GERMANY

Compared to much of the rest of Europe, Germany is an impressively large nation. Geographically, the country is located very centrally as streams of trucks driving north to south, east to west on motorways or freeways, Autobahnen, reveal. It may come as a surprise to many expats, that it is not among the big three largest. These are France, Sweden and Spain according to size but the country is larger than Italy, Poland and Finland.

The population is over eighty million. Demographic difficulties can already be felt for the future with the share of aged and frail people rapidly approaching critical numbers. Young nationals need to be prepared to foot the bill. Thankfully though, many of the influx of new residents during recent years were young and healthy. However, moves to attract larger numbers of younger expat professionals from abroad are still sluggish.

The economy is traditionally strong with exports leading the world along with China. The label “Made in Germany” is still proving to be as popular as ever. Industry outdoes services to the chagrin of the rest of the members of the European Union. Imbalances in economies continue to weaken popularity of the “German way” amongst its neighbours.

Germany is presents stunningly picturesque landscapes. Majestic rivers weave in all directions through rolling hills, wide valleys and, at times, past rich, deep forests. Stretching from the mountains in the south to the varied coastline in the north, history and a devolved system has benefited a terrain full of beautiful cities.

By Vincent Green, Jul 31 2021