Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany is one of the world's major industrialised
countries, located in the middle of Europe. It is bordered to the north by
the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to its east by Poland and the
Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland and to its west by
France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The country had been split
up after World War II into West and East Germany, but was re-united in 1990.

      Bundesrepublik Deutschland

 National motto: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
    (German: Unity and Justice and Freedom)

 Official
 language         German
 Capital          Berlin
 President:       Johannes Rau
 Chancellor:      Gerhard Schršder
 Area             Ranked 61st
  - Total         356,974 km²
  - % water       2.18%
 Population       Ranked 13th
  - Total (2002)  83,251,851
  - Density       231/km²
                  Treaty of Verdun
 Formation/       (843)
 unification      January 18, 1871,
                  May 23, 1949
                  October 3, 1990

 Currency         Euro¹, German euro coins
 Time zone        UTC +1

 National anthem  Das Lied der Deutschen (Midi)
 Internet TLD     .DE
 Calling Code     49
              Prior to 1999: Deutschmark/Deutsche Mark

History

Main article: History of Germany

The German language and the feeling of "Germanhood" go back more than a
thousand years, but the region now known as Germany was unified as a modern
nation-state only in 1871, when the German Empire was forged from the
northern part of Germany, the North German Confederation, which was
dominated by Prussia, plus Bavaria and several other regions, but excluding
German-speaking Part of Austria. This was the second German Reich, usually
translated as "empire", but also meaning "realm". The first Reich -- known
for much of its existence as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation --
stemmed from the division of the Carolingian Empire in 843, and existed in
varying forms until dissolved in 1806. The Third Reich was that of the
Nazis, which lasted only 12 years, from 1933 to 1945.

Germany, which had become one of the major powers in Europe, became involved
in World War I through ally Austria-Hungary (1914). Germany subsequently
invaded France. After initial advances, the war amounted to a slow war in
the trenches, killing many on both sides. The war ended in 1918, and the
German emperor was forced to abdicate. In the post-war Treaty of Versailles,
Germany was held responsible for the war.

Some people contend that anger over the harsh conditions of the 1919
Versailles Treaty and economic trouble caused by the worldwide economic
crisis starting in 1929 allowed Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi) party to be elected by
the citizens of Germany and to ultimately be allowed to form the government
in 1933 with Hitler as Chancellor. The following year, Hitler took absolute
control by becoming head of state and forcefully getting rid of inner-party
opposition. In 1935 anti-semitism became finally official German policy with
the NŸrnberger Gesetze (Nuremberg Laws). Hitler's policy of annexing
neighbouring lands eventually led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe
on September 1, 1939.

Intially, Germany had many military successes, and gained control over most
of Europe's mainland, a large part of the Soviet Union and North Africa. In
1941, the Germans initiated the Holocaust, the highly organized mass murder
of millions of Jews and others. In 1942-1943, the momentum in the war
switched to the Allied forces against Germany, the major ones being: the
Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. In May 1945, Germany
surrendered after Hitler committed suicide. (See also: German resistance
movement.)

As a result of demands made by Stalin at Yalta and Potsdam, the parts of
Germany east of the Oder and Western Neisse rivers, comprising Pomerania,
Silesia, Danzig and East Prussia, were detached from Germany and annexed to
Poland and the Soviet Union. The German inhabitants, who before the war had
numbered 10 million, were expropriated and expelled. About 2 million
residents of these areas lost their lives in the war and expulsions, which
were essentially completed in 1949. (See Heimatvertriebene.)

Ravaged by the war, Germany and Berlin were split up in four parts, each
controlled by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United
States. This eventually resulted in Germany being split up into two
countries; the western oriented Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, German:
BRD) (West Germany) and the Soviet oriented German Democratic Republic (GDR,
German: DDR) (East Germany).

Germany, especially the West, quickly recovered from the war and became an
important economic power in Europe. In 1990, after the fall of communism in
Europe, the two Germanies were united. The united country currently is one
of the most important nations in Europe and the European Union.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Germany

Germany is a constitutional federal democracy, whose political system is
laid out in the 1949 'constitution' called Grundgesetz (Basic Law).

(There is a german word for constitution; the name Grundgesetz was chosen on
purpose, to reflect the temporary nature of it. There was supposed to be a
'real' constitution, after reunification. After reunification came, the
Grundgesetz was accepted as the official german constitution by parliament.)

