Germany has a population of about 82 million people, and borders France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Denmark, Poland and Switzerland. The capital is Berlin (with a population of about 2 million), and other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Bonn and Cologne. The president of Germany is Christian Wulf (of the Christian Democratic Union party – the CDU) and the chancellor is Angela Merkel (CDU).
Germany is famous for many things, including its music, literature, technology, engineering, beer, sausages and delicious bread. Famous people from Germany include Claudia Schifer (model), Friedrich Nietzsche (philosopher), Albert Einstein (scientist), JS Bach (composer), Marlene Dietrich (actress), Michael Schumacher (Formula One driver), Ludwig van Beethoven (composer), Arthur Schopenhauer (philosopher), Stei Graf (tennis player), Bertolt Brecht (playwright), Boris Becker (tennis player), Johnny Weissmuller (actor who played Tarzan), Erich Maria Remarque (writer), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (poet), Franka Potente (actress) and Rudolf Diesel (the inventor of the diesel engine)... among many others.