Facts about German

Did you know?

German is spoken as a first language by over 100 million people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries.
German is the third most studied foreign language in the world. Only English and Japanese have more students worldwide.
German is used increasingly as a second language, especially since the reunification of East and West Germany, because of its major significance as a language of business, science, and technology.
The German heritage permeates Western society, particularly in the areas of classical music, science, philosophy, and theology.
Scientists from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have won 21 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many other Nobel Prize winners were educated at German universities.
Students in many fields of learning find a knowledge of German not only useful but essential.
Tourism will soon be the largest industry in the world, and Germans are the most widely travelled tourists.
German is the most widely spoken foreign language in St. John's, Newfoundland, with 715 people declaring it as their mother tounge in the 1996 census.