foreign countries
Abroad stands in contrast to inland and, from the point of view of the person speaking, denotes a different country (and “from another country”) than the own country in which one is at home, the country of origin , home country .
In the constitutional sense, the term foreign from the point of view of the speaking person denotes those states , dependent areas and international areas on the earth's surface (either individually or in their entirety) whose citizenship the person does not have or in which he is not located. “Domestic”, on the other hand, refers to the country in which the person is located or to which he relates.
Although the terms domestic and foreign are always defined relatively in relation to one's own point of view (e.g. person, group, country), they play an important role in the political, cultural and social framework. From a sociological point of view, domestic corresponds to “we”; H. the own group identity (see in-group ), while “abroad” are the “others” (see out-group ).
Abroad from a political / historical perspective
The following political and historical topics are associated with the term abroad and have different influences on international developments , depending on their meaning and perspective :
- International policy , foreign policy , development policy
- Globalization process , world economic development
- Aliens policy , migration policy , colonization
- Intercultural work, culturally sensitive dialogue
Abroad from an economic point of view
In the context of national accounts , the distinction between home and abroad is of great importance in order to be able to calculate macroeconomic indicators such as output and income on the one hand and to determine the state's rights of access to taxes and duties on the other.
National accounts
In national accounts, when calculating gross domestic product and gross national product , a distinction is made according to whether, from an economic point of view, a service was provided by foreigners in Germany or by residents abroad.
Customs law
From a customs point of view, foreign countries refer to areas that do not belong to the customs area of their own country (or, in the case of Germany and Austria, the EU ). The customs area for EU countries and Switzerland differs from the national territory ( Büsingen am Hochrhein , Samnaun , Ceuta , Melilla , Vatican ).
value added tax
Within the meaning of the German sales tax law , inland is the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany with the exception of the area of Büsingen am Hochrhein , the island of Helgoland , the free zones of control type I according to Section 1 (2) sentence 1 of the Customs Administration Act ( free ports on the coast: Emden, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Cuxhaven, Hamburg, Kiel; since January 1, 2004 no longer the inland free ports Duisburg and Deggendorf), the waters and mud flats between the sovereign border and the respective beach line as well as the German ships and German aircraft in areas that do not belong to any customs area. Foreign within the meaning of this law is the area that is not domestic afterwards.
Income tax
Inland within the meaning of the Income Tax Act also includes the portion of the continental shelf to which the Federal Republic of Germany is entitled , insofar as natural treasures of the seabed and the seabed are explored or exploited there or this is used to generate energy using renewable energies . Foreign in this sense is the area that is therefore not domestic.
