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Situated in the heart of Europe, Germany is surrounded by 9 neighboring countries. Germany which was reunified in 1990 is a federal republic and constituted of 16 states. In spite of the fact that it is quite a small country, the regional distinctions are huge. Indeed, every region has its own customs and traditions, its own cuisine as well as its own dialects which can differ so much that even Germans among themselves would not be able to understand each other if they just spoke their dialects. The north of Germany borders upon the Baltic Sea on the one hand and the North Sea on the other hand. Two of the most famous German islands are Sylt and Rügen. Whereas Sylt is situated in the North Sea and above all famous for its rough nature, its fancy restaurants as well as its high density of German celebrities, Rügen which is the largest German island, is situated in the Baltic Sea and famous for its chalk cliffs as well as its sea resorts. Germany´s northern part with its coast and its picturesque Hanseatic towns such as Lübeck, Wismar and Stralsund definitely belongs to the most popular tourist destinations within the country. However, there are so many other German regions which are popular tourist destinations, too. In the heart of Germany it is particularly the Rhine that attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. Especially, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley has become famous because of its vineyards and old castles along the river. In 2002 this part of the Rhine was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the south it is above all Bavaria with its beautiful scenery and the Alps that attracts tourists who are looking for some rest on the one hand or outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing or skiing on the other hand. For those who are not looking for any rest at all but for a great cultural choice as well as for an exciting night life, Berlin is the right place to go. Berlin which has been the capital of the reunited Germany since 1990 is the biggest city of the country and because of the fact that it used to be divided for 40 years its history is just unique. Apart from that, Berlin provides three opera houses, a large number of museums and theaters, several choirs and orchestras, excellent shopping facilities, a lively club scene and several festivals throughout the year. Berlin´s most famous university bears the name of Wilhelm von Humboldt and has brought out 27 Nobel Prize winners. Since 1993 the number of foreign tourists that come to Berlin each year has raised by 250 percent. After Berlin the biggest German cities are Hamburg, Munich and Cologne. Hamburg is famous for its harbor which is the second largest in Europe as well as for its high density of media concerns. Thinking of Munich the Oktoberfest will surely come up to people´s minds. In fact, the Oktoberfest is the largest public festival of the world which usually attracts more than 6 million visitors each year. Cologne is a Roman city with a history of 2000 years. Nowadays, the city of Cologne above all is famous for its gothic cathedral which is the biggest one in Northern Europe and also for its carnival. Apart from the four big cities and the Hanseatic towns on the coast, there are still a lot of other places in Germany which are definitely worth seeing. Some of them are e.g. Trier, Bamberg, Regensburg, Quedlinburg, Weimar, Dresden and Potsdam. All these towns as well as Lübeck, Stralsund and Wismar have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. For those who do not come to Germany for vacation but in order to attend one of the country´s trade fairs, there are above all four important places to go. The first one is Frankfurt am Main where two of the world´s largest trade fairs take place. On the one hand there is the “IAA” which is an international automobile fair and on the other hand there is the “Frankfurter Buchmesse” which is a book fair. In Hannover the “CeBit” takes place. It is the world´s largest fair for telecommunications and information technologies. In Berlin among others two important trade fairs take place. There is the “ITB” the largest international tourism fair as well as the “ILA” which is one of the world´s most important aviation fairs. Another trade fair which above all attracts a lot of young people is the “Games Convention” in Leipzig. It is Europe´s largest game fair. Since Germany has been the world´s leading exporter for several years now, it is quite understandable that some of the largest trade fairs take place there. According to the cliché the country´s most important export goods are still cars but also machines as well as chemical products. Whereas Germany exports more goods than the USA or Japan, the economies of these two countries are stronger than the German one. So, Germany´s national economy is the third largest of the world.