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Description
German dialects are the various traditional local varieties of the German language. The varieties of German are conventionally grouped into Upper German, Central German and Low German; Upper and Central German form the High German subgroup. Standard German is a standardized form of High German, developed in the early modern period based on a combination of Central German and Upper German varieties. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as a recognized national language in Namibia. Outside Germany, it is also spoken by German communities in France (Bas-Rhin), Czech Republic (North Bohemia), Poland (Upper Silesia), Slovakia (Bratislava Region), and Hungary (Sopron).

The map shows the spread of German dialects before 1945 (dark and light shades) and after 1945 (dark shades only). About 100 million people speak German on a daily basis , making it one of the major languages of the world. It is the most spoken native language within the European Union. German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in continental Europe, where it is the third most taught foreign language (after English and French), and the United States. The language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science, and technology. It is the second most commonly used scientific language and among the most widely used languages on websites. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in German.

In this map I decided to include the Dutch language as well, since in the majority of maps regarding the German dialects "Niederlaendisch" was always depicted. According to some, it's even possible to consider it a German dialect, due to the high similarity between Standard German and Dutch. What do you think? Is the Dutch language a German dialect? I would like to know your opinion about it, especially if you are a linguist or are quite informed on the topic.

Description
German dialects are the various traditional local varieties of the German language. The varieties of German are conventionally grouped into Upper German, Central German and Low German; Upper and Central German form the High German subgroup. Standard German is a standardized form of High German, developed in the early modern period based on a combination of Central German and Upper German varieties. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as a recognized national language in Namibia. Outside Germany, it is also spoken by German communities in France (Bas-Rhin), Czech Republic (North Bohemia), Poland (Upper Silesia), Slovakia (Bratislava Region), and Hungary (Sopron).

The map shows the spread of German dialects before 1945 (dark and light shades) and after 1945 (dark shades only). About 100 million people speak German on a daily basis , making it one of the major languages of the world. It is the most spoken native language within the European Union. German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in continental Europe, where it is the third most taught foreign language (after English and French), and the United States. The language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science, and technology. It is the second most commonly used scientific language and among the most widely used languages on websites. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in German.

In this map I decided to include the Dutch language as well, since in the majority of maps regarding the German dialects "Niederlaendisch" was always depicted. According to some, it's even possible to consider it a German dialect, due to the high similarity between Standard German and Dutch. What do you think? Is the Dutch language a German dialect? I would like to know your opinion about it, especially if you are a linguist or are quite informed on the topic.