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39 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 : [ wn ]
Germany
n : a republic in central Europe; split into East German and
West Germany after World War II and reunited in 1990
[syn: Federal Republic of Germany, Deutschland, FRG]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 : [ world02 ]
Germany
Introduction Germany
--------------------
Background: As Europe's largest economy and most
populous nation, Germany remains a
key member of the continent's
economic, political, and defense
organizations. European power
struggles immersed the country 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 2002, Germany and 11
other EU countries introduced a
common European currency, the euro.
Geography Germany
-----------------
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic
Sea and the North Sea, between the
Netherlands and Poland, south of
Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 357,021 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 3,621 km
border countries: 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
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy,
wet winters and summers; occasional
warm foehn wind
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in
center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber,
lignite, uranium, copper, natural
gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Land use: arable land: 33.88%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 65.47% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,850 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
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 party to: Air Pollution, Air
agreements: Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-
Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-
Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-
Marine Living Resources, Antarctic
Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location on North European
Plain and along the entrance to the
Baltic Sea
People Germany
--------------
Population: 83,251,851 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.4% (male 6,568,699;
female 6,227,148)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 28,606,964;
female 27,695,539)
65 years and over: 17% (male
5,546,140; female 8,607,361) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.26% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 8.99 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 3.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.78 years
female: 81.09 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.64 years
Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 37,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other
6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-
Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek,
Polish, Spanish)
Religions: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%,
Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other
28.3%
Languages: German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 99% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Germany
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Federal
Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German
Republic, German Reich
local long form: Bundesrepublik
Deutschland
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Berlin
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 powers
formally relinquished rights 15
March 1991
National holiday: Unity Day, 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 Johannes
RAU (since 1 July 1999)
elections: president elected for a
five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of
the Federal Assembly and an equal
number of delegates elected by the
state parliaments; election last
held 23 May 1999 (next to be held 23
May 2004); chancellor elected by an
absolute majority of the Federal
Assembly for a four-year term;
election last held 27 September 1998
(next to be held 22 September 2002)
head of government: Chancellor
Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister
(Federal Ministers) appointed by the
president on the recommendation of
the chancellor
election results: Johannes RAU
elected president; percent of
Federal Convention vote - 57.6%;
Gerhard SCHROEDER elected
chancellor; percent of Federal
Assembly - 52.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament
consists of the Federal Assembly or
Bundestag (656 seats usually, but
666 for the 1998 term; note - the
number of seats will be reduced to
598 for 2002 elections; elected by
popular vote under a system
combining direct and proportional
representation; a party must win 5%
of the national vote or three direct
mandates to gain representation;
members serve four-year terms) and
the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69
votes; state governments are
directly represented by votes; each
has 3 to 6 votes depending on
population and are required to vote
as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last
held 27 September 1998 (next to be
held 22 September 2002); 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: Federal Assembly -
percent of vote by party - SPD
40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%,
CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%;
seats by party - SPD 294, Alliance
'90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43,
PDS 37; Federal Council - current
composition - NA
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 Fritz KUHN]; Christian
Democratic Union or CDU [Angela
MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or
CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free
Democratic Party or FDP [Guido
WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Party of
Democratic Socialism or PDS [Gregor
GYSI]; Social Democratic Party or
SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and employers' organizations; expellee,
leaders: refugee, trade unions, and veterans
groups
International organization AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC,
participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB
(nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Wolfgang Friedrich ISHINGER
consulate(s): Wellington (America
Samoa)
consulate(s) general: Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San
Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW,
Washington, DC 20007
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel
US: R. COATS
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse
4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new
embassy will be built near the
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000,
APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0
FAX: [49] (030) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf,
Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig,
Munich
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of
black (top), red, and gold
Economy Germany
---------------
Economy - overview: Germany's affluent and
technologically powerful economy
turned in a relatively weak
performance throughout much of the
1990s. The modernization and
integration of the eastern German
economy continues to be a costly
long-term problem, with annual
transfers from west to east
amounting to roughly $70 billion.
