German Federal Republic
Germany is a democratic, federal parliamentary republic. The constitutional bodies are the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, the Federal President, the Federal Government, and the Federal Constitutional Court. The Federal Government and the 16 states exercise independent authority over security, education (schools and universities), culture and administration. The 16 states also enforce federal law in addition to their own state law and they directly involve in the federal legislation process through the Bundesrat. 

Population
As of 2018, 82 million people are living in Germany. The average lifespan of men is 78 and of women 83. 22% (around 18.60 million) people have immigration background and more than half of them have citizenship. Germany is a popular destination for many immigrants and social integration is received as an important agenda. 

Parliament & Parties
Aged over 18 has right to vote. The federal election, the Bundestag (the German federal parliament), takes place every 4 years. It is difficult for a single party to form a government due to the nature of the electoral system so coalition is commonly practiced. In order to prevent flood of minor political parties, the 5% rule limits them to get into the Bundestag. The 19th Bundestage consists of CDU (Christian Democratic Union of Germany), CSU (Christian Democratic and Conservative Party), SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany), AfD (Alternative for Germany), FDP (Free Democratic Party), Die Linke (the Left Party) and Die Grunen (Alliance 90/The Greens). The total seats are 709. The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel is CDU, Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz is SPD and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is SPD. 

Geography & Climate
Germany is located in the heart of Europe and borders with 9 neighboring countries, the most in number. The country sees the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. It is fourth largest country in Europe after France, Spain and Sweden. Forests cover 1/3 of the land and lakes and rivers more than 2%. The longest river is the Rhine and highest peak is the 2,962 meter Zugspitze in the Bavaria state. The weather is warm and mild and average temperature in July is between 21.8°C and 12.3°C and January between 2.1°C and -2.8°C. 

Travel
Koreans can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Around 100 international airlines depart and arrive 24 international airports in Germany and Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf are most frequented. All airports have excellent connections to cities and 250 express trains shoot to reach about 80 cities in Europe every day. The 13,000km long Autobahn (highway) has more than 700 resting areas, gas stations and motels. The speed limit is 130km/h on Autobahn, 50km/h in residential areas and 100lm/h in other areas unless otherwise specified. Autobahn is toll-free. More than 500 youth hostels are ready to accommodate travelers from the world and you can withdraw money with your debit or credit card from the cash machine 24/7.