GERMANY
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GERMANY
@Germany:Geography
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,
between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Map references: Europe
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GERMANY - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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BERLIN 3,140,000 52.32N, 13.25E 49-30 GMT+1
Hamburg 1,571,000 53.33N, 10.00E 49-40 GMT+1
Munich 1,275,000 48.08N, 11.35E 49-89 GMT+1
Cologne 914,000 50.56N, 6.57E 49-221 GMT+1
Essen 615,000 51.26N, 6.59E 49-201 GMT+1
Frankfurt 592,000 50.06N, 8.41E 49-69 GMT+1
Dortmund 568,000 51.32N, 7.27E 49-231 GMT+1
Stuttgart 565,000 48.47N, 9.12E 49-711 GMT+1
Dusseldorf 561,000 51.13N, 6.47E 49-211 GMT+1
Leipzig 549,000 51.20N, 12.25E 49-41 GMT+1
Bremen 522,000 53.05N, 8.48E 49-421 GMT+1
Dresden 521,000 51.03N, 13.45E 49-51 GMT+1
Duisburg 515,000 51.25N, 6.46E 49-203 GMT+1
Hannover 506,000 52.24N, 9.44E 49-511 GMT+1
Nurnberg 467,000 49.27N, 11.04E 49-911 GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 356,910 sq km
land area: 349,520 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
note: includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany, the
German Democratic Republic, and Berlin following formal unification on
3 October 1990
Land boundaries: total 3,621 km, 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
Coastline: 2,389 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium,
copper, natural gas, salt, nickel
Land use:
arable land: 34%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 16%
forest and woodland: 30%
other: 19%
Irrigated land: 4,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries
and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result of continued use
of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting
from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; heavy pollution in
the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in
eastern Germany
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes
Note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the
entrance to the Baltic Sea
@Germany:People
Population: 81,337,541 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (female 6,518,108; male 6,857,577)
15-64 years: 68% (female 27,167,824; male 28,130,083)
65 years and over: 16% (female 8,127,938; male 4,536,011) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.26% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 10.98 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 10.83 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.62 years
male: 73.5 years
female: 79.92 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic divisions: German 95.1%, Turkish 2.3%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks
0.4%, Poles 0.4%, other 1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the
war in the former Yugoslavia)
Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other
18%
Languages: German
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.)
total population: 99%
Labor force: 36.75 million
by occupation: industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)
@Germany:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
Digraph: GM
Type: federal republic
Capital: Berlin
note: the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of
years with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several
ministries
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
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 power rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991
National holiday: German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October (1990)
Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of
the united German people 3 October 1990
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Roman HERZOG (since 1 July 1994)
head of government: Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president upon the proposal of the
chancellor
Legislative branch: bicameral chamber (no official name for the two
chambers as a whole)
Federal Assembly (Bundestag): last held 16 October 1994 (next to be
held by NA 1998); results - CDU 34.2%, SPD 36.4%, Alliance 90/Greens
7.3%, CSU 7.3%, FDP 6.9%, PDS 4.4%, Republicans 1.9% ; seats - (662
total, but number can vary) CDU 244, SPD 252, Alliance 90/Greens 49,
CSU 50, FDP 47, PDS 30; elected by direct popular vote under a system
combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5%
of the national vote or 3 direct mandates to gain representation
Federal Council (Bundesrat): State governments are directly
represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on size and are
required to vote as a block; current composition: votes - (68 total)
SPD-led states 37, CDU-led states 31
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court
(Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU),
Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL,
chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Klaus KINKEL, chairman; Social
Democratic Party (SPD), Rudolf SCHARPING, chairman; Alliance
'90/Greens, Krista SAGER, Juergen TRITTIN, cochairpersons; Party of
Democratic Socialism (PDS), Lothar BISKY, chairman; Republikaner, Rolf
SCHLIERER, chairman; National Democratic Party (NPD), Guenter DECKERT;
Communist Party (DKP), Rolf PRIEMER
Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans
groups
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS,
CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO,
G- 5, G- 7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s): Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands) and
Wellington (America Samoa)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN
embassy: Deichmanns Aue 29, 53170 Bonn
mailing address: Unit 21701, Bonn; APO AE 09080
telephone: [49] (228) 3391
FAX: [49] (228) 339-2663
branch office: Berlin
consulate(s) general: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and
Stuttgart
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow
Economy
Overview: Five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, progress
towards economic integration between eastern and western Germany is
clearly visible, yet the eastern region almost certainly will remain
dependent on subsidies funded by western Germany until well into the
next century. The staggering $390 billion in western German assistance
that the eastern states have received since 1990 - 40 times the amount
in real terms of US Marshall Fund aid sent to West Germany after World
War II - is just beginning to have an impact on the eastern German
standard of living, which plummeted after unification. Assistance to
the east continues to run at roughly $100 billion annually. Although
the growth rate in the east was much greater than in the west in
1993-94, eastern GDP per capita nonetheless remains well below
preunification levels; it will take 10-15 years for the eastern states
to match western Germany's living standards. The economic recovery in
the east is led by the construction industries which account for
one-third of industrial output, with growth increasingly supported by
the service sectors and light manufacturing industries. Eastern
Germany's economy is changing from one anchored on manufacturing to a
more service-oriented economy. Western Germany, with three times the
per capita output of the eastern states, has an advanced market
economy and is a world leader in exports. The strong recovery in 1994
from recession began in the export sector and spread to the investment
and consumption sectors in response to falling interest rates. Western
Germany has a highly urbanized and skilled population that enjoys
excellent living standards, abundant leisure time, and comprehensive
social welfare benefits. It is relatively poor in natural resources,
coal being the most important mineral. Western Germany's world-class
companies manufacture technologically advanced goods. The region's
economy is mature: services and manufacturing account for the dominant
share of economic activities, and raw materials and semimanufactured
goods constitute a large portion of imports.
