2015 Edition

Background

As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is 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.

Area

land

348,672 sq km

total

357,022 sq km

water

8,350 sq km

Area - comparative

three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana

Climate

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

Coastline

2,389 km

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 by 2022; 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

391.4 cu m/yr (2007)

total

32.3 cu km/yr (16%/84%/0%)

Geographic coordinates

51 00 N, 9 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

5,157 sq km (2006)

Land boundaries

border countries (9)

Austria 801 km, Belgium 133 km, Czech Republic 704 km, Denmark 140 km, France 418 km, Luxembourg 128 km, Netherlands 575 km, Poland 467 km, Switzerland 348 km

total

3,714 km

Land use

arable land 34.1%; permanent crops 0.6%; permanent pasture 13.3%

agricultural land

48%

forest

31.8%

other

20.2% (2011 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

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

154 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

12.88% (male 5,346,086/female 5,068,071)

15-24 years

10.38% (male 4,279,962/female 4,113,746)

25-54 years

41.38% (male 16,934,180/female 16,519,932)

55-64 years

13.91% (male 5,571,694/female 5,675,104)

65 years and over

21.45% (male 7,591,298/female 9,754,335) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

8.47 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.1% (2006)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

66.2%

note

percent of women aged 18-49 (2005)

Death rate

11.42 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

32.2%

potential support ratio

3.1% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

51.8%

youth dependency ratio

19.6%

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

5% of GDP (2011)

Ethnic groups

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

Health expenditures

11.3% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.15% (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

400 (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

77,500 (2013 est.)

Hospital bed density

8.2 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

3.72 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.43 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

German (official)

note

Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romany are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romany are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Life expectancy at birth

female

83 years (2015 est.)

male

78.26 years

total population

80.57 years

Major urban areas - population

BERLIN (capital) 3.563 million; Hamburg 1.831 million; Munich 1.438 million; Cologne 1.037 million (2015)

Median age

female

47.5 years (2015 est.)

male

45.4 years

total

46.5 years

Nationality

adjective

German

noun

German(s)

Net migration rate

1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.7% (2014)

Physicians density

3.89 physicians/1,000 population (2012)

Population

80,854,408 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.17% (2015 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

urban: 99.3% of population

rural: 99% of population

total: 99.2% of population

urban: 0.7% of population

rural: 1% of population

total: 0.8% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

16 years (2012)

male

17 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.78 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.44 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

7.4% (2012 est.)

male

8.8%

total

8.1%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.16% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

75.3% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen, and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat), while Hamburg prides itself on being a Free and Hanseatic City (Freie und Hansestadt)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

52 31 N, 13 24 E

name

Berlin

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10 to 23 August 1948, approved 12 May 1949, promulgated 23 May 1949, entered into force 24 May 1949; amended many times, last in 2012 (2012)

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John B. EMERSON (since 26 August 2013)

consulate(s) general

Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich

embassy

Pariser Platz 2

FAX

[49] (30) 8305-1215

mailing address

Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin

telephone

[49] (30) 8305-0

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Hans Peter WITTIG (since 21 May 2014)

consulate(s) general

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

FAX

[1] (202) 298-4249

telephone

[1] (202) 298-4000

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) recommended by the chancellor, appointed by the president

chief of state

President Joachim GAUCK (since 23 March 2012)

election results

Joachim GAUCK elected president; Federal Convention vote count - Joachim GAUCK (independent) 991, Beate KLARSFELD (independent) 126, Olaf ROSE (National People's Union) 3; Angela MERKEL (CDU) reelected chancellor; Federal Parliament vote - 462 for, 150 against, 4 abstentions

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) by a Federal Convention consisting of the 630-member Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and 630 delegates indirectly elected by the state parliaments; election last held on 19 February 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); chancellor indirectly elected by absolute majority by the Federal Parliament for a 4-year term; Federal Parliament vote for chancellor last held on 17 December 2013 (next to be held following the September 2017 general election)

head of government

Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field

Government type

federal republic

Independence

18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Federal Court of Justice (court consists of 127 judges including the court president, vice-presidents, presiding judges, and other judges, and organized into 25 Senates subdivided into 12 civil panels, 5 criminal panels, and 8 special panels; Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (consists of 2 Senates each subdivided into 3 chambers, each with a chairman and 8 members)

judge selection and term of office

Federal Court of Justice judges selected by the Judges Election Committee, which consists of the Secretaries of Justice from each of the 16 federated States and 16 members appointed by the Federal Parliament; judges appointed by the president of Germany; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Federal Constitutional Court judges - one-half elected by the House of Representatives and one-half by the Senate; judges appointed for 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 68

subordinate courts

Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 German states or Land has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, finance, labor, social) courts

