1989 Edition

Agriculture

dominated by coconut production, with subsistence crops of yams, taro, bananas

Aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (197087), $118 million

Budget

revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of SNA

Climate

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

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

Coastline

40 km

901 km

Comparative area

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

slightly smaller than Tennessee

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Currency

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural — francs); 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Disputes

Israeli occupied with status to be determined

it is US policy that the final borders of Germany have not been established; the US is seeking to settle the property claims of US nationals against the GDR

Electricity

1,200 kW capacity; 1 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)

Environment

desertification

significant deforestation in mountains caused by air pollution and acid rain

Exchange rates

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1— 104.71 (January 1990), 115.99(1989), 108.30(1988), 109.27(1987), 125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note— linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Exports

$NA; commodities — copra; partners— NA

External debt

SNA

Fiscal year

NA

GDP

$6.7 million, per capita $484; real growth rate NA% (est. 1985)

Imports

$3.4 million (c.i.f., 1977); commodities— largely foodstuffs and some equipment associated with development programs; partners — France, Australia, New Zealand

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Land boundaries

62 km total; Egypt 1 1 km, Israel 51 km

2,296 km total; Czechoslovakia 459 km, Poland 456 km, FRG 1,381 km

Land use

13% arable land, 32% permanent crops, 0% meadows and pastures, 0% forest and woodland, 55% other

45% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 1 2% other; includes 2% irrigated

Maritime claims

Israeli occupied with status to be determined

Natural resources

negligible

lignite, potash, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel

Note

there are 1 8 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip

strategic location on North European Plain and near the entrance to the Baltic Sea; West Berlin is an enclave (about 1 16 km by air or 176 km by road from FRG)

Terrain

flat to rolling, sand and dune covered coastal plain

mostly flat plain with hills and mountains in south

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

380km2; land area: 380 km2

108,330 km2; land area: 105,980 km2

Unemployment rate

NA%

Birth rate

47 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

12 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

7 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

12 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

99.8% Palestinian Arab and other, 0.2% Jewish

99.7% German, 0.3% Slavic and other

Infant mortality rate

55 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

7 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

(excluding Israeli Jewish settlers) 32.0% small industry, commerce and business, 24.4% construction, 25.5% service and other, and 18.1% agriculture (1984)

8,960,000; 37.5% industry, 21.1% services, 10.8% agriculture and forestry, 10.3% commerce, 7.4% transport and communications, 6.6% construction, 3.1% handicrafts, 3.2% other (1987)

Language

Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood

German

Life expectancy at birth

63 years male, 66 years female (1990)

71 years male, 77 years female (1990)

Literacy

NA%

99%

Nationality

NA

noun — German(s); adjective — German

Net migration rate

— 7 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

-6 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

NA

87.7% of labor force

Population

615,575 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990); in addition, there are 2,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip

16,307,170 (July 1990), growth rate -0.6% (1990)

Religion

99% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 0.7% Christian, 0.3% Jewish

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

Total fertility rate

7.0 children born/ woman (1990)

1 .7 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

1 4 districts (bczirke, singular — bezirk); Cottbus, Dresden, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Gera, Halle, Karl-Marx-Stadt, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg, Potsdam, Rostock, Schwerin, Suhl

Capital

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

Communists

500,000 to 700,000 party members (1990)

Constitution

9 April 1968, amended 7 October 1974

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dr. Gerhard HERDER; Chancery at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 2323134; US— Ambassador Richard C. BARKLEY; Embassy at 1080 Berlin, Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, East Berlin (mailing address is Box E, APO New York 09742); telephone [37] (2) 220-

Elections

People's Chamber — last held on 18 March 1990 (next to be held March NA); results — Alliance for Germany — CDU 40.9%, DSU 6.3%, DA 0.9%; SPD 21.8; BFD 5.3%; SPD 21.8%; PDS 16.3%; Alliance 90 2.9%; DBD 2.2%; GP 2.0%; NDPD 0.4%; others 1.0%; seats— (400 total, including 66 from East Berlin) Alliance for Germany— CDU 164, DSU 25, DA 4; SPD 87; BFD 21; PDS 65; Alliance 90 12, DBD 9; GP 8; NDPD 2; others 3

Executive branch

Council of State abolished on 5 April 1 990, post of president to be created; chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow with the coat of arms centered; the coat of arms contains, in yellow, a hammer and compass encircled by a wreath of grain with a black, red, and gold ribbon at the bottom; similar to the flag of the FRG which does not have a coat of arms

Independence

self-government proclaimed 7 October 1949, with permission of the Soviet authorities

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State — Acting President of the People's Chamber Sabine BERGMANN-POHL (since 5 April 1990); German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (continued) Head of Government — Chairman of the Council of Ministers Lothar DE MAIZIERE (since 12 April 1990); Deputy Chairman Peter-Michael DIESTEL (since 16 April 1990) Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Germany — Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Lothar de Maiziere, chairman; German Social Union (DSU), Hans-Wilhelm Ebeling, chairman; and Democratic Awakening (DA), Rainer Eppelmann, chairman; Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Markus Meckel, acting chairman; Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS, former Communist), Gregor Gysi, chairman; League of Free Democrats (BFD) — Liberals, Rainer Ortleb, chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Menzel, chairman; and German Forum Party (DFP), Juergen Schmieder, chairman; Alliance '90— New Forum, Baerbel Bohley, Jens Reich, Sebastian Pflugbeil, spokespersons; Democracy Now, (Conrad Weiss, spokesperson; and United Left, Herbert Misslitz, spokesperson; Greens Party (GP), Vera Wollenberger, spokesperson; Democratic Peasants' Party (DBD), Guenther Maleuda, chairman

Legal system

civil law system modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Chamber (Volkskammer)

Long-form name

none

German Democratic Republic; abbreviated GDR

Member of

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

National holiday

Foundation of the German Democratic Republic, 7 October (1949)

Note

The Gaza Strip is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the Gaza Strip will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how this area is to be governed.

