1987 Edition

Airfields

1 total, 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

Boundary disputes

short section with Senegal is indefinite

it is US policy that the final borders of Germany have not been established

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

Climate

tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)

temperate; cloudy, cold winters with frequent rain and snow; cool, wet summers

Coastline

80 km

901 km

Comparative area

about twice the size of Delaware

about the size of Virginia

Continental shelf

not specific

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

deforestation

significant deforestation due to air pollution, acid rain

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Highways

3,083 km total; 431 km paved, 501 km gravel/laterite, and 2,151 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

400 km

Land boundaries

2,309 km total

Land boundary

740 km with Senegal

Land use

16% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures; 20% forest and woodland; 55% other; includes 8% irrigated

45% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes 2% irrigated

Ports

1 major (Banjul)

Special notes

almost an enclave of

strategic location on Northern European Plain and near entrance to Baltic Sea; West Berlin is an enclave (about 100 km from FRG)

Telecommunications

adequate network of radio-relay and wire; 3,500 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 2 FM, 3AM, 1 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station

Terrain

flood plain of Gambia River flanked by some low hills

mostly flat plain with hills and mountains in south

Territorial sea

200 nm

12 nm

Total area

° 5 Mansa Konka Brikama Boundary representation is Not necessarily aulhoritative

11,300 km?; land area: 10,000 km?

108,330 km?; land area: 105,980 km?

Ethnic divisions

99.7% German, 0.3% Slavic and other

Infant mortality rate

9.6/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

8.937 million; 37.9% industry, 21.0% services, 10.2% commerce, 10.8% agriculture and forestry, 7.4% transport and communications, 6.8% construction, 3.1% handicrafts, 2.8% other (1985)

Language

German, Sorbian

Life expectancy

men 69.6, women 75.4 (1984)

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun—German(s); adjective— German

Organized labor

87.7% of total labor force

Population

16,610,265, including East Berlin (July 1987), average annual growth rate -0.10%

Religion

47% Protestant, 7% Roman Catholic, 46% unaffiliated or other; less than 5% of Protestants and about 25% of Roman Catholics active participants

Administrative divisions

(excluding East Berlin) 14 districts (Bezirke), 218 counties (Kreise), 7,570 communities (Gemeinden)

Branches

unicameral legislature (People’s Chamber—Volkskammer, elected directly); executive (Council of State, Council of Ministers); judiciary (Supreme Court); entire structure dominated by Socialist Unity (Communist) Party

Capital

East Berlin (not officially recognized by US, UK, and France, which together with the USSR have special rights and responsibilities in Berlin)

Communists

2.195 million party members (1986)

Elections

national every five years; prepared by an electoral commission of the National Front; ballot supposed to be secret and voters permitted to strike names off ballot; more candidates than offices available; parliamentary election held 8 June 1986; local elections held 6 May 1984 Political parties and leaders: Socialist Unity (Communist) Party of Germany (SED), headed by General Secretary Erich Honecker, dominates the regime; four token parties (Christian Democratic Union, National Democratic Party, Liberal Democratic Party, and Democratic Peasants’ Party) and an amalgam of special interest organizations participate with the SED in National Front

Government leaders

Erich HONECKER, Chairman, Council of State (Head of State; since October 1976); Willi STOPH, Chairman, Council of Ministers (Premier; since October 1976)

Legal system

civil law system modified by Communist legal theory; new constitution adopted 1974; court system parallels administrative divisions; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory IC) jurisdiction; more stringent penal code adopted in 1968 and amended in 1974 and 1979

Member of

CEMA, IAEA, ICES, ILO, IMO, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WETU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Foundation of German Democratic Republic, 7 October

Official name

German Democratic Republic

Other special interest groups

Free German Youth, Free German Trade Union Federation, Democratic Women’s League, Cultural Leagne of the German Democratic Republic (all Communist dominated)

Suffrage

all citizens age 18 and over

Type

Communist state

Voting strength

1986 parliamentary elections and 1984 local elections; over 99% voted the regime slate

Agriculture

food deficit area; potatoes, rye, wheat, barley, oats

Electric power

(including East Berlin) 23,704,000 kW capacity; 118,000 million kWh preduced, 7,070 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$23.9 billion (f.0.b., 1985 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 264,900 metric tons (1985)

GNP

$174.7 billion, $10,400 per capita; growth rate 2.4% (1985)

Imports

$22.2 billion (f.0.b., 1985 est.)

Major industries

metal fabrication, chemicals, light industry, brown coal, shipbuilding

Major trade partners

66.1% Socialist countries, 29.4% developed West, 4.5% less developed countries (1985)

Monetary conversion rate

1.95 marks=US$] (January 1987)

Natural resources

lignite coal, potash, uranium, copper, natural gas

Shortages

grain, vegetables, vegetable oil, beef, coking coal, coke, crude oil, rolled steel products, nonferrous metals Crude steel}: 7.9 million metric tons produced, 471 kg per capita (1985)

Airfields

185 total; 48 with runways 2,500 m or longer

Civil air

45 major transport aircraft

Freight carried

rail—349 million metric tons, 58.8 billion metric tons/km; highway—558 million metric tons, 14.0 billion metric tons/km; waterway—16.2 million metric tons, 2.84 billion metric tons/km (excluding international transit traffic) (1985)

Highways

120,314 km total; 47,261 km concrete, asphalt, stone block, of which 1,913 km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,251 are trunk roads, and 34,097 are regional roads; 75,053 municipal roads (1984)

Inland waterways

2,319 km (1984)

Pipelines

oil, 1,301 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas 2,000 km

Ports

4 major (Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz), 13 minor; principal inland waterway ports are East Berlin, Riesa, Magdeburg, and Eisenhiittenstadt

Railroads

14,226 km total; 18,941 km 1.485-meter standard gauge, 285 km 1.000-meter or other narrow gauge, 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter double track standard gauge; 2,321 km overhead electrified (1984)

Telecommunications

23 AM, 17 FM, 18 TV stations; 15 Soviet TV relays; 6,015,400 TV sets; 6,509,932 receiver sets; at least 1 satellite ground station

Branches

Army, paramilitary Gendarmerie

National People’s Army, Border Troops, Ministry of State Security Guard Regiment, Air and Air Defense Command, People’s Navy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1981, $2.4 million; 6.2% of central government budget; includes fire and police expenditures German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Baltic See > elsund "Rostock “Wismar Schwerin Tha final borders of Germany heve not bean established. Wittenberge Schwedt Berlin, s Magdeburg Elsephuttenstadt Cottbus, Halle ‘4 deipzig Erte presden?

announced for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, 14.0 billion marks; 5.8% of total budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 166,000; 83,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 4,263,000; 3,419,000 fit for military service; 108,000 reach military age (18) annually