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Compare France (2001) - Germany (2001)

Compare France (2001) z Germany (2001)

 France (2001)Germany (2001)
 FranceGermany
Administrative divisions 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes

note:
metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen
Age structure 0-14 years:
18.68% (male 5,698,604; female 5,426,838)

15-64 years:
65.19% (male 19,424,018; female 19,399,588)

65 years and over:
16.13% (male 3,900,579; female 5,701,600) (2001 est.)
0-14 years:
15.57% (male 6,635,328; female 6,289,994)

15-64 years:
67.82% (male 28,619,237; female 27,691,698)

65 years and over:
16.61% (male 5,336,664; female 8,456,615) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 475 (2000 est.) 613 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
268

over 3,047 m:
14

2,438 to 3,047 m:
30

1,524 to 2,437 m:
94

914 to 1,523 m:
72

under 914 m:
58 (2000 est.)
total:
322

over 3,047 m:
13

2,438 to 3,047 m:
55

1,524 to 2,437 m:
67

914 to 1,523 m:
63

under 914 m:
124 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
207

1,524 to 2,437 m:
4

914 to 1,523 m:
73

under 914 m:
130 (2000 est.)
total:
291

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
6

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
53

under 914 m:
225 (2000 est.)
Area total:
547,030 sq km

land:
545,630 sq km

water:
1,400 sq km

note:
includes only metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions
total:
357,021 sq km

land:
349,223 sq km

water:
7,798 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Montana
Background Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the advent of the euro in January 1999. Presently, France is at the forefront of European states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European defense and security apparatus. As Western Europe's richest and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country 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 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 formed a common European currency, the euro.
Birth rate 12.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 9.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$210 billion

expenditures:
$240 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues:
$996 billion

expenditures:
$1.036 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Capital Paris Berlin
Climate generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Coastline 3,427 km 2,389 km
Constitution 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
Country name conventional long form:
French Republic

conventional short form:
France

local long form:
Republique Francaise

local short form:
France
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
Currency French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)

note:
on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in France at a fixed rate of 6.55957 French francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
deutsche mark (DEM); euro (EUR)

note:
on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Germany at a fixed rate of 1.95583 deutsche marks per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Death rate 9.09 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $106 billion (1998) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate Howard H. LEACH; Charge d'Affaires Douglas L. McELHANEY

embassy:
2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08

mailing address:
PSC 116, APO AE 09777

telephone:
[33] (1) 43-12-22-22

FAX:
[33] (1) 42 66 97 83

consulate(s) general:
Marseille, Strasbourg
chief of mission:
Ambassador John C. KORNBLUM (was due to resign on 20 January 2001)

embassy:
Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin

mailing address:
PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265

telephone:
[49] (30) 238-5174

FAX:
[49] (30) 238-6290

consulate(s) general:
Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Francois V. BUJON DE L'ESTANG

chancery:
4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 944-6000

FAX:
[1] (202) 944-6166

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
chief of mission:
Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG

chancery:
4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 298-8141

FAX:
[1] (202) 298-4249

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

consulate(s):
Wellington (America Samoa)
Disputes - international Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and French Guiana; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $6.3 billion (1997) ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Economy - overview France is in the midst of transition, from an economy that featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government remains dominant in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries, but it has been relaxing its control since the mid-1980s. The Socialist-led government has sold off part of its holdings in France Telecom, Air France, Thales, Thomson Multimedia, and the European Aerospace and Defense Company (EADS). The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. The government has done little to cut generous unemployment and retirement benefits which impose a heavy tax burden and discourage hiring. It has also shied from measures that would dramatically increase the use of stock options and retirement investment plans; such measures would boost the stock market and fast-growing IT firms as well as ease the burden on the pension system, but would disproportionately benefit the rich. In addition to the tax burden, the reduction of the work week to 35-hours has drawn criticism for lowering the competitiveness of French companies. Germany possesses the world's third most technologically powerful economy after the US and Japan, but structural market rigidities - including the substantial non-wage costs of hiring new workers - have made unemployment a long-term, not just a cyclical, problem. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy remains a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers from western Germany amounting to roughly $70 billion. Growth picked up to 3% in 2000, largely due to recovering global demand; newly passed business and income tax cuts are expected to keep growth strong in 2001. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are transforming the German economy to meet the challenges of European economic integration and globalization in general.
Electricity - consumption 398.752 billion kWh (1999) 495.181 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 68.7 billion kWh (1999) 39.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 5 billion kWh (1999) 40.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 497.26 billion kWh (1999) 531.377 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
9.69%

hydro:
14.39%

nuclear:
75.43%

other:
0.49% (1999)
fossil fuel:
63.29%

hydro:
3.59%

nuclear:
30.3%

other:
2.82% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Rhone River delta -2 m

highest point:
Mont Blanc 4,807 m
lowest point:
Freepsum Lake -2 m

highest point:
Zugspitze 2,963 m
Environment - current issues some forest damage from acid rain (major forest damage occurred as a result of severe December 1999 windstorm); air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff 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 currently attempting to define mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power; 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 party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995)

head of government:
Prime Minister Lionel JOSPIN (since 3 June 1997)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 23 April and 7 May 1995 (next to be held by May 2002); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president

election results:
Jacques CHIRAC elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 52.64%, Lionel JOSPIN (PS) 47.36%
chief of state:
President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)

head of government:
Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998)

cabinet:
Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor

elections:
president elected for a five-year 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 1999 (next to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held in the fall of 2002)

election results:
Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly - 52.7%
Exports $325 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $578 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners EU 63% (Germany 16%, UK 10%, Spain 9%, Italy 9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8%), US 8% (1999) EU 55.3% (France 11.3%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.3%, Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.1%), US 10.1%, Japan 2.0% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French dependent areas three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.448 trillion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1.936 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
3.3%