Germany's ageing population,
combined with high unemployment, has
pushed social security outlays to a
level exceeding contributions from
workers. Structural rigidities in
the labor market - including strict
regulations on laying off workers
and the setting of wages on a
national basis - have made
unemployment a chronic problem.
Business and income tax cuts
introduced in 2001 did not spare
Germany from the impact of the
downturn in international trade, and
domestic demand faltered as
unemployment began to rise. The
government expects growth to gain
pace in the second half of 2002, but
to fall short of 1% for the year
again. Corporate restructuring and
growing capital markets are setting
the foundations that could allow
Germany to meet the long-term
challenges of European economic
integration and globalization,
particularly if labor market
rigidities are addressed.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.174
trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $26,200
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 28%
services: 71% (2000)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 3.6%
percentage share: highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini 30 (1994)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2001)
Labor force: 41.9 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%,
services 63.8% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $802 billion
expenditures: $825 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001 est.)
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
Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 537.328 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 63.08%
hydro: 3.65%
other: 3.27% (2000)
nuclear: 30%
Electricity - consumption: 501.716 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 42.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 44.5 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar
beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle,
pigs, poultry
Exports: $560.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals,
metals and manufactures, foodstuffs,
textiles
Exports - partners: EU 56% (France 11%, UK 8%, Italy 8%,
Netherlands 6%, Belgium/Luxembourg
5%), US 10%, Japan 2% (2000)
Imports: $472.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals,
foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners: EU 52% (France 10%, Netherlands 9%,
Italy 7%, UK 7%, Belgium/Luxembourg
5%), US 9%, Japan 5% (2000)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Currency: euro (EUR); deutsche mark (DEM)
note: on 1 January 1999, the
European Monetary Union introduced
the euro as a common currency to be
used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002,
the euro became the sole currency
for everyday transactions within the
member countries
Currency code: EUR; DEM
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324
(January 2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999);
deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69
(January 1999), 1.7597 (1998),
1.7341 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Germany
----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 50.9 million (March 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.3 million (June 2001)
Telephone 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: 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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 77.8 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 51.4 million (1998)
Internet country code: .de
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 200 (2001)
Internet users: 28.64 million (2001)
Transportation Germany
----------------------
Railways: total: 44,000 km (including at least
20,300 km electrified); most routes
are double- or multiple-track
note: since privatization in 1994,
Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no longer
publishes details of the track it
owns; in addition to the DBAG system
there are 102 privately owned
railway companies which own
approximately 3,000 to 4,000 km of
track (2001 est.)
Highways: total: 656,140 km
paved: 650,891 km (including 11,400
km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,249 km (all-weather)
(1998 est.)
Waterways: 7,500 km
note: major rivers include the Rhine
and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important
connection between the Baltic Sea
and North Sea (1999)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,240 km (2001)
Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen,
Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden,
Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe,
Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim,
Rostock, Stuttgart
Merchant marine: total: 388 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 5,758,942 GRT/7,132,525 DWT
ships by type: cargo 132, chemical
tanker 10, container 219, liquefied
gas 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker
7, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-
sea passenger 7
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Chile 1, Finland 5,
Iceland 1, Netherlands 3,
Switzerland 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 625 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 325
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 55
914 to 1,523 m: 67
under 914 m: 127 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 300
under 914 m: 238 (2001)
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
Heliports: 59 (2001)
Military Germany
----------------
Military branches: Army, Navy (including naval air
arm), Air Force, Medical Corps,
Joint Support Service
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 20,854,329 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 17,734,977 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 482,318 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $38.8 billion (2002)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.38% (2002)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Germany
----------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit 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
From The CIA World Factbook (1995) : [ world95 ]
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
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)
From Greek Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-el-ALL-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
Αγγλικά n.
(τόπος en χώρα εε ετικ=1) η Γερμανία
From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
n.
