]! ^! 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 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. 
]" ^" Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark ^# 51 00 N, 9 00 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 357,021 sq km `" 349,223 sq km `# 7,798 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Montana ^' `! 3,621 km `U 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 ^( 2,389 km ^) `$ 12 nm `I 200 nm `J 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind ^+ lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south ^, `% Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m `& Zugspitze 2,963 m ^- coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land ^. `' 33.85% `( 0.59% `) 65.56% (2001) ^/ 4,850 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 flooding ^1 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 _J `K 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 `L none of the selected agreements ^2 strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea 
]# ^3 82,431,390 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 14.4% (male 6,078,885/female 5,766,065) `+ 66.7% (male 28,006,268/female 27,003,958) `, 18.9% (male 6,359,776/female 9,216,438) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 42.16 years `- 40.88 years `. 43.53 years (2005 est.) ^6 0% (2005 est.) ^7 8.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 10.55 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.06 male(s)/female `0 1.05 male(s)/female `+ 1.04 male(s)/female `, 0.69 male(s)/female `1 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births `- 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births `. 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 78.65 years `- 75.66 years `. 81.81 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 43,000 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 1,000 (2003 est.) ^A `2 German(s) `3 German ^B German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) ^C Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% ^D German ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 99% (1997 est.) `- NA% `. NA% 
]$ ^F `4 Federal Republic of Germany `5 Germany `V Bundesrepublik Deutschland `W Deutschland `X German Empire, German Republic, German Reich ^H federal republic ^I Berlin ^J 13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states* (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen* ^K 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 ^L Unity Day, 3 October (1990) ^M 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990 ^N civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004) `7 Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER (since 17 October 1998) `8 Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor `9 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 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006) `: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7% ^Q bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (613 seats; 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) `9 Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009); 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 `: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51; Federal Council - current composition - NA ^R Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat) ^S Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party or PDS/WASG [Oskar LAFONTAINE and Gregor GYSI]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING] ^T business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups ^U AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER `O 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 `P [1] (202) 298-8140 `Q [1] (202) 298-4249 `R Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco ^W `N Ambassador Daniel R. COATS `Z Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008 `[ PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265 `P [49] (030) 8305-0 `Q [49] (030) 8305-1215 `R Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich ^X three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold 
]% ^Y Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the euro zone. A quick turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%, rising to 1.7% in 2004. 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 $70 billion. Germany's aging 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. 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 further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit. ^Z $2.362 trillion (2004 est.) ^[ 1.7% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2004 est.) ^] `; 1% `< 31% `= 68% (2002 est.) ^^ 42.63 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 2.8%, industry 33.4%, services 63.8% (1999) ^` 10.6% (2004 est.) ^a NA _! `> 3.6% `? 25.1% (1997) _d 30 (1994) _" 1.6% (2004 est.) _P 17.6% of GDP (2004) _# `@ $1.2 trillion `A $1.3 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _Q 65.8% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry _% 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 _& 2.2% (2004 est.) _' 560 billion kWh (2003) _( 519.5 billion kWh (2003) _) 53.8 billion kWh (2003) _* 45.8 billion kWh (2003) _+ 74,100 bbl/day (2003) _, 2.891 million bbl/day (2003) _- 12,990 bbl/day (2003) _. 2.135 million bbl/day (2003) _R 395.8 million bbl (1 January 2004) _S 21 billion cu m (2003) _T 99.55 billion cu m (2003) _U 7.731 billion cu m (2003) _V 85.02 billion cu m (2003) _W 293 billion cu m (1 January 2004) _X $73.59 billion (2004 est.) _/ $893.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles _1 France 10.3%, US 8.8%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 6.2%, Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5% (2004) _2 $716.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals _4 France 9%, Netherlands 8.3%, US 7%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.9%, China 5.6%, Belgium 4.9%, Austria 4.2% (2004) _Y $96.84 billion (2003) _5 NA _Z ODA, $5.6 billion (1998) _7 euro (EUR) 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 _8 euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 54.35 million (2003) _; 64.8 million (2003) _< `B 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 `C 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 `D 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) _= AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998) _> 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995) _? .de _@ 2,686,119 (2004) _A 39 million (2003) 
]' _e `! 46,142 km (20,100 km electrified) `b 45,928 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified) `c 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2004) _B `! 230,735 km `E 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways) `F 0 km (1999) _b 7,300 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004) _[ condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined products 3,827 km (2004) _C Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven _K `! 332 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631 DWT by type: cargo 69, chemical tanker 13, container 208, liquefied gas 3, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4 `S 5 (Finland 2, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1, UAE 1) `\ 2,289 (2005) _D 550 (2004 est.) _E `! 331 `] 13 `G 51 `^ 62 `_ 71 `T 134 (2004 est.) _L `! 219 `G 1 `^ 2 `_ 31 `T 185 (2004 est.) _\ 34 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Service, Central Medical Service _M 18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004) _] males age 18-49: 18,917,537 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,258,931 (2005 est.) _^ `` 497,048 (2005 est.) _N $35.063 billion (2003) _O 1.5% (2003) 
]) _H none _I 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 