Democratic parliamentary federal
democracy since 1949
Capital city
Berlin, 3.4 million inhabitants
National flag
Three horizontal stripes in black, red, gold
Emblem
Stylized eagle
Anthem
Third verse of August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben’s ”Das Lied der Deutschen” to a melody by Joseph Haydn “Kaiserhymne“
State holiday
October 3, Day of German Unity
Parliament
Bundestag (16th legislative period: 613 MPs)
Time zone
CET/CEST
Currency
Germany is a member of the Eurozone, EUR 1 = 100 cents
Phone dial code
+49
Internet TLD
.de (one of the ten most frequent top-level domains)
Official language
German. German is the mother tongue of 100 million people. German is the mother tongue spoken most frequently in the European Union
GEOGRAPHY
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Germany is a federation made up of 16 federal states, each of which has independent if constrained state authority |
Location
Central Europe
Size
357,021 km²
Borders
3,757 km
Coastline
2,389 km
Neighboring states
Germany is at the heart of Europe and has nine neighbors:
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland
Highest mountain
Zugspitze 2963 m
Longest rivers
Rhine 865 km, Elbe 700 km, Danube 647 km (in Germany)
Largest cities
Berlin 3.4 million inhabitants, Hamburg (1.8m), Munich (1.3m), Cologne (1.0m), Frankfurt/Main (662,000)
Landscape
From the North Sea to the Baltic Sea in the North to the Alps in the South, Germany is structured geographically as follows: the North German lowlands, the Mittelgebirge ridge, the Southwest German subdued mountains and terraced landscape, the South German piedmont and the Bavarian Alps
Climate
Moderate oceanic/continental climatic zone with frequent changes in weather and primarily westerly winds
POPULATION
Inhabitants
With 82.3 million inhabitants (of which 42.0 million are women) Germany has the largest population of any EU member state. Around 7.3 million foreigners live in Germany (8.8 percent of the total population) and of them 1.7 million are Turks
Population density
With 231 inhabitants per square kilometer Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe
Births
On average 1.3 children per woman
Population growth
–0.1%
Age structure
14% less than 15, 20% over 65
Life expectancy
With an average life expectancy of 77 years for men and 82 for women (born in 2006) Germany is above the OECD mean
Urbanization
88% of the population live in cities and conurbations. In Germany, there are 82 cities with a population of over 100,000
Religions
Just under 53 million people profess to be Christians (26m Catholics, 26m Protestants, 900,000 members of the Orthodox churches), 3.3m are Muslims, 230,000 Buddhists, 100,000 Jews, 90,000 Hindus. The Basic Law guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion. There is no state religion
Immigration
Since 2005, the new Immigration Act regulates immigration
POLITICAL SYSTEM
Legislation
Bicameral system: in addition to the Bundestag, the Bundesrat (consisting of delegates of the state governments to uphold the states’ interests) participates in legislation
State structure
Germany is a federation consisting of 16 federal states, each with its own constitution, parliament and government. The highest state authority is exercised by the federal government. Through the agency of the Bundesrat, the states are represented at the federal level and participate in federal legislation.
Suffrage
Universal, equal and secret suffrage as of 18 years of age (in the case of municipal elections in part as of 16), elections to the Bundestag are held every four years.
Federal President
Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler (CDU) since 2004
Federal Chancellor
Dr. Angela Merkel (CDU) since 2005
Party system
Multi-party system, parties have a special constitutional status, receive state financial support, can only be prohibited by the Federal Constitutional Court
Parties represented in the Bundestag
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (The Greens), Free Democratic Party (FDP), Die Linke (The Left)
Legal system
Germany is a social constitutional state. It is based on the principle of a division of powers and the lawful administration. All organs of state are subject to the constitutional order. The Basic Law guarantees every individual citizen basic and human rights. The Federal Constitutional Court watches over adherence to the Basic Law. All the other organs of state are bound to uphold its rulings
International cooperation
Germany joins its European and transatlantic partners in championing peace, democracy and human rights the world over. Germany is a member in key European and other international organizations
European Union
The Federal Republic of Germany is a founding member of the European Union (EU). Germany contributes around EUR 22 billion or some 20% of the EU budget and is thus the single largest contributor.
