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Compare Germany (2004) - Estonia (2006)

Compare Germany (2004) z Estonia (2006)

 Germany (2004)Estonia (2006)
 GermanyEstonia
Administrative divisions 13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states* (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen* 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)


note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Age structure 0-14 years: 14.7% (male 6,197,490; female 5,879,052)


15-64 years: 67% (male 28,119,536; female 27,132,713)


65 years and over: 18.3% (male 6,096,106; female 8,999,712) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 103,367/female 97,587)


15-64 years: 67.6% (male 427,043/female 468,671)


65 years and over: 17.2% (male 75,347/female 152,318) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Airports 550 (2003 est.) 24 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 331


over 3,047 m: 13


2,438 to 3,047 m: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 62


914 to 1,523 m: 71


under 914 m: 134 (2004 est.)
total: 12


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 219


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 31


under 914 m: 185 (2004 est.)
total: 12


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Area total: 357,021 sq km


land: 349,223 sq km


water: 7,798 sq km
total: 45,226 sq km


land: 43,211 sq km


water: 2,015 sq km


note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Montana slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Background As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains 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. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate 8.45 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 10.04 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.079 trillion


expenditures: $1.173 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $4.91 billion


expenditures: $4.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Berlin name: Tallinn


geographic coordinates: 59 25 N, 24 45 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Coastline 2,389 km 3,794 km
Constitution 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990 adopted 28 June 1992
Country name 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
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia


conventional short form: Estonia


local long form: Eesti Vabariik


local short form: Eesti


former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency euro (EUR)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
-
Death rate 10.44 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 13.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external NA (2000 est.) $11.03 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS


embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008


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


telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0


FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215


consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS


embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [372] 668-8100


FAX: [372] 668-8134
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER


chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140


FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK


chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international none in 2005, Russia refuses to sign the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia when Estonia prepares a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - donor ODA, $5.6 billion (1998) -
Economic aid - recipient - $735 million (2004-06)
Economy - overview Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy- the fifth largest national economy in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the entire euro zone, and a quick turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%. 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 $70 billion. Germany's ageing population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are further addressed. The government is also starting long-needed structural reforms designed to revitalize the country's economy. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit. Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low.
Electricity - consumption 506.8 billion kWh (2001) 6.26 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports 43.9 billion kWh (2001) 2.141 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports 44 billion kWh (2001) 347 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production 544.8 billion kWh (2001) 10.304 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m


highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Environment - current issues 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 air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) krooni per US dollar - 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), note - the krooni is pegged to the euro
Executive branch chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)


head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER (since 17 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 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)


election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7%
chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament


election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid
Exports 404,300 bbl/day (2001) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Exports - partners France 10.6%, US 9.3%, UK 8.4%, Italy 7.4%, Netherlands 6.2%, Austria 5.3%, Belgium 5.1%, Spain 4.9%, Switzerland 4% (2003) Finland 26.5%, Sweden 12.9%, Latvia 8.8%, Russia 6.5%, Germany 6.2%, Lithuania 4.8% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
GDP purchasing power parity - $2.271 trillion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 31%


services: 68% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 4%


industry: 29.4%


services: 66.6% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $27,600 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate -0.1% (2003 est.) 10.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 51 00 N, 9 00 E 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Heliports 34 (2003 est.) 1 (2006)
Highways total: 230,735 km


paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (1999)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.6%


highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)
lowest 10%: 1.9%


highest 10%: 28.5% (2000)
Illicit drugs 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 transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
Imports 3.081 million bbl/day (2001) 54,000 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Imports - partners France 9.2%, Netherlands 8.4%, US 7.3%, Italy 6.3%, UK 6%, Belgium 4.9%, China 4.7%, Austria 4% (2003) Finland 19.8%, Germany 13.8%, Russia 9.4%, Sweden 8.8%, Lithuania 6.1%, Latvia 4.7% (2005)
Independence 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 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 0.2% (2003 est.) 9.7% (2005 est.)
Industries 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 engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 7.73 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.1% (2003 est.) 4.1% (2005 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, 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, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 4,850 sq km (1998 est.) 40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat) National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Labor force 42.63 million (2003) 670,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 2.8%, industry 33.4%, services 63.8% (1999) agriculture: 11%


industry: 20%


services: 69% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries 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
total: 633 km


border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Land use arable land: 33.85%


permanent crops: 0.59%


other: 65.56% (2001)
arable land: 12.05%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 87.6% (2005)
Languages German Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Legal system civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (603 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 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 22 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006); 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 38.5%, CDU/CSU 38.5%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.6%, FDP 7.4%, PDS 4%; seats by party - SPD 251, CDU/CSU 248, Alliance '90/Greens 55, FDP 47, PDS 2; Federal Council - current composition - NA
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party of Estonia 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Estonian Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Res Publica 26, Center Party 20, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, Social Democrats (formerly People's Party Moodukad) 6, non-affiliated (Social Liberals and independents) 10
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.54 years


male: 75.56 years


female: 81.68 years (2004 est.)
total population: 72.04 years


male: 66.58 years


female: 77.83 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (1997 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.8%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


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


exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
Merchant marine total: 278 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631 DWT


by type: cargo 71, chemical tanker 14, container 169, liquefied gas 3, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 5, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 7


foreign-owned: Finland 4, Iceland 1, Netherlands 3


registered in other countries: 2,295 (2004 est.)
total: 35 ships (1000 GRT or over) 388,723 GRT/98,393 DWT


by type: cargo 7, passenger/cargo 26, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 2)


registered in other countries: 72 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cyprus 6, Dominica 11, Isle of Man 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Norway 1, Panama 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 1, Vanuatu 1) (2006)
Military branches Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine; including Naval Air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Service, Central Medical Service Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $35.063 billion (2003) $155 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (2003) 2% (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 20,468,942 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 17,338,435 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 484,837 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Unity Day, 3 October (1990) Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality noun: German(s)


adjective: German
noun: Estonian(s)


adjective: Estonian
Natural hazards flooding sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Natural resources coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Net migration rate 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined products 3,827 km (2004) gas 859 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING] Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of eight parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter KREITZBERG]; Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Tonis LUKAS and Taavi VESKIMAGI, co-chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups NA
Population 82,424,609 (July 2004 est.) 1,324,333 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 5% (2003)
Population growth rate 0.02% (2004 est.) -0.64% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart -
Radio broadcast stations AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways total: 46,039 km (20,100 km electrified)


standard gauge: 45,801 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2003)
total: 958 km


broad gauge: 958 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2005)
Religions Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female


total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Telephone system 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)
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of the country


domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country


international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 54.35 million (2003) 442,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 64.8 million (2003) 1.445 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995) 3 (2001)
Terrain lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Total fertility rate 1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 10.5% (2003 est.) 7.8% (2005)
Waterways 7,300 km


note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004)
500 km (2005)
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