Germany is one of the world's most advanced market economies.
It is the world's third largest economy in USD exchange-rate terms, the fifth
largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) and the largest economy in Europe.
The story for Munich is just as flattering. Compared to other German cities, Munich has the strongest
economy and also boasts of the lowest unemployment rate
(5.6 %). It is the economic centre of southern Germany and is
considered a global city.
Hardly surprising that it is home to the headquarters of Siemens AG
(electronics), BMW (car), MAN AG (truck manufacturer, engineering), Linde
(gases), Allianz (insurance) and Munich Re (re-insurance). Among German cities
with more than 500,000 inhabitants purchasing power is highest in Munich (26.648 Euros per inhabitant) as of 2007.
Munich is also a centre for biotechnology, software and other service
industries. Aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines, the space and
defence contractor EADS, the injection molding machine manufacturer
Krauss-Maffei, the camera and lighting manufacturer Arri, the semiconductor
firm Infineon Technologies, the DRAM company Qimonda, as well as many foreign
companies like Precision Plus, McDonald’s and Microsoft have their German or
European headquarters in Munich.
In the finance sector, Munich is home to Hypo Vereinsbank, Bayerische
Landesbank and insurance companies like Allianz and Munich Re.
Munich has earned
itself the reputation of being Europe’s publishing capital. It is home
to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's largest daily newspapers. It also
plays host to Germany's largest public broadcasting network, ARD, and its
largest commercial network, Pro7-Sat1 Media AG and the Burda publishing group.
One of Europe's biggest and most famous movie production studios, the Bavaria
Film Studios is also located in the suburb of Grunwald.
Lufthansa has opened a second hub at Munich's Franz Josef Strauss
International Airport, the second-largest airport in Germany, after
Frankfurt International Airport.
Sources
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Germany
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich#Economy