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Background:
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As
Europe's largest economy and most populous nation,
Germany remains a key member of the continent's
economic, political, and defense organizations. European
power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating
World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and
left the country occupied by the victorious Allied
powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in
1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states
were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of
Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic
(GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western
economic and security organizations, the EC, which
became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on
the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The
decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed
for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has
expended considerable funds to bring Eastern
productivity and wages up to Western standards. In
January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries
introduced a common European exchange currency, the
euro. |
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Location:
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Central
Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,
between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
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Geographic coordinates:
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51 00 N,
9 00 E |
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total:
357,021 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Montana |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
3,621 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km,
Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km,
Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km,
Switzerland 334 km |
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Coastline:
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2,389 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation |
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Climate:
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temperate
and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind |
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Terrain:
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lowlands
in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal,
lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium,
potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable
land |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 33.85%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 65.56% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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4,850 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding
|
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Environment - current issues:
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emissions
from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to
air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide
emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic
Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers
in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government
established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear
power over the next 15 years; government working to meet
EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in
line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location on North European Plain and along the entrance
to the Baltic Sea |
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Population:
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82,431,390 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 14.4% (male 6,078,885/female 5,766,065)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 28,006,268/female
27,003,958)
65 years and over: 18.9% (male 6,359,776/female
9,216,438) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
42.16 years
male: 40.88 years
female: 43.53 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0% (2005
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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8.33
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.55
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.18
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 78.65 years
male: 75.66 years
female: 81.81 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.39
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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43,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
1,000 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
German(s)
adjective: German |
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Ethnic groups:
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German
91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of
Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian,
Spanish) |
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Religions:
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Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%,
unaffiliated or other 28.3% |
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Languages:
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German
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1997 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German
Reich |
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Government type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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Berlin
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Administrative divisions:
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13 states
(Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states*
(Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen,
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland,
Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein,
Thueringen* |
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Independence:
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18
January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into
four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later,
France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic
of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949
and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German
Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7
October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;
unification of West Germany and East Germany took place
3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished
rights 15 March 1991 |
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National holiday:
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Unity
Day, 3 October (1990) |
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Constitution:
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23 May
1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the
united German people 3 October 1990 |
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Legal system:
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civil law
system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July
2004)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER
(since 27 October 1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER
(since 17 October 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal
Ministers) appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term
by a Federal Convention including all members of the
Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates
elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23
May 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor
elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly
for a four-year term; election last held 22 September
2002 (next to be held September 2006)
election results: Horst KOEHLER elected
president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention
against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected
chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly
or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a
system combining direct and proportional representation;
a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct
mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year
terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes;
state governments are directly represented by votes;
each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are
required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18
September 2005 (next to be held September 2009); note -
there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is
determined by the composition of the state-level
governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds
an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of
vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left
8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD
222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51; Federal Council -
current composition - NA |
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Judicial branch:
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Federal
Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half
the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the
Bundesrat) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance
'90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER];
Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL];
Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER,
chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido
WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party or PDS/WASG [Oskar
LAFONTAINE and Gregor GYSI]; Party of Democratic
Socialism or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party
or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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business
associations, employers' organizations; expellee,
refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB,
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB,
CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G-
7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,
PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO,
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC
20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117
Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October
2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0
FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am
Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich |
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Flag description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
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Economy - overview:
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Germany's
affluent and technologically powerful economy - the
fifth largest in the world - has become one of the
slowest growing economies in the euro zone. A quick
turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable
future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%, rising to
1.7% in 2004. The modernization and integration of the
eastern German economy continues to be a costly
long-term process, with annual transfers from west to
east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's aging
population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed
social security outlays to a level exceeding
contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the
labor market - including strict regulations on laying
off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis
- have made unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate
restructuring and growing capital markets are setting
the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the
long-term challenges of European economic integration
and globalization, particularly if labor market
rigidities are further addressed. In the short run,
however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in
expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3%
debt limit. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$2.362
trillion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.7%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 31%
services: 68% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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42.63
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 2.8%, industry 33.4%, services 63.8% (1999)
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Unemployment rate:
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10.6%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1997) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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30 (1994)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.6%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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17.6% of
GDP (2004) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.2 trillion
expenditures: $1.3 trillion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
|
65.8% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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potatoes,
wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle,
pigs, poultry |
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Industries:
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among the
world's largest and most technologically advanced
producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals,
machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food
and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2.2%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
|
560
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 61.8%
hydro: 4.2%
nuclear: 29.9%
other: 4.1% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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519.5
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
|
53.8
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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45.8
billion kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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74,100
bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
|
2.891
million bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - exports:
|
12,990
bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - imports:
|
2.135
million bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
|
395.8
million bbl (1 January 2004) |
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Natural gas - production:
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21
billion cu m (2003) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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99.55
billion cu m (2003) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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7.731
billion cu m (2003) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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85.02
billion cu m (2003) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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293
billion cu m (1 January 2004) |
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Current account balance:
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$73.59
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$893.3
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures,
foodstuffs, textiles |
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Exports - partners:
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France
10.3%, US 8.8%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 6.2%,
Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$716.7
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles,
metals |
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Imports - partners:
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France
9%, Netherlands 8.3%, US 7%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.9%, China
5.6%, Belgium 4.9%, Austria 4.2% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$96.84
billion (2003) |
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Debt - external:
|
NA |
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Economic aid - donor:
|
ODA, $5.6
billion (1998) |
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Currency (code):
|
euro
(EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary
Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be
used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1
January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for
everyday transactions within the member countries |
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Currency code:
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EUR |
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Exchange rates:
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euros per
US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
54.35
million (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
64.8
million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
|
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's
most technologically advanced telecommunications
systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures
since reunification, the formerly backward system of the
eastern part of the country, dating back to World War
II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive
system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by
modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable,
microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system;
cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many
foreign countries
international: country code - 49; Germany's
international service is excellent worldwide, consisting
of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well
as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat,
and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 51, FM
787, shortwave 4 (1998) |
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Radios:
|
77.8
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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373 (plus
8,042 repeaters) (1995) |
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Televisions:
|
51.4
million (1998) |
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Internet country code:
|
.de |
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Internet hosts:
|
2,686,119
(2004) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
200
(2001) |
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Internet users:
|
39
million (2003) |
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Railways:
|
total:
46,142 km (20,100 km electrified)
standard gauge: 45,928 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084
km electrified)
narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km
electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2004) |
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Highways:
|
total:
230,735 km
paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
|
Waterways:
|
7,300 km
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube
Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004) |
|
Pipelines:
|
condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined
products 3,827 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Bremen,
Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg,
Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
332 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631
DWT
by type: cargo 69, chemical tanker 13, container
208, liquefied gas 3, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 25,
petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 5 (Finland 2, Netherlands 1,
Switzerland 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 2,289 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
550 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
331
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 62
914 to 1,523 m: 71
under 914 m: 134 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
219
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 185 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
34 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Federal
Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche
Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe),
Joint Support Service, Central Medical Service |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory
military service) (2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 18,917,537 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 15,258,931 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
497,048 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$35.063
billion (2003) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.5%
(2003) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
none |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
source of
precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for and consumer of
Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and
European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial
center |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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