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.
Geography
Location:
Central Europe,
bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the
Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic
coordinates:
51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total:
357,021 sq km land: 349,223 sq km water: 7,798 sq km
Area -
comparative:
slightly smaller
than Montana
Land boundaries:
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
Coastline:
2,389 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
Climate:
temperate and
marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm
mountain (foehn) wind
Terrain:
lowlands in north,
uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation
extremes:
lowest point:
Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural
resources:
coal, lignite,
natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt,
construction materials, timber, arable land
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
Environment -
international agreements:
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
Geography -
note:
strategic location
on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
total: 42.16
years male: 40.88 years female: 43.53 years (2005 est.)
Population
growth rate:
0% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
8.33 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
10.55 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Net migration
rate:
2.18 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
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.)
Infant mortality
rate:
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.)
Life expectancy
at birth:
total
population: 78.65 years male: 75.66 years female: 81.81 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility
rate:
1.39 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS:
43,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS -
deaths:
less than 1,000
(2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
German(s) adjective: German
Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%,
Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian,
Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Religions:
Protestant 34%,
Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Languages:
German
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Government
Country name:
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
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
National
holiday:
Unity Day, 3
October (1990)
Constitution:
23 May 1949, known
as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3
October 1990
Legal system:
civil law system
with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age;
universal
Executive
branch:
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%
Legislative
branch:
bicameral
Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or
Bundestag (603 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 22 September 2002
(next to be held September 2006); 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 - SPD 38.5%, CDU/CSU 38.5%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.6%, FDP
7.4%, PDS 4%; seats by party - SPD 251, CDU/CSU 248, Alliance
'90/Greens 55, FDP 47, unaffiliated 2; seating as of 1 July
2004: SPD 249, CDU/CSU 247, Alliance '90/Greens 55, FDP 47,
unaffiliated 3, unfilled seats 2; Federal Council - current
composition - NA
Judicial branch:
Federal
Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the
judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political
parties and leaders:
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]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Lothar
BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING]
Political
pressure groups and leaders:
business
associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade
unions, and veterans groups
three equal
horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
Economy
Economy -
overview:
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.
GDP:
purchasing power
parity - $2.362 trillion (2004 est.)
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
France 9.2%,
Netherlands 8.7%, US 6.5%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.8%, Belgium 5.8%,
China 5.3%, Austria 4.3% (2004)
Reserves of
foreign exchange and gold:
$96.84 billion
(2003)
Debt - external:
NA
Economic aid -
donor:
ODA, $5.6 billion
(1998)
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
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar
- 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Telephones -
main lines in use:
54.35 million
(2003)
Telephones -
mobile cellular:
64.8 million (2003)
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)
Radio broadcast
stations:
AM 51, FM 787,
shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
77.8 million (1997)
Television
broadcast stations:
373 (plus 8,042
repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
51.4 million (1998)
Internet country
code:
.de
Internet hosts:
2,686,119 (2004)
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs):
200 (2001)
Internet users:
39 million (2003)
Transportation
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)
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)
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
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
manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age
(conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military
service) (2004)
Military
manpower - availability:
males age 18-49:
18,917,537 (2005 est.)
Military
manpower - fit for military service:
males age 18-49:
15,258,931 (2005 est.)
Military
manpower - reaching military age annually:
males:
497,048 (2005 est.)
Military
expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.063 billion
(2003)
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)
Transnational Issues
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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