It has a parliamentary system in which the head of government, the
Bundeskanzler (Chancellor), is elected by the parliament.

The parliament, called Bundestag (Federal Assembly), is elected every four
years by popular vote in a complex system combining direct and proportional
representation. The 16 BundeslŠnder are represented at the federal level in
the Bundesrat (Federal Council), which -- depending on the subject matter --
may have a say in the legislative procedure.

The function of head of state is performed by the BundesprŠsident (Federal
President), whose powers are mostly limited to ceremonial and representative
duties.

The judiciary branch includes a Constitutional Court called
Bundesverfassungsgericht, which may ultimately overturn all acts by the
legislature or administration.

States

Germany is divided into sixteen BundeslŠnder (singular Bundesland), or
Federal States.

   * Baden-WŸrttemberg
   * Bavaria (Bayern)
   * Berlin (city-state)
   * Brandenburg
   * Bremen (city-state)
   * Hamburg (city-state)
   * Hesse (Hessen)
   * Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
   * Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
   * North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
   * Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
   * Saarland
   * Saxony (Sachsen)
   * Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
   * Schleswig-Holstein
   * Thuringia (ThŸringen)

Germany is further subdivided into 438 Kreise (districts).

Geography

Germany stretches from the high mountains of the Alps (highest point: the
Zugspitze at 2,963 m) in the south to the shores of the North and Baltic
Seas in the north. In between are found the forested uplands of central
Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Freepsum
Lake at -2 m), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine,
Danube and Elbe.

Economy

Germany possesses the world's third most technologically powerful economy
after the US and Japan, but its basic capitalistic economy has started to
struggle under the burden of generous social benefits. Structural rigidities
- like a high rate of social contributions on wages - have made unemployment
a long-term, not just cyclical, problem, while Germany's aging population
has pushed social security outlays to exceed contributions from workers. The
integration and upgrading of the eastern German economy remains a costly
long-term problem, with annual transfers from the west amounting to roughly
$100 billion. The recent adoption of a common European currency and the
general political and economic integration of Europe are thought to bring
major changes to the German economy in the early 21st century.

Demographics

The population of Germany is primarily German. There are more than 7 million
foreign residents, including those granted political asylum, guest workers,
and their dependants. Germany is a prime destination for political and
economic refugees from many developing countries. An ethnic Danish minority
lives in the north, and a small Slavic minority known as the Sorbs lives in
Saxony. Immigration has also created a sizeable Turkish minority, and other
smaller minorities such as those of Croats, Italians, Russians or Poles.

Protestants (38%) and Catholics (34%) represent the major religions in
Germany. There is also a noticeable Islamic minority of 1.7%, while the rest
(26.3%) is either unaffiliated or belongs to smaller religious minorities.

Germany has one of the world's highest levels of education, technological
development, and economic productivity. Since the end of World War II, the
number of youths entering universities has more than tripled, and the trade
and technical schools of Germany are among the world's best. With a per
capita income level of about $25,000, Germany is a broadly middle class
society. A generous social welfare system provides for universal medical
care, unemployment compensation, and other social needs. Germans also are
mobile; millions travel abroad each year.

Culture

Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous.
Germany was the birthplace of composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and
Wagner; poets such as Goethe and Schiller; philosophers of the likes of
Kant, Hegel, Marx or Nietzsche; as well as scientists of the caliber of an Einstein.

Religion

Roman Catholicism was Germany's top religion in the 1500s, but the religious
movement commonly known as the Reformation changed this drastically. In 1517
Martin Luther challenged this religion as he saw it a commercialization of
his faith. Through this, he altered the course of European and world history
and established Protestantism, the second largest confession in Germany
today.

Before World War II, about two-thirds of the German population was
Protestant and one-third was Roman Catholic. In the north and northeast of
Germany especially, Protestants dominated.

The Grundgesetz, Germany's constitution, guarantees freedom of faith and
religion. It also states that no one may be discriminated due to their faith
or religious opinions.

Currently about 67 percent of the German population, more than 55 million
people, officially belong to a Christian Church, although most of them take
no part in church life. Nearly half of them are Protestants and nearly half
of them Roman Catholics. Most German Protestants are members of the
Evangelical Church in Germany. Approximately three million Muslims and
100,000 Jews live in Germany.

International rankings

   * world-wide press freedom index Rank 7 out of 139 countries (3 way tie)