Country Profile As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, 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. Disputes
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Population and Demographics
Germany has a population of 82,369,548 (July 2008 est.) .
| Capital | Berlin |
| Main urban areas | Bonn, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich |
| Ethnic groups | German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) |
| Languages spoken | German |
| Population age 0-14: 13.8% (m 5,826,066/f 5,524,568) |  | | |
| 0-14 | 15-64 | 65+ | |
| Gender ratios At birth: 1.06 m/f , 0-14: 1.05 m/f , 15-64: 1.04 m/f , 65+: 0.72 m/f | |||
Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)
The population growth rate for Germany is -0.044% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 43.4 years male: 42.2 years female: 44.7 years (2008 est.).
Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for Germany are illustrated with a green bar.
| Life Expectancy: | Total population: 79.1 years Male: 76.11 years Female: 82.26 years (2008 est.) |  [79.1] [64.77][Male:, m] [63.16, m][, f][66.47, f] |
| Fertility: | 1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.) | [1.41][2.59] |
| Births: | 8.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [8.18][20.05] |
| Deaths: | 10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [10.8][8.67] |
| Infants: | Total: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 3.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) | [4.03][48.87][4.46, m][50.98, m][3.58, f][46.65, f] |
Economic Data
Economy Overview
The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The former government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER launched a comprehensive set of reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor Angela MERKEL has initiated other reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female participation in the labor market. Germany’s aging population, combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006-07 and a 3% rise in the value-added tax pushed Germany’s budget deficit well below the EU’s 3% debt limit.
Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could help Germany meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, although some economists continue to argue the need for change in inflexible labor and services markets. Growth may fall below 2% in 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit markets, and slowing growth abroad take their toll.
Debt and Aid
Debt: $4.489 trillion (30 June 2007)
Aid Given: ODA, $10.44 billion (2006)
Aid Received:
Labour Force
Number in labour force: 43.51 million (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 33.4% services: 63.8% (1999)
Unemployment: 8.4% 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% (2007 est.)
GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: euro (EUR)
GDP: $2.81 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $34,200 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 2.5% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 0.8% industry: 29% services: 70.1% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 2.1% (2007 est.)
Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
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
Land use: arable land: 33.13% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 66.27% (2005)
Exports: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Electricity Consumption: 545.5 billion kWh (2005)
Natural Gas Consumption: 96.84 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Oil Consumption: 2.618 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Geographic Data
Germany is located in Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark, in the timezone GMT 1. The country has boundaries of 3,621 - Austria 784, Belgium 167, Czech Republic 646, Denmark 68, France 451, Luxembourg 138, Netherlands 577, Poland 456, Switzerland 334 (km), and a coastline of 2,389 (km). Major urban areas: Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich.
Elevations
Lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
Highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Physical Features
Bavarian Alps in south, Harz mountains, Elbe river, Danube river, lowlands in north, uplands in centre
Hazards
Flooding
Climate
Temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Natural Resources
Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Land Use
Arable land: 33.13% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 66.27% (2005)
Renewable Water Resources
188 cu km (2005)
Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%) per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)
Environmental 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
Transport and Communications
A selection of key transport and communications information for Germany
Number of main telephone lines
54.2 million (2006)
Mobile (cellular) phones
84.3 million (2006)
Radio stations
AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television stations
373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Internet users
38.6 million (2006)
Country internet code
.de
Railways
total: 47,201 km standard gauge: 46,948 km 1.435-m gauge (19,674 km electrified) narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2005)
Highways
total: 231,581 km paved: 231,581 km (including 12,200 km of expressways) (2005)
Waterways
7,467 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2005)
Pipelines
condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined products 3,827 km (2004)
Ports and harbours
Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven
Airports
550 (2007)
Heliports
28 (2007)
