1. Germany, Norway

3. Quick Facts Population approx. 81 million After the USA, it is the second most popular migration destination in the world 4 th largest GDP in the world Free healthcare, free university tuition Germany is sometimes known as ‘the land of poets and thinkers' Bach, Beethoven, Goethe, Händel, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wagner, Strauss, The greatest German philosophers include Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche

4. Brief History Germany was once a cluster of small kingdoms which were unified as the German Reich in 1871 by Otto von Bismarck WW1 (1914-1919) Germany wanted to expand into Belgium and Poland They were defeated, and the peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles imposed punishing conditions on Germany (loss of territory, financial reparations, diminished military) Became the Weimar Republic – a parliamentary democracy Hitler elected as chancellor in 1933 and Germany became the Third Reich WW2 (1939-1945) Germany started by invading Poland In 1949 the nation was divided into two Soviet-supported East Germany (poor, people tried to flee to the West) Democratic West Germany (very successful) On October 3rd 1990, East and West Germanys were reunited

5. The Berlin Wall In 1961 they built the Wall to keep defectors in East Germany Behind the wall on the East side was a so-called “Death Strip”: some soft sand (to show footprints), floodlights, vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns and patrolling soldiers with orders to shoot escapees on sight Over 5,000 East Germans managed to cross the border by jumping out of windows adjacent to the wall, climbing over the barbed wire, flying in hot air balloons, crawling through the sewers and driving through unfortified parts of the wall at high speeds.

6. The Fall of the Berlin Wall In 1989 the government declared people could freely cross the border People used hammers and picks to knock away chunks of the wall The reunification of East and West Germany was made official on October 3, 1990

7. Weird Facts Famous German inventions : light bulb, calculator, automobile, pocket watch, motorcycle, jet engine, LCD screen, Walkman There is a Barbie doll modelled on Germany’s current Chancellor Angela Merkel If you ask a German the time and are told “halb drei” (“half three”) the time is in fact half past two (2:30). Germans count the minutes to the next hour rather than after. Germany has some really long words like: “kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung” (automobile liability insurance)

8. How German Sounds Compared to Other Languages

9. Berlin Capital city Brandenburg Gate Berlin Cathedral Reichstag Building Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Museum Island

10. Munich

11. Neuschwanstein Castle

12. German Alps

13. Cologne Cathedral

14. Romantic Road 350 kilometres of highway in southern Germany linking a number of picturesque towns and castles

15. Oktoberfest Munich's Oktoberfest is the world's biggest folk festival, known for its beer! Despite its name, Oktoberfest festival actually starts in the last week of September

17. Quick Facts Population approx. 5 million Often has the highest HDI in the world One of the happiest places on Earth Free university tuition High levels of gender equality Long parental leave for both parents Strong economy (they have oil)

18. Weird Facts Law called “Allemannsrett”. You’re allowed to go anywhere you want in the open countryside Norway knighted a penguin named Nils Olav Half of the schools and homes in Oslo are heated by burning garbage to generate electricity Norway’s government hired an in-house philosopher to ensure the country’s money is being used morally.

19. Oslo Capital City

20. Alesund

21. Pulpit Rock Preikestolen is a steep cliff which rises 1,982 ft above the Lysefjorden

22. Trolltunga “Troll's tongue” is a piece of rock jutting horizontally out of a mountain about 2,300 ft above lake Ringedalsvatnet

23. Kjeragbolten The rock itself is a 5- cubic-metre glacial deposit wedged in the mountain's crevasse It is a popular tourist destination and is accessible without any climbing equipment. However, it is suspended above a 3,228 ft deep abyss. It is also a popular site for BASE jumping.

24. Fjords

25. Longest Tunnel in the World Lærdal road tunnel is 24.5 kilometers long Three colorfully-lit caves separate the tunnel into four sections in order to make passing through it less stressful on the driver The drive through the tunnel takes about 20 minutes.

26. Northern Lights