2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.9% (male 6,312,614; female 5,988,681) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 28,213,316; female 27,240,648) 65 years and over: 17.8% (male 5,842,457; female 8,800,610) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry

Airports

551 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 54 914 to 1,523 m: 69

total

328

under 914 m

131 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 63

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

223 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

under 914 m

189 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 31

Area

land

349,223 sq km

total

357,021 sq km

water

7,798 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Montana

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 the country 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 2002, Germany and 11 other EU countries introduced a common European currency, the euro. Geography Germany

Birth rate

8.6 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$825 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

revenues

$802 billion

Capital

Berlin

Climate

temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind

Coastline

2,389 km

Constitution

23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990

Country name

conventional long form

Federal Republic of Germany

conventional short form

Germany

former

German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

local long form

Bundesrepublik Deutschland

local short form

Deutschland

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

Currency code

EUR

Death rate

10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Disputes - international

none

Distribution of family income - Gini index

30 (1994)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)

Economy - overview

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy has turned in a weak performance throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term problem, 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. Growth in 2002 and 2003 fell short of 1%. 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.

Electricity - consumption

506.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

43.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

44 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

544.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

61.8%

hydro

4.2%

nuclear

29.9%

other

4.1% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Zugspitze 2,963 m

lowest point

Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m

Environment - current issues

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Ethnic groups

German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999), 1.76 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor

chief of state

President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)

election results

Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7%

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)

Exports

$608 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners

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)

FAX

[1] (202) 298-4249

[49] (30) 238-6290

chancery

4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

consulate(s) general

Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich

telephone

[1] (202) 298-8140

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Germany

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold Economy Germany

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.16 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

1%

industry

31%

services

68% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $26,200 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.2% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

51 00 N, 9 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea People Germany

Government type

federal republic

Heliports

40 (2002) Military Germany

Highways

paved

230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)

total

230,735 km

unpaved

0 km (1999)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

660 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

41,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.1% (1997)

lowest 10%

3.6%

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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$487.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

Imports - partners

France 9.5%, Netherlands 8.2%, US 7.7%, UK 6.5%, Italy 6.4%, Belgium 5.2%, Austria 4%, China 4% (2002)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

-2.1% (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

3.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

4.68 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.23 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.3% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, 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, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Internet country code

.de

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

200 (2001)

Internet users

32.1 million (2002) Transportation Germany

Irrigated land

4,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)

Labor force

41.9 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999)

Land boundaries

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

total

3,621 km

Land use

arable land

33.88%

other

65.47% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0.65%

Languages

German

Legal system

civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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)

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

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.55 years (2003 est.)

male

75.46 years

total population

78.42 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

NA% Government Germany

male

NA%

total population

99% (1977 est.)

Location

Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 NM

territorial sea

12 NM

Median age

female

42.8 years (2002)

male

39.9 years

total

41.3 years

Merchant marine

convenience

Chile 1, Finland 5, Iceland 1, Netherlands 3, Switzerland 1 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

cargo 94, chemical tanker 15, container 203, liquefied gas 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 5, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 7

total

337 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,036,397 GRT/7,334,067 DWT

Military branches

Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, Medical Corps, Joint Support Service

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$38.8 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.38% (2002) Transnational Issues Germany

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

20,509,838 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

17,399,936 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

472,946 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Nationality

adjective

German

noun

German(s)

Natural gas - consumption

94.34 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

6.674 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

78.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

22.16 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

298.3 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land

Net migration rate

2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.813 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

404,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

3.081 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

85,860 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

327.3 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

condensate 325 km; gas 25,289 km; oil 3,743 km; refined products 3,827 km (2003)

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 [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups

Population

82,398,326 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.04% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart

Radio broadcast stations

AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

77.8 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)

standard gauge

45,276 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)

total

45,514 km (21,000 km electrified)

Religions

Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

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

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

international

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

50.9 million (March 2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular

55.3 million (June 2001)

Television broadcast stations

373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

51.4 million (1998)

Terrain

lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

9.8% (2002 est.)

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)