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germany:
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Here's some basic information for you when it comes to travel to Germany...
CAPITAL
Berlin
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
German
FLAG
The flag of Germany is three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold.
MONEY
Germany's currency is the euro. Coins are 1 and 2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. Euro notes
come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 denominations.
Most German goods and services include a VAT of 16%; 7% for books and anything else involving copyright. Non-EU residents leaving
the EU can have this tax refunded.
TIME
Germany is one hour ahead of GMT/UTC; thus when it's noon in Berlin, it's 11am in London, 6am in New York, 3am in San Francisco,
6am in Toronto, 9pm in Sydney and 11pm in Auckland. In the summer Germany observes daylight savings time, setting clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in
October and; clocks are wound back in the first Sunday of the following March.
BUSINESS HOURS
By law, shops in Germany may open from 6am to 8pm on weekdays and until 4pm on Saturday. Some open for the allowable maxiumum
of three hours on Sunday. In practice, banking hours are generally 8:30am to 1pm and 2:30pm to 4pm weekdays and until 5:30pm on
Thursdays. Most shops open at 8am or 9am and close around 6pm. Restaurants are usually open from 11am to midnight.
RELIGION
Most Germans belong to a church and there are almost equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants. With the recent influx of Russian Jews,
the miniorities are growing with over 1.7 million Jews and Muslims.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity is 220V AC, 50 Hz, as in Australia, Asia and most of Europe; appliances designed
for DC supply or different voltages need a transformer.
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Germany uses the metric system of measurements. Petrol is bought in litres and food is
weighed in kilos.
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