A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine,
Elbe, and upper Danube rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under
its various governments.
From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
n.
A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine,
Elbe, and upper Danube rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under
its various governments.
From English Wiktionary: Western, Greek, and Slavonic languages only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western_Greek_Slavonic-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
n.
A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine,
Elbe, and upper Danube rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under
its various governments.
From English Wiktionary: Western languages only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
n.
A nation or civilization occupying the country around the Rhine,
Elbe, and upper Danube rivers in Central Europe, taken as a whole under
its various governments.
From Finnish Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-fi-ALL-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
Englanti n.
(''valtio'') Saksa
From Albanian Wiktionary [incomplete] (2016-11-13) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-sq-ALL-2016-11-13 ]
Germany
Anglishte n.
Gjermania
From Swedish Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-sv-ALL-2023-07-27 ]
Germany
Engelska n.
(tagg kat=länder språk=en) Tyskland
From English-Afrikaans FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 : [ freedict:eng-afr ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Duitsland
From English-Arabic FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.6.3 : [ freedict:eng-ara ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
ألمانيا
From English-български език FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-bul ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
Герма́ния, Германия
country in Central Europe
From English-Czech dicts.info/FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 : [ freedict:eng-ces ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Německo
From English-Czech dicts.info/FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 : [ freedict:eng-ces ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
[zem] Německo
From Eurfa Saesneg, English-Welsh Eurfa/Freedict dictionary ver. 0.2.3 : [ freedict:eng-cym ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Almaen
From English-Danish FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.0 : [ freedict:eng-dan ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Tyskland
From English - German Ding/FreeDict dictionary ver. 1.9-fd1 : [ freedict:eng-deu ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Deutschland [geogr.] DE, /dˈə/
Note: Kfz:
see: Northern Germany, North Germany, Eastern Germany, East Germany, Southern Germany, South Germany, Western Germany, West Germany
From English - Modern Greek XDXF/FreeDict dictionary ver. 0.1.1 : [ freedict:eng-ell ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Γερμανία
From English-suomi FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-fin ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
Saksa
country in Central Europe
From English-French FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.6 : [ freedict:eng-fra ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Allemagne
From English-Irish FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.2 : [ freedict:eng-gle ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
An Ghearmáin
From English-Croatian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.2.2 : [ freedict:eng-hrv ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Njemačka, njemački
From English-Bahasa Indonesia FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-ind ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
Jerman
country in Central Europe
From English-Italian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.2 : [ freedict:eng-ita ]
Germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
Germania
From English-日本語 (にほんご) FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-jpn ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
ドイツ, 独逸
country in Central Europe
From English-Lithuanian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.7.2 : [ freedict:eng-lit ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Vokietija
From English-Norsk FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-nor ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
Tyskland, Føderale Republikken Tyskland
country in Central Europe
From English - Polish Piotrowski+Saloni/FreeDict dictionary ver. 0.2 : [ freedict:eng-pol ]
Germany /ˈʤɜ:mənɪ/
Niemcy
From English-Portuguese FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3 : [ freedict:eng-por ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Alemanha
From English-Russian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.1 : [ freedict:eng-rus ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Германия
From English-Spanish FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.1 : [ freedict:eng-spa ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Alemania
From English-Serbian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 : [ freedict:eng-srp ]
Germany /dʒəːməniː/
Немачка, Њемачка
From English-Svenska FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 : [ freedict:eng-swe ]
Germany //ˈd͡ʒɜː.mə.ni// //ˈd͡ʒɝ.mə.ni//
Tyskland
country in Central Europe
From English-Turkish FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3 : [ freedict:eng-tur ]
germany /dʒˈɜːməni/
1. Almanya.
From IPA:en_US : [ IPA:en_US ]
/ˈdʒɝməni/
From Stardic English-Chinese Dictionary : [ stardic ]
n. 德国;
From XDICT the English-Chinese dictionary : [ xdict ]
Germany
n. 德国
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