Germany, Federal Republic of: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Federal Republic of Germany

Capital

Berlin

Area

356,970 sq km

137,827 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Baden-Württemberg

10,693,000 (2004 estimate)

Bavaria

12,423,000 (2004 estimate)

Berlin

3,388,000 (2004 estimate)

Brandenburg

2,575,000 (2004 estimate)

Bremen

663,000 (2004 estimate)

Hamburg

1,734,000 (2004 estimate)

Hesse

6,089,000 (2004 estimate)

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

1,732,000 (2004 estimate)

Lower Saxony

7,993,000 (2004 estimate)

North Rhine-Westphalia

18,080,000 (2004 estimate)

Rhineland-Palatinate

4,059,000 (2004 estimate)

Saarland

1,061,000 (2004 estimate)

Saxony

4,321,000 (2004 estimate)

Saxony-Anhalt

2,523,000 (2004 estimate)

Schleswig-Holstein

2,823,000 (2004 estimate)

Thuringia

2,373,000 (2004 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

Berlin

3,387,800 (2005 estimate)

Hamburg

1,734,800 (2005 estimate)

Munich

1,249,200 (2005 estimate)

Cologne

969,700 (2005 estimate)

Frankfurt

646,900 (2005 estimate)

Stuttgart

590,700 (2005 estimate)

Dortmund

588,700 (2005 estimate)

Essen

588,100 (2005 estimate)

Düsseldorf

572,700 (2005 estimate)

Bremen

545,900 (2005 estimate)

Hannover

515,800 (2005 estimate)

Duisburg

504,400 (2005 estimate)

Leipzig

498,500 (2005 estimate)

Nuremberg

495,300 (2005 estimate)

Dresden

487,400 (2005 estimate)

Bochum

388,200 (2005 estimate)

Wuppertal

361,100 (2005 estimate)

Bielefeld

328,000 (2005 estimate)

Bonn

311,900 (2005 estimate)

Mannheim

307,500 (2005 estimate)

Population

82,400,996 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

-0.03 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

236 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

611 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

88 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

12 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

79 years (2007 estimate)

Female

82.1 years (2007 estimate)

Male

76 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

4 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99 per cent (1995)

Female

Not available

Male

Not available

Ethnic divisions

German

91.5 per cent

Turkish

2.3 per cent

Italian

0.7 per cent

Greek

0.4 per cent

Polish

0.4 per cent

Other

4.7 per cent

Languages

German (official), Saxon (Upper and Low), Kölsch, Bavarian, Polish, Plautdietsch, Romani, Sorbian (Upper and Lower), Frisian (Eastern and Northern), and other indigenous languages

Religions

Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim, unaffiliated, other

Type of government

Federal republic

Independence

Germany was unified on January 18, 1871.

NOTE: In 1945, following World War II, the country was divided into four zones of occupation, and later the zones became the nations of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany). West and East Germany were unified on 3 October 1990 and the four former occupying nations officially relinquished any power in the country on 15 March 1991.

Constitution

May 23, 1949, known as Basic Law; it became the constitution of the united Germany on October 3, 1990

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

2,794,926 million (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

33,890.50 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

0.9 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

29.7 per cent (2005)

GDP, services

69.4 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

871,524 million (2005)

Total expenditure

801,510 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 euro (EUR), consisting of 100 cents

Euro (€) notes and coins replaced the Deutschmark (DM) as the national currency on January 1, 2002.

Exports

Manufactured goods (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products, raw materials, fuels

Imports

Manufactured goods, agricultural products, fuels, raw materials

Major trading partners for exports

France, United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands

Major trading partners for imports

France, Netherlands, Italy, United States, United Kingdom

Industries

Iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics; food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles, petroleum refining

Agriculture

Potatoes, wheat, barley, rye, sugar beet, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry

Natural resources

Iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, petroleum, hydroelectric power, salt, nickel

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.