Legal system

civil law system

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 seats; members appointed by each of the 16 state governments or landtags) and the Federal Diet or Bundestag (631 seats - total seats can vary each electoral term; approximately one-half of members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and approximately one-half directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 41.5%, SPD 25.7%, Left 8.6%, Greens 8.4%, FDP 4.8%, other 10.9%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 311, SPD 193, Left 64, Greens 63

elections

Bundestag - last held on 22 September 2013 (next to be held no later than autumn 2017); most all postwar German governments have been coalitions; 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

National anthem

lyrics/music

August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN/Franz Joseph HAYDN

name

"Das Lied der Deutschen" (Song of the Germans)

note

adopted 1922; the anthem, also known as "Deutschlandlied" (Song of Germany), was originally adopted for its connection to the March 1848 liberal revolution; following appropriation by the Nazis of the first verse, specifically the phrase, "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles" (Germany, Germany above all) to promote nationalism, it was banned after 1945; in 1952, its third verse was adopted by West Germany as its national anthem; in 1990, it became the national anthem for the reunited Germany

National holiday

Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

National symbol(s)

golden eagle; national colors: black, red, yellow

Political parties and leaders

Alliance '90/Greens [Cem OEZDEMIR and Simone PETER]

Alternative for Germany or AfD [Bernd LUCKE];; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]

Christian Social Union or CSU [Horst SEEHOFER]

Free Democratic Party or FDP [Christian LINDNER]

Left Party or Die Linke [Katia KIPPING and Bernd RIEXINGER]

Social Democratic Party or SPD [Sigmar GABRIEL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

trade unions; religious, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups

other

business associations and employers' organizations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

expenditures

$1.664 trillion (2014 est.)

revenues

$1.68 trillion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

0.75% (31 December 2013)

1.5% (31 December 2010)

note

this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate

2.6% (31 December 2014 est.)

2.76% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$287.5 billion (2014 est.)

$274 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$5.717 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)

$5.338 trillion (31 December 2011)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

27 (2006)

30 (1994)

Economy - overview

The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. Like its Western European neighbors, Germany faces significant demographic challenges to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and declining net immigration are increasing pressure on the country's social welfare system and necessitate structural reforms. Reforms launched by the government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (1998-2005), deemed necessary to address chronically high unemployment and low average growth, contributed to strong growth and falling unemployment. These advances, as well as a government subsidized, reduced working hour scheme, help explain the relatively modest increase in unemployment during the 2008-09 recession - the deepest since World War II - and its decrease to 5.2% in 2014. The new German government introduced a minimum wage of about $11.60 (8.50 euros) per hour to take effect in 2015. Stimulus and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela MERKEL's second term increased Germany's total budget deficit - including federal, state, and municipal - to 4.1% in 2010, but slower spending and higher tax revenues reduced the deficit to 0.8% in 2011 and in 2012 Germany reached a budget surplus of 0.1%. The budget was essentially in balance in 2014. A constitutional amendment approved in 2009 limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016 though the target was already reached in 2012. The German economy suffers from low levels of investment, and a government plan to invest 15 billion euros 2016-18, largely in infrastructure, is intended to spur needed private investment. Following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Chancellor Angela MERKEL announced in May 2011 that eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors would be shut down immediately and the remaining plants would close by 2022. Germany plans to replace nuclear power with renewable energy, which accounted for 27.8% of gross electricity consumption in 2014, up from 9% in 2000. Before the shutdown of the eight reactors, Germany relied on nuclear power for 23% of its electricity generating capacity and 46% of its base-load electricity production. Extremely low inflation, caused largely by low global energy prices and a weak euro, are expected to boost German GDP growth in 2015.

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.7489 (2014 est.)

0.7634 (2013 est.)

0.78 (2012 est.)

0.7185 (2011 est.)

0.755 (2010 est.)

Exports

$1.547 trillion (2014 est.)

$1.506 trillion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products

Exports - partners

France 9.6%, UK 7.9%, US 6.9%, Netherlands 6.9%, China 5.8%, Austria 5.3%, Italy 5.1%, Poland 4.5%, Switzerland 4.3% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

45.7%

government consumption

19.2%

household consumption

56.1%

imports of goods and services

-41.3%

investment in fixed capital

20.2%

investment in inventories

0.1%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

(2014 est.)

agriculture

0.9%

industry

30.8%

services

68.4%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$45,900 (2014 est.)

$45,200 (2013 est.)

$45,100 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

1.6% (2014 est.)

0.2% (2013 est.)

0.6% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.86 trillion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$3.722 trillion (2014 est.)

$3.663 trillion (2013 est.)

