Billion versus German Billion

Billion versus German Billion   (07/03/2008, 6:59 AM)

A German billion is:

1,000,000,000,000

A U.S. billion is:

1,000,000,000

The German word for billion is:

Milliarde

Even though I have lived in Germany for the last 40 years...how does the German world communicate, mathimatically, with the rest of the world?
It this only a German thingy?
Too take this one step further..
the German billion would be in the U.S. a Zillion...

Help!?!
Where does this come from?

best regards

Sandy Sandifer
Munich, Germany