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

Communist state

Agriculture

olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products

accounts for about 10% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); principal crops — wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net importer of food; fish catch of 193,600 metric tons in 1987

Aid

none

donor — $4.0 billion extended bilaterally to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-88)

Budget

revenues $36.6 million; expenditures $32.0 million, including capital expenditures of N A (1986)

revenues $123.5 billion; expenditures $123.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $33 billion (1986)

Currency

new Israeli shekel (plural — shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

GDR mark (plural — marks); 1 GDR mark (M) = 100 pfennige

Electricity

power supplied by Israel

(including East Berlin) 24,585,000 kW capacity; 122,500 million kWh produced, 7,390 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1— 1.9450 (January 1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989(1988), 1.5946(1987), 1.4878(1986), 1.1788(1985)

GDR marks (M) per US$1— 3.01 (1988), 3.00 (1987), 3.30 (1986), 3.70(1985), 3.64(1984) Fiscal yean calendar year

Exports

$88 million; commodities — citrus; partners — Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)

$30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— machinery and transport equipment 47%, fuels and metals 16%, consumer goods 16%, chemical products and building materials 13%, semimanufactured goods and processed foodstuffs 8%; partners — USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, FRG, Hungary, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Romania

External debt

$NA

$20.6 billion (1989)

Fiscal year

1 AprilMarch 31

GNP

$380 million, per capita $650; real growth rate NA% (1988)

$159.5 billion, per capita $9,679; real growth rate 1.2% (1989 est.)

Imports

$260 million; commodities — food, consumer goods, construction malerials; partners — Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)

$31.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— fuels and metals 40%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, chemical products and building materials 9%; partners — CEMA countries 65%, nonCommunist 33%, other 2%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

growth rate 2.7% (1989 est.)

Industries

generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center

metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

NA

Overview

Nearly half of the labor force of the Gaza Strip is employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker transfer funds accounting for 40% of GNP in 1989. The once dominant agricultural sector now contributes only 1 3% to GNP, about the same as that of the construction sector, and industry accounts for 7%. Gaza depends upon Israel for 90% of its imports and as a market for 80% of its exports. Unrest in the territory in 1988-89 (intifadah) has raised unemployment and substantially lowered the incomes of the population.

The GDR is moving rapidly away from its centrally planned economy. As the 1990s begin, economic integration with West Germany appears inevitable, beginning with the establishment of a common currency. The opening of the border with the FRG in late 1989 and the continuing emigration of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers had brought growth to a standstill by yearend 1989. Features of the old economic regime that will quickly change: (a) the collectivization of 95% of East German farms; (b) state ownership of nearly all transportation facilities, industrial plants, foreign trade organizations, and financial institutions; (c) the 65% share in trade of the USSR and other CEMA countries; and (d) the detailed control over economic details exercised by Party and state. Once integrated into the thriving West German economy, the area will have to stem the outflow of workers and renovate the obsolescent industrial base. After an initial readjustment period, living standards and quality of output will steadily rise toward West German levels.

Unemployment rate

NA%

NA%

Airports

1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m

190 total, 190 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway over 3,659 m; 45 with runways 2,4403,659 m; 40 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

2 total; 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Branches

NA

National People's Army, Border Troops, Air and Air Defense Command, People's Navy Military manpower eligible 15-49, 7,944,305; of the 4,045,396 males 15-49, 3,243,970 are fit for military service; 91,579 reach military age (18) annually; of the 3,898,909 females 15-49, 3,117,847 are fit for military service; 85,892 reach military age (18) annually

Civil air

45 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

NA German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Mecklenburger Bucht Baltic Sea Sassnitz Schwerm The final borders of ^X^Wittenbw ga 'Schwedt Germany have not **^r* \ been established \ \ \ Bwlin. > ElMbhUttenstadt • Magdeburg Halle Leipzig Dresden 100km See region*) mip V

16.2 billion marks, 5.4% of total budget (1989); note— conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Highways

small, poorly developed indigenous road network

124,615 km total; 47,214 km concrete, asphalt, stone block, of which 1,913 km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,261 are trunk roads, and 34,040 are regional roads; 77,401 municipal roads (1985)

100 km on lie Uvea (Wallis Island), 16 km sealed; 20 km earth surface on ile Futuna (Futuna Island)

Inland waterways

2,319 km (1986)

none

Merchant marine

145 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 1,349,537 CRT/ 1,733,089 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 89 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 6 roll-on/ roll-off cargo, 16 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas tanker, 16 bulk

Military manpower

NA

Note

defense is the responsibility of

Pipelines

crude oil, 1,301 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas, 2,150 km (1988)

Ports

facilities for small boats to service Gaza

Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz; river ports are East Berlin, Riesa, Magdeburg, and Eisenhuttenstadt on the Elbe or Oder Rivers and connecting canals

Mata-Utu, Leava

Railroads

one line, abandoned and in disrepair, but trackage remains

14,005 km total; 13,730 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 275 km 1.000-meter or other narrow gauge, 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter double-track standard gauge; 2,754 km overhead electrified (1986)

Telecommunications

stations — no AM, no FM, no TV Defense Forces

stations — 23 AM, 17 FM, 21 TV; 15 Soviet TV relays; 6,181,860 TV sets; 6,700,000 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth station Defense Forces

225 telephones; stations— 1 AM, no FM, no TV Defense Forces