$3.655 trillion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

26.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

25.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

26.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

24% (2000)

lowest 10%

3.6%

Imports

$1.319 trillion (2014 est.)

$1.249 trillion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products

Imports - partners

Netherlands 13.8%, France 8%, China 6.6%, Belgium 6.3%, Italy 5.4%, UK 4.8%, Poland 4.6%, Czech Republic 4.4%, Austria 4.3%, Switzerland 4.1% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

1.3% (2014 est.)

Industries

among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.8% (2014 est.)

1.5% (2013 est.)

Labor force

42.65 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

(2011)

agriculture

1.6%

industry

24.6%

services

73.8%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.486 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.184 trillion (31 December 2011)

$1.43 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

15.5% (2010 est.)

Public debt

74.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

76.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

note

general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; the series are presented as a percentage of GDP and in millions of euro; GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product at current market prices; data expressed in national currency are converted into euro using end-of-year exchange rates provided by the European Central Bank

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$198.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$4.347 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$4.451 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$2.048 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.971 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.424 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.384 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$4.209 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$4.323 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$2.236 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.244 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

note

see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Taxes and other revenues

44% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

5% (2014 est.)

5.3% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

788.3 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

3,907 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

1.881 million bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

97,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

232.6 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

582.5 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

71.43 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

51% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

36% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

39.16 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

178.4 million kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

575.9 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

88.44 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

18.82 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

94.91 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

11.78 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

116 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

2.403 million bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

376,600 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

666,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

2.206 million bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

a mixture of publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; national and regional public broadcasters compete with nearly 400 privately owned national and regional TV stations; more than 90% of households have cable or satellite TV; hundreds of radio stations including multiple national radio networks, regional radio networks, and a large number of local radio stations (2008)

Internet country code

.de

Internet users

percent of population

86.8% (2014 est.)

total

70.3 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Telephone system

domestic

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

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

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 (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

58 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

47.02 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

123 (2014 est.)

total

99.5 million

Television broadcast stations

373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Airports

539 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

60

2,438 to 3,047 m

49

914 to 1,523 m

70

over 3,047 m

14

total

318

under 914 m

125 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

185 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

35

total

221

Heliports

23 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 6, cargo 51, carrier 1, chemical tanker 15, container 298, liquefied gas 6, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned

6 (Finland 3, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 2)

registered in other countries

3,420 (Antigua and Barbuda 1094, Australia 2, Bahamas 30, Bermuda 14, Brazil 6, Bulgaria 12, Burma 1, Cayman Islands 3, Cook Islands 1, Curacao 25, Cyprus 192, Denmark 9, Dominica 5, Estonia 1, France 1, Gibraltar 123, Hong Kong 10, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 10, Liberia 1185, Luxembourg 9, Malta 135, Marshall Islands 248, Morocco 1, Netherlands 86, NZ 2, Panama 24, Papua New Guinea 1, Philippines 2, Portugal 14, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 32, Slovakia 3, Spain 4, Sri Lanka 8, Sweden 3, UK 59, US 5, Venezuela 1) (2010)

total

427

Pipelines

condensate 37 km; gas 26,985 km; oil 2,826 km; refined products 4,479 km; water 8 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

container port(s)

Bremen/Bremerhaven (5,915,487), Hamburg (9,014,165) (2011)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

Hamburg

major seaport(s)

Baltic Sea - Rostock; North Sea - Wilhelmshaven

oil terminal(s)

Brunsbuttel Canal terminals

river port(s)

Bremen (Weser); Bremerhaven (Geeste); Duisburg, Karlsruhe, Neuss-Dusseldorf (Rhine); Brunsbuttel, Hamburg (Elbe); Lubeck (Wakenitz)

Railways

narrow gauge

220 km 1.000-m gauge (79 km electrified); 15 km 0.900-m gauge; 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2014)

standard gauge

43,209.3 km 1.435-m gauge (19,973 km electrified)

total

43,468.3 km

Roadways

note

includes local roads (2010)

paved

645,000 km (includes 12,800 km of expressways)

total

645,000 km

Waterways

7,467 km (Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea) (2012)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

17,888,543 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

18,529,299

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

14,510,527 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

15,027,886

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

384,930 (2010 est.)

male

405,438

Military branches

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Services (Streitkraeftebasis, SKB), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst, ZSanDstBw) (2013)

Military expenditures

1.35% of GDP (2012)

1.34% of GDP (2011)

1.35% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

17-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription ended 1 July 2011; service obligation 8-23 months or 12 years; women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 (2013)

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

41,167 (Iraq); 40,994 (Syria); 27,814 (Afghanistan); 22,242 (Turkey); 18,814 (Iran); 9,294 (Serbia and Kosovo) (2014)

stateless persons

11,917 (2014)