newspapers include the opinionated "Berliner Morgenpost", "Berliner Zeitung", and the "Der Tagesspiegel". The editorial office of the famous "Die Welt" is also located in Berlin.
Berlin is known as the "capital of forests and lakes," with lakes and woodlands covering one-third of the city, and the whole city is surrounded by forests and meadows, making it look like a big green island when you look down on the city from above. Only after visiting these forests and lakes, and being in the natural beauty of nature, can the tourists y experience the traditional romantic and dashing life of Berliners.
Berlin, as the cultural capital of Europe, has many attractions, such as the Reichstag, the Egyptian Museum, the Charleroi Palace, the Olympic Park, the Berlin Zoo, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Wannsee Lake, etc., all of which are famous tourist attractions. The Brandenburg Gate with its two-wheeled carriage is the symbol of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany. The Humboldt University, the New Post, the Armory, the Cathedral and the TV Tower on Alexanderplatz are also places of interest for tourists. The famous Nicholas Church, built in 1320, is the oldest church in Berlin. As a tourist city, Berlin receives millions of foreign and national visitors every year. (Above, the restored German Parliament building)
In April 1994, Berlin and Beijing became sister cities.
Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Area: 29,479 square kilometers Capital: Potsdam Population: 2.6 million
Brandenburg is located in the eastern part of Germany, surrounding the state of Berlin, and bordered by Poland to the east. The state is divided into 6 cities and 38 counties. The state capital, Potsdam, is located southwest of Berlin, where the famous Potsdam Conference was held in 1945.
The state is the largest of Germany's new federal states in terms of area, and industry and service businesses are the most important sectors of the economy here. Today the state's economic structure has gradually transformed from agriculture, which grows rye and oilseed crops, to industry with sectors such as automobile and machine building, electronics, optics, the energy economy, the food industry and chemicals. After 40 years of a planned economy, industry here is now in a phase of transformation, with many companies with outdated equipment that lose money and pollute the environment in the process of being revamped.
Brandenburg is located in the lowlands of North Germany, the natural conditions are harsh, known as "sand pots", there are large areas of sand, clay hills, wet swampy valleys and numerous lakes. The state's forests cover 35 percent of the state's land area, with rye, potatoes and wheat as the main crops, and the Oder depression around Berlin and the eastern city of Frankfurt is a source of fruits and vegetables.
The state was once the center of the Prussian kingdom, Potsdam was formerly the Prussian residence city, but also an idyllic countryside city, with the famous Sanssouci Palace (Sanssouci, see photo on the left) and its magnificent gardens and Schichering Palace and other monuments. Rheinsberg and Branitz are also popular tourist destinations. In the south, the woodlands and lakes of the Spree offer a charmingly cold atmosphere. With its extensive water network and dense forests, it has been compared to the tropical forests of Brazil and called the "German Amazon".
With visa exemptions in place between Germany and Poland, one of the state's major cities, Frankfurt am Main, has become increasingly important as a transit center for Eastern European countries.
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
Bremen
Located in the north of Germany at the mouth of the Weser River, the state of Bremen consists of two cities - the city of Bremen and the port of Bremerhaven - and is the smallest federal state in Germany. Among the world's oldest surviving cities, Bremen ranks second only to San Marino. A former bishop's and merchant's city, Bremen's history dates back to the eighth century AD.
Built in 1827, Bremerhaven (left) is located at the mouth of the North Sea. Bremerhaven played an important role in the development of German ocean trade in the 19th century. It is located 65 kilometers from the city of Bremen, which is situated on the territory of the state of Lower Saxony. Bremerhaven developed from the original Bremen docking place into one of the largest fishing ports on the European continent, and its industry is closely linked to the harbor.
Port industry, navigation, international trade and cutting-edge products from modern industry are the basis of Bremen's economy. As one of Germany's main foreign trade transit points, Bremerhaven has the world's largest containerized surface transfer facility, with around 10,000 ships a year traveling between Bremerhaven and some 1,000 ports around the world. This is where German tea, coffee, tobacco and cotton enter and are processed and marketed locally. The port of Bremerhaven is therefore not only a rapid transit point for goods, but also the engine of the local economy. The state's emblem is the "key to the world".
