Transportation

1. Water Transportation

The port of Hamburg is the biggest port in Germany that has access to the North Sea. The ports
of  Lübeck and Bremerhaven are also very big ocean ports in Germany.

Hamburg

 Lübeck

Bremerhaven

2. Ground Transportation

Railways:

• total: 40,826 km, including
• at least 14,253 km electrified and
• 14,768 km double- or multiple-tracked

Though Deutsche Bahn is a private company, the government holds all shares and therefore Deutsche Bahn can still be called a state-owned company. Since its reformation under private law in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) no longer publishes details of the tracks it own.  There is also about 280 privately or locally owned railway companies which own an approximate 3,000 km to 4,000 km of the total tracks in Germany. 

Highways:

The volume of traffic in Germany, especially goods transportation, is at a very high level due to its central location in Europe. In the past few decades, much of the freight traffic has been shifting from rail roads to driving road.  Germany possesses one of the most dense road systems in the world. German motorways have no blanket speed limit, but posted limits are in place in many dangerous or congested stretches. Germany has approximately 650,000 km of roads, of which 231,000 km are non-local roads.The road network is extensively used with nearly 2 trillion kilometers traveled by car in 2005, in comparison to just 70 billion km traveled by rail and 35 billion km traveled by plane.

3. Air Transportation

Short distances and the extensive network of motorways and railways make airplanes noncompetitive for travel within Germany. Only about 1% of all distance travelled was by plane in 2002. But due to a decline in prices with the introduction of low-fares airlines, domestic air travel is becoming a lot more attractive. Frankfurt International Airport is Germany's largest airport and a major transportation hub in Europe. Frankfurt Airport ranks among the world's top ten airports. It is one of the airports with the largest number of international destinations served worldwide.

Airports — with paved runways:

• total: 320
  • over 3,047 m: 14
  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 61
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 67
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 56
  • under 914 m: 122 (1999 est.)

International Trade

1. A. Germany exports machinery, vehicles, electric & electronic equipment, and plastics. In 2012 Germany had $1.492 trillion in exports. Germany exports mostly to places like Canada, China, Bangladesh, but mostly exports to China.

B.  Importing merchandise like motor vehicles, chemical products, machinery, oil and gas, and computers. In 2012 Germany had $1.276 trillion imports. The Netherlands, China, France and US were the biggest import partners of Germany. 

2. The exchange rate of the Euro to the US dollar for the past couple years was 0.7838 (2012 est.), 0.7185 (2011 est.), 0.755 (2010 est.). Currently the exchange rate is 1 US dollar equals .77 Euros. 

3. The net migration rate is 0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.).Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are the most populated cities in Germany and are the places where people are going.  

4. Germany has many allies including the US, the Euro Zone, and Canada. Germany has had some conflicts in the past being on the wrong side of the war for World War 1 and World War 2. 

Fixing Europe

1. In this article I have read, it talks about how the Euro zone is trying to fix the crisis on its hands by having the southern countries leave the union. Now this would create a huge recession in Europe that would affect the entire world. The issue with these countries leaving the euro zone is that there is no way they can leave without the European nation and the suggestion was to implement the old currencies back into the economy but the article then goes on to explain why it won’t work?

2. I think it can be related to the topic of the McMillan book of those who cannot pay die. What the article is talking about doing would most definitely punish those countries that cannot pay their own bills. These southern countries are trying to be left out because they depend upon the other European countries to help them out which then hurts the overall European economy. 

3. What led to the down fall of the European Nation was indeed the nation coming together itself. The problem with the European Nation is that the fiscal policy for each country is still different and this difference is not helpful when you are trying to act as an entire nation with one currency. Either the European countries need to decide to make a body that can make fiscal and monetary decisions or they need to split up and become the separate nations they want to act as.  

Information Wants to be Free

A. A part of the reading that I found very interesting was the connection between the truck driver industry and the internet. It was fascinating because now logistics was so much easier and in the reading McMillan talked about how the truck drivers could now fill their trucks up with goods one way find some one who wanted them to transport goods back the other way and be back home without any lay over. The logistics made profits in companies increase very quickly and helped products that are perishables get delivered right on time.

B. Transaction costs talked about by McMillan is the price you pay to make the transaction happen. To clarify it includes everything from the price of researching and finding information to the cost of actually shopping through a store and buying the item you want. An example is buying a good quality hair cut versus an okay one for the same price. Finding information about reputations and then actually observing the hair cut for yourself is a transaction cost. The buyer has to trust that they are getting sold a decent product.

