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Transportation  

Germans are enthusiastic drivers, tourists, and travelers.  Due to Germany's location in central Europe, the country has developed far-reaching commercial relationships, which sculpted Germany's reliance on the transportation industry.  

After the United States, Germany has the largest and most complete highway system in the world, known to the Germans as the Autobahnnetz.  For industrial transportation, however, Germany places a great influence on its waterway and rail networks.  Germany is home to 40,000 kilometers of railroads, over which a great deal of cargo transport occurs.  Additionally, the railroad remains of great importance for travelers and tourists as well.  The high speed Inter-City Express trains (pictured above) can travel up to 250 kilometers per hour and aim to replace Germany's reliance on air travel for distances under 500 kilometers, but for day-to-day transportation needs the S-bahn provides a great deal of public transport in Germany's larger metropolitan areas.  Germany's rail network is controlled by Deutsche Bahn, which will soon be privatized through a series of initial public offerings.  

The waterway network is also important for industrial traffic.  Most of Germany's largest industrial regions are located on navigable rivers and rely on a significant amount of barge transport.  The Rhine-Main-Danube Canal was completed in 1992 completes the link between the North Sea and the Black Sea.

Communications  

Germany has one of the oldest organized mail services in the world.  In 1990, Germany boasted 500 years of organized postal service.  In that same year, the German government broke up the Bundespost into three parts, forming three massive companies, two of which all but monopolize their respective sectors.  The Postdienst became Deutsche Post; telecommunications is now run largely by Deutsche Telekom; and the Postbank holds savings accounts for nearly 30 million Germans.  

Tourism 

Germany is a place of destination for millions of foreign tourists each year.  Its series of internationally known festivals attract tourists from all parts of the globe.  Among the largest are Berlin's Loveparade and Munich's Oktoberfest, which attract about 1 million and 3 million foreign visitors respectively.  The most popular destinations for visitors are the Rhine and Mosel valleys, the Alps, and major cultural centers such as Berlin and Munich.  The tourism industry in Germany accounts for about 1.5 million jobs. 

The Germans are among the world's most active travelers.  They are so active, in fact, that tourism actually accounts for a major drain on Germany's foreign exchange, sending millions more Euros out of the country than it brings in.