Hauptinhalt
Germany
Last updated March 2012
| Name | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Climate | Germany lies in the moderately cool west wind zone between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental climate in the East. |
| Location | The country’s maximum extension from north to south is 876 kilometres as the crow flies, and from west to east 640 kilometres. |
| Area | 357,050 sq km |
| Capital | Berlin (3.4 million inhabitants) |
| Population | 82.3 million inhabitants, of whom 8.8% are foreigners |
| Languages | German Minority languages: Frisian, Sorbian, Danish and Romany |
| Religions | Protestants (33% of the population); Catholics (33% of the population); Muslims (4% of the population); 108,000 members of Jewish communities, and others |
| National Day | 3 October, Day of German Unity (reunification in 1990). |
| System of Government | Democratic and social federal system |
| Head of State | Federal President Joachim Gauck, since March 2012 |
| Head of Government | Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, since November 2005. |
| Foreign Minister | Federal Foreign Minister Gudo Westerwelle, since Ocrober 2009 |
| Parliament | German Bundestag (Lower House), 614 members elected for a four-year term. Bundestag President Dr. Norbert Lammert (CDU/CSU). German Bundesrat (Upper House), representation of the 16 federal states, comprising members of the federal state governments. The office of Bundesrat President is held by one of the federal states’ Minister-Presidents, elected for a one-year term. |
| Governing Parties | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), 239 seats Free Democratic Party, 93 seats |
| Opposition | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), 146 seats Left Party, 76 seats Alliance 90/The Greens, 68 seats 3 independent members |
| Administrative structure | Federation comprising 16 federal states (Länder) |
| Membership in international organisations | United Nations (1973), NATO (1955), Council of Europe (1950), OECD (1961), EC (1957), OSCE (1975) and all important United Nations specialized agencies. |
| Principal Media | Public-service radio and television stations (ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, etc.) as well as a large number of commercial radio and television stations (including RTL, SAT 1, Pro 7, Kabel 1). Over 300 daily newspapers, including Bild, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Welt, and the weekly Die Zeit. Several nationwide news magazines (Spiegel, Focus, etc.). |
| Gross National Product | EUR 2.491 billion (2008) |
| Per-Capita GNP | EUR 30,270 (2008) |