National product:
Germany: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.3446 trillion (1994 est.)
western: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2363 trillion (1994 est.)
eastern: GDP - purchasing power parity - $108.3 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
Germany: 2.9% (1994 est.)
western: 2.3% (1994 est.)
eastern: 9.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
Germany: $16,580 (1994 est.)
western: $19,660 (1994 est.)
eastern: $5,950 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
western: 3% (1994)
eastern: 3.2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate:
western: 8.2% (December 1994)
eastern: 13.5% (December 1994)
Budget:
revenues: $690 billion
expenditures: $780 billion, including capital expenditures of $96.5
billion (1994)
Exports: $437 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: manufactures 89.3% (including machines and machine tools,
chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural
products 5.5%, raw materials 2.7%, fuels 1.3% (1993)
partners: EC 47.9% (France 11.7%, Netherlands 7.4%, Italy 7.5%, UK
7.7%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6.6%), EFTA 15.5%, US 7.7%, Eastern Europe
5.2%, OPEC 3.0% (1993)
Imports: $362 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: manufactures 75.1%, agricultural products 10.0%, fuels
8.3%, raw materials 5.0% (1993)
partners: EC 46.4% (France 11.3%, Netherlands 8.4%, Italy 8.1%, UK
6.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.7%), EFTA 14.3%, US 7.3%, Japan 6.3%,
Eastern Europe 5.1%, OPEC 2.6% (1993)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production:
western: growth rate 2.8% (1994)
eastern: growth rate $NA
Electricity:
capacity: 115,430,000 kW
production: 493 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 5,683 kWh (1993)
Industries:
western: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers
of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine
tools, electronics; food and beverages
eastern: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding,
machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining
Agriculture:
western: accounts for about 1% of GDP (including fishing and
forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and
livestock include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit,
cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net importer of food
eastern: accounts for about 10% of GDP (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
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and
Latin American cocaine for West European markets
Economic aid:
western-donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.5 billion
eastern-donor: bilateral to non-Communist less developed countries
(1956-89) $4 billion
Currency: 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1 - 1.5313 (January 1995),
1.6228 (1994), 1.6533 (1993), 1.5617 (1992), 1.6595 (1991), 1.6157
(1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Germany:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 43,457 km
standard gauge: 43,190 km (electrified 16,694 km)
narrow gauge: 267 km (1994)
Highways:
total: 636,282 km
paved: 501,282 km (10,955 km of autobahn)
unpaved: 135,000 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
western: 5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of
1,000-metric-ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine
and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea
and North Sea
eastern: 2,319 km (1988)
Pipelines: crude oil 3,644 km; petroleum products 3,946 km; natural
gas 97,564 km (1988)
Ports: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden,
Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lubeck, Magdeburg,
Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Merchant marine:
total: 481 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,065,074 GRT/6,409,198
DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 6, bulk 8, cargo 224, chemical tanker 16,
combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 5, container 158, liquefied
gas tanker 13, oil tanker 10, passenger 3, railcar carrier 4,
refrigerated cargo 7, roll-on/roll-off cargo 18, short-sea passenger 5
note: the German register includes ships of the former East and West
Germany
Airports:
total: 660
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 13
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 64
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 53
with paved runways under 914 m: 381
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 62
@Germany:Communications
Telephone system:
western: 40,300,000 telephones; highly developed, modern
telecommunication service to all parts of the country; fully adequate
in all respects; intensively developed, highly redundant cable and
microwave radio relay networks, all completely automatic
local: very modern
intercity: domestic satellite, microwave radio relay, and cable
systems
international: 12 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean), 2 INTELSAT (Indian
Ocean), and 1 EUTELSAT earth station; 2 HF radiocommunication centers;
tropospheric scatter links
eastern: 3,970,000 telephones; badly needs modernization
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 1 INTELSAT earth station and 1 Intersputnik system
Radio:
western: NA
broadcast stations: AM 80, FM 470, shortwave 0
radios: NA
eastern: NA
broadcast stations: AM 23, FM 17, shortwave 0
radios: 67 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 246 (repeaters 6,000); note - there are 15 Russian
repeaters in eastern Germany
televisions: 25 million in western Germany, 6 million in eastern
Germany
@Germany:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force, Border
Police, Coast Guard
Manpower availability: males 15-49 20,274,127; males fit for military
service 17,472,940; males reach military age (18) annually 428,082
(1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $40 billion, 1.8% of
GNP (1995)
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