Germany exerts its influence on the countries that border it Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland and Poland. All of these countries’ cultures have had, in varying degrees, a hand in shaping today’s Germany.
The population is 91.5 percent German, with Turkish being the second largest ethnic group at 2.4 percent, according to the World Factbook.
More than 95 percent of the population speaks German as their first language, according to Angelo State University's’ Center for International Studies.