industry:
26.1%

services:
70.6% (1999)
agriculture:
1.2%

industry:
30.4%

services:
68.4% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $24,400 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $23,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.1% (2000 est.) 3% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 46 00 N, 2 00 E 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Geography - note largest West European nation strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Heliports 3 (2000 est.) 59 (2000 est.)
Highways total:
892,900 km

paved:
892,900 km (including 9,900 km of expressways)

unpaved:
0 km (1999)
total:
656,140 km

paved:
650,891 km (including 11,400 km of expressways)

unpaved:
5,249 km (all-weather) (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2.8%

highest 10%:
25.1% (1995)
-
Illicit drugs transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics 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
Imports $320 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $505 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners EU 62% (Germany 16%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, Italy 9%, UK 8%), US 7% (2000 est.) EU 52.2% (France 10.5%, Netherlands 7.6%, Italy 7.4%, UK 6.9%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.6%), US 8.1%, Japan 4.9% (1999)
Independence 486 (unified by Clovis) 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
Industrial production growth rate 3.5% (2000 est.) 4.7% (2000)
Industries machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism 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
Infant mortality rate 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.7% (2000 est.) 2% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 62 (2000) 123 (2000)
Irrigated land 16,300 sq km (1995 est.) 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Labor force 25 million (2000) 40.5 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 71%, industry 25%, agriculture 4% (1997) industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999)
Land boundaries total:
2,889 km

border countries:
Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km
total:
3,618 km

border countries:
Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 135 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Land use arable land:
33%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
20%

forests and woodland:
27%

other:
18% (1993 est.)
arable land:
33%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
20% (1993 est.)
Languages French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) German
Legal system civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2001); National Assembly - last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA May 2002)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 99, UDC 52, DL 47, PS 78, PCF 16, other 29; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 245, RPR 140, UDF 109, PCF 37, PRS 13, MEI 8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1, various left 9, various right 7
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for the 1998 term; 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 representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)

elections:
Federal Assembly - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by the fall of 2002); 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:
Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD 40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%; seats by party - SPD 298, Alliance '90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43, PDS 36; Federal Council - current composition - votes by party - SPD-led states 26, CDU-led states 28, grand coalitions 15
Life expectancy at birth total population:
78.9 years

male:
75.01 years

female:
83.01 years (2001 est.)
total population:
77.61 years

male:
74.47 years

female:
80.92 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
99%

male:
99%

female:
99% (1980 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
99% (1977 est.)

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
Location Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM (does not apply to the Mediterranean)

territorial sea:
12 NM
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total:
46 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 942,333 GRT/1,304,754 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 3, cargo 4, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk 1, container 1, liquefied gas 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 3

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1 (2000 est.)
total:
457 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,414,724 GRT/7,952,776 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 169, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 243, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 7, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 12, short-sea passenger 7 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army (includes Marines), Navy (includes Naval Air), Air Force (includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force, Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $39.831 billion (FY97) $32.8 billion (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.5% (FY97) 1.5% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
14,573,199 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
20,851,022 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
12,127,793 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
17,760,412 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
390,064 (2001 est.)
males:
482,318 (2001 est.)
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Nationality noun:
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective:
French
noun:
German(s)

adjective:
German
Natural hazards flooding; avalanches flooding
Natural resources coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, potash, timber, fish iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Net migration rate 0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural gas 24,746 km crude oil 2,500 km (1998)
Political parties and leaders Citizens Movement or MdC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; French Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE]; Independent Ecological Movement or MEI [Antoine WAECHTER]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Liberal Democracy or DL (originally Republican Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DEVILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michelle ALLIOT-MARIE]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of UDC, FD, RRRS, PPDF) [Francois BAYROU]; Union of the Center or UDC [leader NA] Alliance '90/Greens [Renate KUENAST and Fritz KUHN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Wolfgang GERHARDT, chairman]; note - Wolfgang GERHARDT will probably be replaced by Guido WESTERWELLE in May 2001; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Gabi ZIMMER]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union or Confederation Generale des Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) or CNPF or Patronat; Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about 800,000 members (est.) employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
Population 59,551,227 (July 2001 est.) 83,029,536 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.37% (2001 est.) 0.27% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Radio broadcast stations AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) AM 51, FM 767, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios 55.3 million (1997) 77.8 million (1997)
Railways total:
31,939 km (31,939 km are operated by French National Railways (SNCF); 14,176 km of SNCF routes are electrified and 12,132 km are double- or multiple-tracked)

standard gauge:
31,840 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
99 km 1.000-m gauge (1998)
total:
40,826 km including at least 14,253 km electrified and 14,768 km double- or multiple-tracked (1998)

note:
since privatization in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no longer publishes details of the tracks it owns; in addition to the DBAG system there are 102 privately owned railway companies which own an approximate 3,000 km to 4,000 km of the total tracks
Religions Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 3%, unaffiliated 4% Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, unaffiliated or other 26.3%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.68 male(s)/female

total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.63 male(s)/female

total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
highly developed

domestic:
extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system

international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries
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 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 and includes roaming service to many foreign countries

international:
satellite earth stations - 14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean region); 7 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone communication centers; tropospheric scatter links
Telephones - main lines in use 34.86 million (yearend 1998) 45.2 million (1997)

note:
46.5 million main lines were installed by yearend 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular 11.078 million (yearend 1998) 15.318 million (April 1999)
Television broadcast stations 584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995) 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Total fertility rate 1.75 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.7% (2000 est.) 9.9% (2000 est.)
Waterways 14,932 km (6,969 km heavily traveled) 7,500 km

note:
major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea (1999)
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