Germany
Federal Republic of GermanyBundesrepublik Deutschland
federal republicIndependence 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification)
Germany as the 2010 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 138 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. In January 2011, Germany assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.
Geography
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
20 fieldsLand useshare of 357,022 sq km
Location
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Climate
- temperate and marine;
- cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
- occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Natural resources
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%)
- per capita:
- 460 cu m/yr (2001)
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-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
People
23 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2010 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.055 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.72 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Government
Federal republic; President Christian WULFF (since 30 June 2010); Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Bundestag, 622 seats, elected 27 September 2009seats by party
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Federal Republic of Germany
- conventional short form:
- Germany
- local long form:
- Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- local short form:
- Deutschland
- former:
- German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Capital
- name:
- Berlin
- geographic coordinates:
- 52 31 N, 13 24 E
- time difference:
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
- 16 states (Laender, singular - Land);
- Baden-Wurttemberg, 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)
Independence
- 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification);
- 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 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;
- West Germany and East Germany unified 3 October 1990;
- all four powers formally relinquished rights 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)
Constitution
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3 October 1990
Legal system
- civil law system with indigenous concepts;
- judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court;
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Christian WULFF (since 30 June 2010)
- head of government:
- Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) by a Federal Assembly, including all members of the Federal Diet and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments;
- election last held on 30 June 2010 (next to be held by June 2015);
- chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Diet for a four-year term;
- Bundestag vote for Chancellor last held after 27 September 2009 (next to follow the legislative election to be held no later than 2013)
- election results:
- Christian WULFF elected president;
- received 625 votes of the Federal Assembly against 494 for GAUCK and 121 abstentions;
- Angela MERKEL reelected chancellor;
- vote by Federal Diet 323 to 285 with four abstentions
Legislative branch
bicameral legislature consists of the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments sit in the Council; each has three to six votes in proportion to population and is required to vote as a block) and the Federal Diet or Bundestag (622 seats; members elected by popular vote for a four-year term under a system of personalized proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain proportional representation and caucus recognition)
- elections:
- Bundestag - last held on 27 September 2009 (next to be held no later than autumn 2013);
- 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:
- Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 33.8%, SPD 23%, FDP 14.6%, Left 11.9%, Greens 10.7%, other 6%;
- seats by party - CDU/CSU 239, SPD 146, FDP 93, Left 76, Greens 68
Judicial branch
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders
- Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Cem OZDEMIR];
- Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL];
- Christian Social Union or CSU [Horst SEEHOFER];
- Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE];
- Left Party or Die Linke [Klaus ERNST and Gesine LOETZSCH];
- Social Democratic Party or SPD [Sigmar GABRIEL]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- business associations and employers' organizations;
- trade unions;
- religious, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups
International organization participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH
- chancery:
- 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 298-4000
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 298-4249
- consulate(s) general:
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Philip D. MURPHY
- embassy:
- Pariser Platz 2, 14191 Berlin; note - new embassy opened 4 July 2008
- mailing address:
- PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265, Clayallee 170, 14195 Berlin
- telephone:
- [49] (030) 2385174
- FAX:
- [49] (030) 8305-1215
- consulate(s) general:
- Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
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
National anthem
- name:
- "Lied der Deutschen" (Song of the Germans)
- lyrics/music:
- August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBE/Franz Joseph HAYDN
note: adopted 1922, restored 1990; the anthem, also known as "Deutschlandlied" (Song of Germany), was abolished in 1945 because of the Nazi's use of the first verse,
specifically the phrase, "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles" (Germany, Germany above all) to promote nationalism; since restoration in 1990, only the third verse is sung
Economy
50 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2010 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy - where unemployment can exceed 20% in some municipalities - continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting in 2008 alone to roughly $12 billion.
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 in 2006 and 2007 and falling unemployment, which in 2008 reached a new post-reunification low of 7.8%. 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 healthy decrease in 2010.
GDP contracted nearly 5% in 2009 but grew by 3.3% in 2010. Germany crept out of recession thanks largely to rebounding manufacturing orders and exports - primarily outside the Euro Zone - and relatively steady consumer demand. Stimulus and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela MERKEL's second term increased Germany's budget deficit to 3.3% in 2009 and to 3.6% in 2010.
The EU has given Germany until 2013 to get its consolidated budget deficit below 3% of GDP. A new constitutional amendment likewise limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016.
Unemployment rate
7.1% (2010 est.) · 7.5% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate for international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office estimated a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8%
Distribution of family income - Gini index
27 (2006) · 30 (1994) country comparison to the world: 125
Central bank discount rate
1.75% (31 December 2009) · 3% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 120 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
4.96% (31 December 2009 est.) · 5.97% (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Stock of narrow money
$1.627 trillion (31 December 2010 est) · $1.681 trillion (31 December 2009 est) country comparison to the world: 6 note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 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
Stock of broad money
$4.288 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) · $4.202 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 6
Stock of domestic credit
$5.2 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) · $5.019 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 5
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
Natural gas - proved reserves
175.6 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
Current account balance
$162.3 billion (2010 est.) · $168.1 billion (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 3
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$NA (31 December 2010 est.); $180.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external
$4.713 trillion (30 June 2010) · $5.158 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 4
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$1.057 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) · $1.054 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$1.484 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) · $1.46 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone 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)
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 broadcasting including multiple national radio networks, regional radio networks, and a large number of local radio stations (2008)
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 421 ships by type
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 41,896 km
country comparison to the world: 6
- standard gauge:
- 41,641 km 1.435-m gauge (20,053 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 75 km 1.000-m gauge (75 km electrified); 180 km 0.750-m gauge (24 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways
- total:
- 644,480 km
country comparison to the world: 11
- paved:
- 644,480 km (includes 12,645 km of expressways)
note: includes local roads (2008)
Waterways
7,467 km country comparison to the world: 19 note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2008)
Ports and terminals
Bremen, Bremerhaven, Duisburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Lubeck, Neuss-Dusseldorf, Rostock, Wilhemshaven
Military
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Services (Streitkraeftbasis), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2010)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 19,195,804
- females age 16-49:
- 18,159,851 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Germany.” The World Factbook 2010. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/germany/2010.