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L a n d s c a p e:
From the North Sea to the Baltic Sea in the North to the Alps
in the South, Germany is structured geographically as follows:
the North German lowlands, the Mittelgebirge ridge, the Southwest
German subdued mountains and terraced landscape, the South
German piedmont and the Bavarian Alps.
C l i m a t e:
Moderate oceanic/continental climatic zone with frequent changes
in weather and primarily westerly winds.
I n h a b i t a n t s:
With 82.3 million inhabitants (of which 42 million
are women) Germany has the largest population of any EU member
state. Around 7.3 million foreigners live in Germany
(8.8% of the total population) and of them 1.7 million
are Turks.
P o p u l a t i o n d
e n s i t y:
With 231 inhabitants per square kilometer Germany is
one of the most densely populated countries in Europe.
B i r t h s:
In average 1.3 children per woman
P o p u l a t i o n g
r o w t h:
-0,1%
A g e s t r u c t u r e:
14% less than 15, 20% over 65
L i f e e x p e c
t a n c y:
With an average life expectancy of 76 years for men and
81 for women (born in 2003) Germany is above the OECD.
U r b a n i z a t i o n:
88% of the population live in cities and conurbations. In
Germany, there are 82 cities with a population of over
100,000.
R e l i g i o n s:
Just under 53 million people profess to be Christians
(26m Catholics, 26m Protestants,
900,000 members of the Orthodox churches), 3.3m are
Muslims, 230,000 Buddhists, 100,000 Jews, 90,000 Hindus.
The Basic Law guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and
religion. There is no state religion.
N e i g h b o r i n g S
t a t e s:
Germany is at the heart of Europe and has nine neighbors.
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland.
H i g h e s t m o u n t
a i n:
Zugspitze 2963 m
L o n g e s t r i
v e r s:
Rhine 865 km, Elbe 700 km
La r g e s t c i t
i e s:
Berlin 3.4 million inhabitants, Hamburg (1.8 million),
Munich (1.3 million), Cologne (1.0 million), Frankfurt/Main
(662000).
I m m i g r a t i o n:
Since 2005, the new Immigration Act regulates immigration.
P o l i t i c a l S
y s t e m:
Federal Republic
L e g i s l a t i o n:
Bicameral system: in addition to the Bundestag, the Bundesrat
(consisting of delegates of the state governments to uphold
the states’ interests) participates in legislation.
S t a t e s t r u
c t u r e:
Germany is a federation consisting of 16 federal states, each
with its own constitution, parliament and government. The
highest state authority is exercised by the federal government.
Through the agency of the Bundesrat, the states are represented
at the federal level and participate in federal legislation.
S u f f r a g e:
Universal, equal and secret suffrage as of 18 years of
age (in the case of municipal elections in part as of 16),
elections to the Bundestag are held every four years.
Federal President, Federal Chancellor,
Multi-Party system:
Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler (CDU) since 2004, Dr. Angela Merkel
(CDU) since 2005. Multi-party system, parties have a special
constitutional status, receive state financial support, can
only be prohibited by the Federal Constitutional Court.
The Federal Republic of Germany consists of sixteen Federal
States with its capital Berlin. Located in the heart of Europe,
Germany is linking the west with the east, the north with
the south. The most denselypopulated country in Europe, Germany
has been flanked by nine neighboring states since the unification
of the two German states in 1990. An integral part of the
European Union and NATO, Germany is a partner to the central
and eastern European states that are en route to becoming
part of a united Europe.
Germany's population, including approximately 7.3 million
foreigners, amounts to almost 83 million people, and
originates from a number of different tribes, such as the
Franks and Saxons, Prussians, Swabians and Bavarians. Today
the names of these tribes still can be found in the names
of the different states, e.g. Bavaria, Westphalia, Lower Saxony,
etc.
For most of its history, Germany was not a unified state
but a loose association of territorial states that together
made up the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation".
It was a long time until the founding of the German Reich
in 1871. The term "deutsch" first surfaced in the
8th century. It referred to the language spoken in the
eastern part of the Franconian realm, and meant "as the
people speak" - as opposed to Latin, the language of
scholars.
After Charlemagne's death in 814 the Franconian realm disintegrated,
primarily along the linguistic divide between early Medieval
French and Old High German. A feeling of belonging together
emerged only gradually among the inhabitants of the eastern
areas. "Germany" ought to be where "German"
was spoken. Whereas the western border was established at
an early date, settlement of the East did not come to a halt
until the 14th century. The resulting contact between
and intermingling of the German and Slavonic populations persisted
until World War II.
 The
Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic and socially responsible
federal country. The nationwide constitutional order of the
Basic Law is expressed in the country's constitutional bodies,
in the country's federalism, in the legal order and in the
electoral system. These determine not only everyday political
routine, but also the lives of the people in Germany. The
Federal System ensures a balance between the power of the
central government and the 16 states, which have their own
constitution as well as to some extent legislative, judicial
and administrative powers. The states are taking care of the
development of their own economies and industries. Therefore
different states of Germany may simultaneously be joining
and supporting their companies at trade fairs and exhibitions
in Qatar.
In the early days of the 21st century Germany is actively
engaged in securing peace, safeguarding human rights and combating
terrorism around the world. Germany supports a system of global
cooperative security within the framework of the United Nations,
and in light of the historic expansion of the EU through 2004
now finds itself at the center of a union of neighbours closely
interconnected by friendship as well as political and economic
ties.
Germany is a country which highly values education and vocational
training, research and the sciences. The country has produced
Nobel Prize winners, high-level scientific work is undertaken
here, international projects are promoted, and students from
all over the world study here. Open-minded, modern and tolerant
- these are the hallmarks of German society at the beginning
of the 21st century. For the vast majority of people,
the family still forms the nucleus of their lives, yet the
forms people choose for living together have become far more
numerous. Supported by consistent measures by the state to
ensure equality, there has been a change in the interpretation
of the roles men and women play.
Source:
Facts about Germany www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de
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