German-Speaking Countries and Culture

The German-Speaking World#

Did you know that German is spoken as an official language in four countries? It is also spoken as a native language by people in several other countries. Let's explore the German-speaking world!

The Main German-Speaking Countries#

Deutschland (Germany)

• Capital: Berlin
• Largest city: Berlin
• Population: about 84 million people
• Germany is in central Europe, bordered by nine countries
• The Rhine (Rhein) and Danube (Donau) are its major rivers
• Famous for: the car industry, football, classical music, and Christmas markets

Österreich (Austria)

• Capital: Vienna (Wien)
• Population: about 9 million people
• Austria is a landlocked country in the Alps of central Europe
• Famous for: beautiful mountains, skiing, classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert), and Viennese coffee culture
• Fun fact: Austria is home to the Alps — some peaks are over 3,000 metres high!

Die Schweiz (Switzerland)

• German is one of FOUR official languages (also French, Italian, and Romansh)
• Capital: Bern
• Population: about 9 million people
• Switzerland is famous for: the Alps, chocolate, cheese, watches, and being politically neutral
• Swiss German (Schweizerdeutsch) sounds quite different from standard German!

Liechtenstein

• A tiny country between Austria and Switzerland
• One of the smallest countries in the world
• German-speaking

Where Else Is German Spoken?#

• South Tyrol (Italy) — a region in northern Italy where many people speak German
• Luxembourg — German is one of three official languages
• German communities exist in the USA, Brazil, Canada, and many other countries

The German Language#

German is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers worldwide, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the most widely spoken language in the European Union and is an important language in science, music, philosophy, and business.

Learning German opens many doors — from traveling in central Europe to studying at world-famous universities to understanding classical music, literature, and philosophy in its original language. Many great thinkers and artists worked in German, including Göthe, Schiller, Kafka, Freud, and Einstein.