In addition to shipping and shipbuilding, Bremen is home to the automotive, mechanical engineering, electronics, and emerging aerospace industries (the Bremen Aerospace Center is home to the design and manufacture of rockets, satellites, and key components for the Airbus). Bremen is also one of Germany's centers for the production of food and hobbies, with coffee, chocolate, flour, dairy products, spices, aquatic products and beer among its best known products. The 300-year-old Bremen Stock and Commodity Exchange carries trade for all of northwestern Germany.
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Hamburg
Area: 755 square kilometers Capital: Hamburg (Hamburg) Population: 1.7 million
Hamburg was founded in the 9th century A.D., and has been around for more than a thousand years. It was first built as a castle on the banks of the Elbe River for border security, but has since evolved into a trading city. It was one of the founders of the Hanseatic League, the most important transit center between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and after the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 Hamburg became a free Hanseatic city, and in 1949 it became a state of the German Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) under the name of "Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg".
The Port of Hamburg (inset), located 120 kilometers from the mouth of the Elbe River, is one of the largest ports in the world, and has been described as Germany's "gateway to the world", and is still Germany's most important seaport and largest foreign trade transit. The port ranks second in Europe, after Rotterdam, in terms of container traffic. More than 200 liners depart from the port every year, and more than 300 routes connect it to the world's major ports. The port's industrial area includes shipyards, refineries and companies refining foreign raw materials. Through continuous industrial restructuring, the Hanseatic city has developed into a highly industrialized international city in the north of Europe, with the aerospace industry, the electronics industry, the manufacture of precision machinery and optical instruments, machine building and the chemical industry as the five leading industrial sectors in Hamburg. The famous "Airbus" airplane is produced in the Han aircraft manufacturing plant.
While Germany's second largest industrial location, Hamburg is still one of the "greenest cities in Germany". Farmland, gardens, forests, marshes and grasslands make up 41 percent of the city's total surface area, and 28 percent of its landscapes and nature reserves. 120 parks and facilities are supplemented by more than 200,000 street trees.
Hamburg is the center of Germany's media economy, with an annual turnover of more than 40 billion marks. Seventeen of the 21 magazines with a circulation of one million are published in Hamburg; it is also home to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) news agency and numerous television and radio stations and studios. The communications industry has seen the most rapid growth in recent years, with electronic media accounting for an increasing proportion of the industry.
Hessen
Hessen
Area: 21,114 square kilometers Capital: Wiesbaden Population: 6 million
Hessen is located in central Germany, on the plain of the Rhine-Main River, and is known as Germany's "central state". The state has three prefectures, five cities and 21 counties. The present-day territory of Hesse dates from the aftermath of the Second World War and was formed against a background of customs, history, culture and social circumstances. Not only is the state geographically centered, but it is also essentially in the middle of Germany in terms of economic and social structure.
As the fifth largest federal state in Germany, Hesse is one of the largest economic centers in Germany after the Ruhr region and comparable to Berlin, and one of the most dynamic regions in Europe. The state's strongest economic sectors are chemicals and automobile manufacturing, leather products, optical products, electronics technology and machine building. Frankfurt am Main is Goethe's birthplace and Germany's most important financial center and international financial place, the Bundesbank and the European Central Bank are located here, in addition there are more than 400 commercial banks and Germany's largest stock exchange. Frankfurt is also an important industrial and technological location as well as an internationally important fairground. The state is located in the air, rail and surface transportation meeting point, covers an area of 17 square kilometers of Frankfurt Airport is one of Europe's most important transportation hub, in the European airports ranked first in the amount of freight traffic, the passenger revenue in the second place. (The picture on the left is a distant view of Frankfurt)
The Deutsche Bibliothek in Frankfurt has been described as "Germany's largest bookcase". The International Book Fair, held annually in Frankfurt to award the German Book Industry Peace Prize, is the world's largest book fair, and Kassel hosts the world's premier "International Contemporary Art Exhibition," which introduces contemporary art.