C. Effects like an imperfect market arise which then creates a very unstable economy.  The effects of imperfect information are mostly on the sellers. They often times hinder the buyers decisions on what they are able to buy and for what price. The sellers has less information about the quality of what the person has to sell thus making the buyer at a disadvantage on whether they are getting a bad deal or not.

A fez of the Heart

A. One passage of the reading that I found very interesting was towards the end when Jeremy Seal made the comparison of Fez's being banned to people walking around naked. That the priorities of those old and new were so different because of tourism and the way the people of Pomegranate had acted towards tourists. The factor of money being such a priority that people could find new ways to make a living, even through something they originally thought would never cost any money.

B.  " pg. 13 'Fried squit?' he asked. 'I've eaten,' I lied, and pointed at his fez. 'I thought it was illegal to wear that.' 'My boss like me to wear it,'..."
" pg. 12 'For us, they are forbidden,' he replied in halting English. "for tourists, they are . . .' He searched for the word in vain. 'Bidden. But we don't like fezzes anyway. They are not modern.' "
" pg. 4 Halil is now a successful Pomegranate hotelier, but he has not forgotten his father. The tools of the old man's trade- the wooden ploughs and the threshing sleds, horse-drawn slabs of walnit from whose base diagonal lines of flints protrude to separate wheat from chaff- have been tidied up, varnished, and displayed around the hotel' " - I think this quote shows a relationship between economics and culture in the way that Halil moved on from his fathers business but would not forget where he came from and that shows his cultural values.

C. People want to visit places like Oktoberfest and Hainich National Park because they find these places unique and interesting. They have activities that unlike any others in the world. People want to have these experiences in Germany because of this.  

Tourism of Germany

1. Total expenditure by tourists                                                                € 278.3 bn
by domestic tourists                                                                                  € 241.7 bn (87%)
by international tourists                                                                            € 36.6 bn (13%)

Total national gross value added (direct, indirect, and induced effect)   € 214.1 bn.

Proportion of total national gross value added                                         9.7%

of which: total national gross value added(direct effeckt)                       € 97.0 bn

Proportion of total national gross value added                                         4.4%

Overall impact on employment(direct, indirect, and incluced)                4.9 million workers

Proportion of total number of workers in Germany                                 12.0%
of which: impact on employment(direct)                                                 2.9 million workers
Proportion of total number of workers in Germany                                 7.0%


International arrivals 2011
International arrivals in million (incoming)                                              28.4
Arrivals per 100 of the population                                                           35

More information can be found at http://www.germany.travel/media/pdf/dzt_marktforschung/DZT_Incoming_GTM12_en_web.pdf
on page 08

2. Some Major tourist attractions are:

A. Neuschwanstein



The ultimate fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein is situated on a rugged hill near Füssen in southwest Bavaria. It was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castles in the Disneyland parks. The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria who was declared insane when the castle was almost completed in 1886 and found dead a few days later. Neuschwanstein is the most photographed building in the country and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany.

B. Heidelberg Old City




Located in the Neckar river valley, Heidelberg is one Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. During WWII, the city was almost completely spared by allied bombings which destroyed most of Germany’s larger inner cities. As a result, Heidelberg has retained its baroque charm of narrow streets, picturesque houses and the famous Heidelberg Castle.

C. Oktoberfest



The Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest Volksfest in the world with over 6 million visitors annually. Despite the name, the Oktoberfest starts at the end of September until the first weekend in October. An important part of Bavarian culture, the festival has been held since 1810. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of traditional fare such as Hendl, Schweinebraten, Würstl, Knödel and large quantities of German beer.

http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-germany/

3. Some national parks include:

A. Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park




B. Rügen Cliffs

 

C. Hainich National Park




4. Important Museums

A. Gemäldegalerie



B. Pinakothek Art Galleries


C. Federal Art Space

1. The GDP for Germany for the 2012 year is $3.601 trillion. 

2.  GDP per Capita for Germany is $39,100 estimated in 2012.

3. Life expectancy of the total German population is 80.19 years.

4. The population below the poverty line is 15.5%.

5. The literacy rate is at 99%.

6. The unemployment rate is 5.4%

7. The inflation rate is 1.44%

You can find more facts about German economic at this website.

1. German climate is cool, cloudy, has very wet winters and summers. Germany's resources include coal, natural gas, copper nickel and timber. Some major rivers include the Rhine, Elbe and Danube.

2. The German labor force was at 44.01 million in 2012. The school life expectancy is 16 years.This includes  primary to tertiary. 

3. The industrial production growth rate is around 8%. Germany's infrastructure is excellent. Not only are the industries striving but the efficiency of transportation is one of the best in the world.