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Background:
|
 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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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total:
357,021 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
land: 349,223 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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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:
33.88%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 65.47% (1998 est.) |
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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-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: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants |
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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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82,424,609 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
14.7% (male 6,197,490; female 5,879,052)
15-64 years: 67% (male 28,119,536; female 27,132,713)
65 years and over: 18.3% (male 6,096,106; female
8,999,712) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
41.7 years
male: 40.4 years
female: 43.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.02% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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8.45 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.44
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.18 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.2
deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 78.54 years
male: 75.56 years
female: 81.68 years (2004 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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41,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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660 (2001 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% (1977 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 short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland |
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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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16 states (Laender,
singular - Land); 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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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)
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 1999 (next to be held
23 May 2004); 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 NA September 2006)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since
27 October 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers)
appointed by the president on the recommendation of the
chancellor
election results: Johannes RAU elected president;
percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER
elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7% |
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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 NA 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, PDS 2; 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]; 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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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 |
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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
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (30) 238-5174
FAX: [49] (30) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main,
Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich |
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Economy - overview:
|
Germany's
affluent and technologically powerful economy- the fifth
largest national economy in the world - has become one of the
slowest growing economies in the entire euro zone, and a quick
turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future.
Growth in 2001 - 2003 fell short of 1%. 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 ageing
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. The government is also starting long-needed
structural reforms designed to revitalize the country's
economy. 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 - $2.271 trillion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-0.1% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $27,600 (2003 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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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.9% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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41.9 million
(2001) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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industry 33.4%,
agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999) |
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Unemployment rate:
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10.7% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$802 billion
expenditures: $825 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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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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0.1% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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544.8 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
61.8%
hydro: 4.2%
other: 4.1% (2001)
nuclear: 29.9% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
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506.8 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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43.9 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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44 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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85,860 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2.813 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
|
404,300 bbl/day
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
|
3.081 million
bbl/day (2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
327.3 million bbl
(1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
|
22.16 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
|
94.34 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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6.674 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
|
78.73 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
298.3 billion cu
m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
|
potatoes, wheat,
barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry |
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Exports:
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$696.9 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
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 10.7%, US
10.3%, UK 8.4%, Italy 7.3%, Netherlands 6.1%, Austria 5.1%,
Belgium 4.8%, Spain 4.6%, Switzerland 4.2% (2002) |
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Imports:
|
$585 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery,
vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals |
|
Imports - partners:
|
France 9.4%,
Netherlands 8.2%, US 7.7%, Italy 6.4%, UK 6.4%, Belgium 5.1%,
Austria 4.1%, China 4.1% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
|
ODA, $5.6 billion
(1998) |
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Currency:
|
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:
|
EUR |
|
Exchange rates:
|
euros per US
dollar - 0.89 (2003), 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000),
0.94 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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53.72 million
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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60.043 million
(2002) |
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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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Television broadcast stations:
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373 (plus 8,042
repeaters) (1995) |
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Internet country code:
|
.de |
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Internet hosts:
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2,594,323 (2002) |
|
Internet users:
|
34 million (2002) |
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Railways:
|
total:
45,514 km (21,000 km electrified)
standard gauge: 45,276 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 (2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
230,735 km
paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
|
Waterways:
|
7,500 km
note: major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel
Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and
North Sea (1999) |
|
Pipelines:
|
condensate 325
km; gas 25,289 km; oil 3,743 km; refined products 3,827 km
(2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Berlin, Bonn,
Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden,
Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim,
Rostock, Stuttgart |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total: 278
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631 DWT
by type: cargo 71, chemical tanker 14, container 169,
liquefied gas 3, multi-functional large load carrier 1,
passenger 3, petroleum tanker 5, rail car carrier 2, roll
on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 7
registered in other countries: 2,295 (2003 est.)
foreign-owned: Finland 4, Iceland 1, Netherlands 3 |
|
Airports:
|
550 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 331
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 71
under 914 m: 134 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 62 |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 219
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 185 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 31 |
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Heliports:
|
34 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Army (Bundeswehr),
Navy (Deutsche Marine; including Naval Air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe),
Joint Support Service, Central Medical Service |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18 years of age (conscipts
serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004
est.) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males age
15-49: 20,468,942 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males age
15-49: 17,338,435 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
|
males:
484,837 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$35.063 billion
(2003) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.5% (2003) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
none |
|
Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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