North of the Main River is the fertile yellow land, known as the Golden Land, where cereals, potatoes and sugar beets are grown. The hilly and mountainous areas are dominated by forestry, with vast areas of grassland where poultry, cattle, pigs and butter and cheese are raised. The mountains south of Darmstadt and the Rhine are one of Germany's best fruit and wine producers.
Hesse has a colorful natural landscape. With 2/5 of the state covered by forests, it is the most forested state in Germany. The foothills of the Taunus Mountains are the richest in Europe in terms of mineral springs, which abound. The state capital, Wiesbaden, is not only the administrative center, but also a beautiful mineral baths, where the casino (right photo) is crowded with tourists. The area has become a famous German health resort.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Area: 23,170 square kilometers Capital: Schwerin Population: 1.8 million
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is located in northeastern Germany, bordered by the Baltic Sea in the north, and across the sea from Scandinavian countries to the north and Poland to the east. The state has 6 cities and 31 counties and is the most sparsely populated state in Germany. The Baltic Sea coast, its varied landscapes, its large, unspoiled forests, meadows and hills, and its many inland lakes are its greatest assets.
Agriculture is the traditional sector of the Oblast's economy and is more important than in other regions. The main agricultural products are cereals, oil crops (rapeseed) and potatoes. Along the coast, fishing flourishes. The island of Rügen is famous for its fishing grounds, producing cod and mackerel.
In addition to agriculture, the former state of May was the center of the German shipbuilding industry. After the reunification of the two German states, its economic structure was in the midst of a radical transformation. Thanks to its rich, unspoiled nature, tourism has become an important pillar of the state's economy. In addition to this, the food and hobby industry, the construction industry, machine building, building materials and the timber industry are all important sectors in the Land. The seaport has always been of great economic importance. Rostock is the largest port in the state, and the port of Mukran on the island of Rügen is playing an increasingly important role. Further road and rail networks have been or are being built, linking the state closely with neighboring states.
The canton is situated in a hilly, slightly undulating landscape surrounded by farmland, meadows and forests. The largest lake is Lake Mühllets, which is 117 square kilometers in circumference, and a vast nature reserve stretches along its eastern shore. The state's largest island, Rügen, which is also the largest in Germany, with its chalky rocks, a marvel of nature, is a famous tourist destination. The seaside bathing area stretches from Lübeck Bay to Albek in the east. The long Baltic coast combined with its 650 lakes makes the state one of Germany's biggest retreats. More than 10 million people visit the region every year.
In addition to the natural beauty of the state, there are many old and distinctive buildings, such as the Schwerin Palace with its 300 minarets of various sizes. Rostock, the largest city in the former M?rchenland, where the first university in northern Europe was founded (1419), is also an important port on the Baltic Sea coast, where it maintains close trade relations with the Scandinavian countries and serves as Germany's gateway to eastern and northern Europe.
Lower Saxony
Niedersachsen
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Area: 47,338 square kilometers Capital: Hannover (Hannover) Population: 7.8 million
Lower Saxony is located in northwestern Germany, bordering the Netherlands in the west, and is the second-largest state in Germany by area. The state is divided into four regions, with nine cities and 39 counties. North-south and east-west highway and railroad lines cross here, and the inland canal between the Ems and Elbe rivers connects here with the Rhine, Elbe and Oder rivers, forming an inland waterway for Western and Eastern Europe.
The state's topography consists of the Harz mountains, the Weser mountains and the North German lowlands centered on the Lüneburg steppe. The very different landscapes, romantic valleys, exotic reefs, vast forests and numerous lakes make it a famous tourist destination in Germany. The marshes of Emsland, the Marsch meadows behind the North Sea dyke (left) and the islands of East Frisia in the shallow waters of the North Sea are unique and are visited all year round. A further attraction is Europe's largest fruit plantation, the "Old Field", just outside Hamburg.
Two thirds of the state's surface area is devoted to agriculture, providing mainly grain, sugar beet, fodder corn and potatoes, and the North Sea coast is an important fish-producing region, known as Germany's fish and rice country. The state has a diverse food industry, with the Oldenburg countryside famous for its ham and the Lüneburg meadows for its honey, and is a leader in potato cultivation and grain production. The mild, rainy winters are ideal for pasture, and horse breeding is an important economic sector. But these do not mean that the state is an agricultural state, in addition to the traditional shipbuilding, steel and chemical industries, the electronics and computer industry is today's emerging industry.
