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This page was last updated on 4 September 2008


Map of Germany



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Germany Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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.
   Geography    Germany Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 357,021 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
2,389 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 33.13%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 66.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
4,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
188 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%)
per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
flooding
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
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 agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
   People    Germany Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
82,369,552 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 5,826,066/female 5,524,568)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 27,763,917/female 26,739,934)
65 years and over: 20% (male 6,892,743/female 9,622,320) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 43.4 years
male: 42.2 years
female: 44.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.044% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.945 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 79.1 years
male: 76.11 years
female: 82.26 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
43,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
German
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.6% (2004)
People - note:
Definition Field Listing
second most populous country in Europe after Russia
   Government    Germany Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
federal republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Berlin
geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen, and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat)
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3 October 1990
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second 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 scheduled for 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; Bundestag vote for Chancellor last held 22 November 2005 (next will follow the national elections to be held by autumn 2009)
election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to 202 with 12 abstentions
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (614 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 proportional representation and caucus recognition; to serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has three to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Bundestag - last held on 18 September 2005 (next to be held no later than autumn 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
election results: Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%, other 3.9%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 53, Greens 51, independents 2
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Erwin HUBER]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE]; Left Party or Die Linke [Lothar BISKY and Oskar LAFONTAINE]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Kurt BECK]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
other: business associations and employers' organizations; religious, trade unions, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council (observer), 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, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador William R. TIMKEN, Jr.
embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 10117 Berlin; note - new embassy opened 4 July 2008
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (030) 2375174
FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
   Economy    Germany Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world in PPP terms - showed considerable improvement in 2007 with 2.6% growth. After a long period of stagnation with an average growth rate of 0.7% between 2001-05 and chronically high unemployment, stronger growth led to a considerable fall in unemployment to about 8% near the end of 2007. Among the most important reasons for Germany's high unemployment during the past decade were macroeconomic stagnation, the declining level of investment in plant and equipment, company restructuring, flat domestic consumption, structural rigidities in the labor market, lack of competition in the service sector, and high interest rates. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.81 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$3.322 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$34,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 0.8%
industry: 29%
services: 70.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
43.51 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 33.4%
services: 63.8% (1999)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
11% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 22.1% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
28 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.3% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
18.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $1.476 trillion
expenditures: $1.473 trillion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
63.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
579.4 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
545.5 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
61.43 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
56.86 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
141,700 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.618 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
518,700 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.953 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
367.2 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
19.9 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
96.84 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.42 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
86.99 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
246.5 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$185 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.334 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 9.7%, US 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.089 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Netherlands 12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China 6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5.6%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2006)
Economic aid - donor:
Definition Field Listing
ODA, $10.44 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$136.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.489 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$811 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.123 trillion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.221 trillion (2005)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
euro (EUR)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Germany Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
54.2 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
84.3 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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: 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)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.de
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
16.494 million (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
38.6 million (2006)
   Transportation    Germany Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
550 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 331
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 52
1,524 to 2,437 m: 58
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 135 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 219
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 181 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
28 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
condensate 37 km; gas 25,094 km; oil 3,546 km; refined products 3,828 km (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 48,215 km
standard gauge: 47,962 km 1.435-m gauge (20,278 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 231,500 km
paved: 231,500 km (includes 12,400 km of expressways) (2006)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7,467 km
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2006)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 391 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,948,287 GRT/15,211,242 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 47, chemical tanker 12, container 280, liquefied gas 5, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 10 (China 2, Cyprus 1, Finland 4, Ireland 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1)
registered in other countries: 2,878 (Antigua and Barbuda 924, Australia 2, Bahamas 48, Bermuda 22, Brazil 6, Bulgaria 1, Burma 3, Canada 3, Cayman Islands 15, Cyprus 200, Denmark 9, Faroe Islands 1, Finland 2, France 1, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 120, Hong Kong 5, Isle of Man 56, Italy 3, Jamaica 2, Liberia 826, Luxembourg 8, Malaysia 2, Malta 78, Marshall Islands 224, Morocco 1, Netherlands 72, Netherlands Antilles 48, Norway 2, NZ 1, Panama 44, Portugal 22, Russia 1, Singapore 24, Slovakia 2, Spain 5, Sri Lanka 5, St Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Sweden 4, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Bremen, Bremerhaven, Duisburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Lubeck, Rostock, Wilhemshaven
   Military    Germany Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 19,594,118
females age 16-49: 18,543,955 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 15,906,930
females age 16-49: 15,051,183 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 442,972
females age 16-49: 420,801 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.5% (2005 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Germany Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
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

This page was last updated on 4 September 2008


 

Source : The World Factbook