The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance

       to the Baltic Sea

      People Germany

      Population:

       82,431,390 (July 2005 est.)

      Age structure:

       0–14 years: 14.4% (male 6,078,885/female 5,766,065)

       15–64 years: 66.7% (male 28,006,268/female 27,003,958)

       65 years and over: 18.9% (male 6,359,776/female 9,216,438) (2005

       est.)

      Median age:

       total: 42.16 years

       male: 40.88 years

       female: 43.53 years (2005 est.)

      Population growth rate:

       0% (2005 est.)

      Birth rate:

       8.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

      Death rate:

       10.55 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

      Net migration rate:

       2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

      Sex ratio:

       at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

       under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

       15–64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

       65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

       total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

       total: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births

       male: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births

       female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

       total population: 78.65 years

       male: 75.66 years

       female: 81.81 years (2005 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

       1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

       0.1% (2001 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

       43,000 (2001 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

       less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

      Nationality:

       noun: German(s)

       adjective: German

      Ethnic groups:

       German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek,

       Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, 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% (1997 est.)

       male: NA%

       female: NA%

      Government Germany

      Country name:

       conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany

       conventional short form: Germany

       local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland

       local short form: Deutschland

       former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

      Government type:

       federal republic

      Capital:

       Berlin

      Administrative divisions:

       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*

      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 Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)

       head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October

       1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER (since 17 October 1998)

       cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by

       the president on the recommendation of the chancellor

       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 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)

       election results: 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%

      Legislative branch:

       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