United Nations
Germany has been a full member of the United Nations (UN) since 1973. Germany contributes just under 9 percent of the regular UN budget and is third largest contributor. Germany is a state with a UN seat: Since 1996 Bonn has had the title of “UN City”; 16 UN organizations are based there
Other organizations and alliances
Germany is a member of the NATO defense alliance (since 1955), the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Federal Foreign Office
The Federal Foreign Office, which is headquartered in Berlin and its network of 226 foreign representative offices represents Germany in the world. Germany currently maintains diplomatic relations with 191 countries
Out-of-area operations
The German Armed Forces are committed to nine peace-keeping and humanitarian operations outside the country, all of which are under UN mandates and are carried out in the framework of NATO and the EU. It is one of the countries providing the largest number of troops for international crisis prevention and conflict management missions
Economic prowess
Germany is the largest economy in the European Union and the third largest in the world. With the highest GDP and the largest number of inhabitants in the EU, Germany is Europe’s most important market. Gross Domestic Product comes to EUR 2,423 billion (2007), GNP per capita is EUR 29,455
Export
Germany is the world’s leading exporter: the volume of goods exported came to EUR 969 billion in 2007. Key trading partners: France (9.5%), USA (8.7%), Great Britain (7.2 %), Italy (6.6%)
Structure
Alongside internationally active corporations, SMEs form the backbone of the German economy. Around 70% of all employees work in small and medium sized enterprises
Key sectors
Car-making; mechanical, electrical and precision engineering; chemicals; environmental technology; optics; medical technology; biotech and genetic engineering; nanotechnology; aerospace; logistics
Investment magnet
Germany strongly attracts foreign investors. The world’s 500 largest corporations are present here, a total of 22,000 foreign companies with a total staff of 2.7 million. Foreign direct investments amounted to US$ 503 billion in 2005.
Infrastructure
Germany has a highly developed infrastructure that is growing dynamically. Its rail network covers 36,000 km, and the road network 230,000 km. The country boasts one of the world’s most modern phone and communication networks
Trade fairs
About two thirds of all the world’s keynote trade fairs take place in Germany (about 160 international trade fairs)
Patent registrations
Germany is Europe’s no. 1 in terms of patent registrations. Together with Japan and the United States, Germany, with its 11,188 triad patent registrations, is among the world’s three most innovative countries.
Leading Research institutes
Since 1948, 17 Nobel prizes have been won by Max Planck Society scientists. Likewise internationally renowned: the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for applied research, the Leibniz Gesellschaft and the Helmholtz Association with 15 internationally leading large research institutions
Freedom of opinion
The Basic Law guarantees the freedom of the press and freedom of opinion
Press
Around 350 daily newspapers with a total circulation of 24 million copies and coverage of 73% of the population. Largest nationwide subscription newspapers: Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Welt. With a circulation of 3.6 million, “Bild”-Zeitung has the largest print run in Europe. Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) is the world’s fourth largest news agency
Magazines
Der Spiegel, Stern, Focus
Internet
95% of companies and 61% of private households have access to the Internet
Radio, TV
Two-prong system: alongside the public (license-based) radio and TV stations (ARD, ZDF) there are private (ad-financed) channels. ZDF is the largest broadcasting station in Europe. Germany’s foreign radio station is Deutsche Welle (DW-TV, DW-Radio, DW-world.de and DW-Akademie)
Social security
Germany has an elaborate network of social security systems (pension, health, healthcare and unemployment insurance), financed in equal measure by employees and employers alike
Health
Almost all Germany’s inhabitants have health insurance (88% on statutory and just under 12 % in private insurance schemes). Given total outlays on health of 10.7% of GDP, Germany is well above the OECD average of 9.0%
HIGHER EDUCATION
Higher education
There are 383 institutes of higher education in Germany, 103 of them universities, and 176 universities of the applied sciences. 947,000 or 48% of the total of some two million students are women. Whether tuition fees are charged and the scale difference from one state to the next. In seven states, fees of about EUR 500 per semester are charged for new students, and fees are levied almost everywhere for students who have exceed ten terms or are studying for the second time.
Foreign students
246,000 foreign students are enrolled at German institutes of higher education. After the United States and Great Britain, Germany is thus third most attractive country world-wide for foreign students
Degrees
Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D., State Examination, Diploma, Magister, Promotion
Tradition
German writers, composers and philosophers such as Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Beethoven, Kant and Hegel have strongly influenced cultural epochs and are acclaimed figures the world over
Culture federalism
Germany’s federal structure and the cultural sovereignty of each federal state ensure that the country boasts a wealth of different cultural institutions and a vibrant cultural scene. Berlin, as the capital city, is a spectacular case in point, with three opera houses, 120 museums, more than 50 theaters and a lively art community that also attracts many young foreign artists
Cultural institutions
5,000 museums (of them 500 art museums), 300 theaters, over 100 musical theaters and opera houses, 130 professional orchestras, 7,500 libraries
Festivals
Richard Wagner Festival Bayreuth, Bachfest Leipzig, Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), Theatertreffen Berlin, Rock am Ring
Books
95,000 new publications or new editions each year
UNESCO World Heritage
Germany features 32 natural and cultural heritage sites protected under the UNESCO World Heritage program