Lower Saxony's industry is linked to its rich underground resources, which it has a long history of exploiting. The mineral salt and potash mines in the foothills of the Harz Mountains and Germany's largest iron ore mines in the Salzgitter and Brunswick regions are economically important. Oil and gas are produced in the Emsland region and in the waters of the German North Sea. Another industrial focus is the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, which is the state's largest enterprise. The Volkswagen Foundation is Germany's largest non-state foundation funding science.
Hannover, the state capital, is a world-famous trade fair city and has been described as a "billboard" for German industry. It hosts some of the world's most famous exhibitions, including the world's largest annual industrial fair and CeBIT, a large-scale exhibition of communications technology.
Hannover's Leibniz pioneered the binary system and built the world's first working computer; Berlener invented the phonograph; Gauss invented the telegraph; and Siemens invented the dynamo for generating electricity. The university town of G?ttingen has played a major role in the history of politics and natural science.
Nordrhein-Westfalen
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Area: 34,078 square kilometers Capital: Düsseldorf Population: 18 million
Nordrhein-Westfalen is located in the western part of Germany, bordering Belgium and the Netherlands to the west. With an area equal to Belgium and Luxembourg combined, it is the most populous state in Germany and the most densely populated region in Europe. It is a newly formed state after World War II, with five administrative districts, 23 municipalities and 31 counties.
When one thinks of North Rhine-Westphalia, one naturally thinks of the Ruhr industrial region, which is also the largest in Europe. The Ruhr region has traditionally been dominated by the mining and metallurgical industry, and it is rich in anthracite coal resources. In the last 30 years, the state has successfully restructured its industry, breaking away from the monolithic economic structure based on mining and metallurgy, with many new jobs being provided by the fast-growing media and culture sector. Today about 66% of all employed people in the state work in the service sector. Industrial restructuring in conjunction with ecological renewal has made the canton a leading European center for environmental technology. The state accounts for a quarter of Germany's total imports and exports (the "City Gate" building in Düsseldorf is pictured)
The state's 31 large power plants make it Germany's energy center. A dense network of highways, railroads and waterways links the state's industrial cities, as well as important European transportation routes. Forty-four of Germany's 100 largest companies are based in the state. In addition to the industrial giants Bayer AG, Feiba AG, Kl?ckner-Humboldt-Doetsch AG and Bertelsmann Printing & Publishing, there are around 600,000 small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in production. The state capital Düsseldorf is home to one of Germany's largest banks, and Cologne has one of the leading insurance positions in Germany. The capital, Düsseldorf, as well as Cologne and Essen are famous as fair cities.
The northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia is a center of agriculture and livestock farming. Münsterland is an important agricultural and pastoral area, famous for horse breeding and equestrian sports, and also grows crops such as wheat, corn and sugar beet The southern part of the Rhine Valley has many vegetable gardens and orchards.
North Rhine-Westphalia is another important city in Bonn, located south of Cologne, which is the birthplace of Beethoven. 1949 before Bonn is only a medium-sized university town (the right picture is the famous University of Bonn), the next 40 years it has been the capital of the German federal **** and state. After the reunification of Germany and the transfer of the seat of government westward to Berlin, Bonn continued to play its role as the administrative and scientific center of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
The state has one of the densest transportation networks in Europe. There are 6,000 kilometers of railroads and more than 2,000 kilometers of highways on just over 34,000 square kilometers of land. Natural rivers and man-made canals are intertwined in a network of 31 river ports, of which Duisburg is the largest inland port in the world. The airports of Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn are also important transportation hubs.
The Zauerland, Zirkeland, Bergisland mountains and the Eifel mountains are densely forested, making them a great place for summer retreats. The state's largest city is Cologne, known for its Gothic twin-towered cathedral and annual carnival.
Unfinished and restricted.
***16 states and territories.
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