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Compare United States (2002) - Germany (2001)

Compare United States (2002) z Germany (2001)

 United States (2002)Germany (2001)
 United StatesGermany
Administrative divisions 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming 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: 21% (male 30,116,782; female 28,765,183)


15-64 years: 66.4% (male 92,391,120; female 93,986,468)


65 years and over: 12.6% (male 14,748,522; female 20,554,414) (2002 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, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 14,695 (2001) 613 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 5,131 5,127


over 3,047 m: 185 183


2,438 to 3,047 m: 222 222


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,365 1,342


914 to 1,523 m: 2,390 2,413


under 914 m: 969 967 (2002)
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: 9,670 9,568


over 3,047 m: 1 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 158 165


914 to 1,523 m: 1,702 1,679


under 914 m: 7,802 7,716 (2002)
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: 9,629,091 sq km


land: 9,158,960 sq km


water: 470,131 sq km


note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
total:
357,021 sq km

land:
349,223 sq km

water:
7,798 sq km
Area - comparative about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; about two and a half times the size of Western Europe slightly smaller than Montana
Background Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation-state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology. 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 14.1 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 9.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.828 trillion


expenditures: $1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
revenues:
$996 billion

expenditures:
$1.036 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Capital Washington, DC Berlin
Climate mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Coastline 19,924 km 2,389 km
Constitution 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
Country name conventional long form: United States of America


conventional short form: United States


abbreviation: US or USA
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 US dollar (USD) 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 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $862 billion (1995 est.) $NA
Dependent areas American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island


note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986)
-
Diplomatic representation from the US - 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 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 maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island); US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $6.9 billion (1997) (1997) ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Economy - overview The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $36,300. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. The year 2001 witnessed the end of the boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising substantially. The response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. Moderate recovery is expected in 2002, with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.5% or more. A major short-term problem in first half 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. 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 3.613 trillion kWh (2000) 495.181 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 14.829 billion kWh (2000) 39.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 48.879 billion kWh (2000) 40.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 3,799.944 billion kWh (2000) 531.377 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 71%


hydro: 7%


nuclear: 20%


other: 2% (2000)
fossil fuel:
63.29%

hydro:
3.59%

nuclear:
30.3%

other:
2.82% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Death Valley -86 m


highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m
lowest point:
Freepsum Lake -2 m

highest point:
Zugspitze 2,963 m
Environment - current issues air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification 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, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, 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, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
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 white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)


note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Exchange rates British pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.6003 (January 2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997); Japanese yen per US dollar - 132.66 (January 2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997); German deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997); euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999)


note: financial institutions in France, Italy, and Germany and eight other European countries started using the euro on 1 January 1999 with the euro replacing the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
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 George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004)


election results: George W. BUSH elected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 48%, Albert A. GORE, Jr. (Democratic Party) 48%, Ralph NADER (Green Party) 3%, other 1%
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 $723 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $578 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners Canada 22.4%, Mexico 13.9%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.6%, Germany 4.1%, France, Netherlands (2001) 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 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
GDP purchasing power parity - $10.082 trillion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $1.936 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2%


industry: 18%


services: 80% (2001 est.)
agriculture:
1.2%

industry:
30.4%

services:
68.4% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $36,300 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $23,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.3% (2001 est.) 3% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 38 00 N, 97 00 W 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Geography - note world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Heliports 149 (2002) 59 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 6,370,031 km


paved: 5,733,028 km (including 74,091 km of expressways)


unpaved: 637,003 km (1997)
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%


highest 10%: 31% (1997) (1997)
-
Illicit drugs consumer of cocaine shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamine from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center 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 $1.148 trillion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $505 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners Canada 19%, Mexico 11.5%, Japan 11.1%, China 8.9%, Germany 5.2%, UK, Taiwan (2001) 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 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain) 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 -3.7% (2001 est.) 4.7% (2000)
Industries leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining 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 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2001) (2001) 2% (2000 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G- 8, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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) 7,000 (2002 est.) 123 (2000)
Irrigated land 214,000 sq km (1998 est.) 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for life by the president with confirmation by the Senate); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Labor force 141.8 million (includes unemployed) (2002) 40.5 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation managerial and professional 31%, technical, sales and administrative support 29%, services 14%, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts 24%, farming, forestry, and fishing 2% (2002)


note: figures exclude the unemployed (2001)
industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999)
Land boundaries total: 12,034 km


border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km


note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba; the base boundary is 29 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: 19.32%


permanent crops: 0.22%


other: 80.46% (1998 est.)
arable land:
33%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
20% (1993 est.)
Languages English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority) German
Legal system based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 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 Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 51, Democratic Party 46, independent 1, undecided 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 226, Democratic Party 204, independent 1, undecided 4
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: 77.4 years


male: 74.5 years


female: 80.2 years (2002 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: 97%


male: 97%


female: 97% (1979 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
99% (1977 est.)

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
Location North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Map references North America Europe
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: not specified


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


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: 248 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,259,914 GRT/10,568,706 DWT


ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 13, chemical tanker 15, collier 1, combination bulk 4, combination tanker 11, container 85, freighter 15, heavy lift carrier 3, petroleum tanker 70, roll on/roll off 28, vehicle carrier 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Canada 4, Denmark 15, France 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 7, Puerto Rico 4, Singapore 11, Sweden 1, United Kingdom 3; also, the US owns 549 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 29,616,347 DWT that operate under the registries of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Finland, Gibraltar, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Isle of Man, Italy, Liberia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, Norway, Norway (NIS), Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Tonga, UK, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna (2002 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 - note note: 2002 estimates for military manpower are based on projections that do not take into consideration the results of the 2000 census -
Military branches Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (includes Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force


note: the Coast Guard is normally subordinate to the Department of Transportation, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force, Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $276.7 billion (FY99 est.) $32.8 billion (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.2% (FY99 est.) 1.5% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 73,597,731 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
20,851,022 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service NA males age 15-49:
17,760,412 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 2,093,263 (2002 est.) males:
482,318 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 4 July (1776) Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Nationality noun: American(s)


adjective: American
noun:
German(s)

adjective:
German
Natural hazards tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development flooding
Natural resources coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Net migration rate 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
People - note note: data for the US are based on projections that do not take into consideration the results of the 2000 census -
Pipelines petroleum products 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991) crude oil 2,500 km (1998)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Terence McAULIFFE, national committee chairman]; Green Party [leader NA]; Republican Party [Governor Marc RACICOT, national committee chairman] 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 NA employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
Population 280,562,489 (July 2002 est.) 83,029,536 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 13% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 0.89% (2002 est.) 0.27% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Radio broadcast stations AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998) AM 51, FM 767, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios 575 million (1997) 77.8 million (1997)
Railways total: 212,433 km mainline routes


standard gauge: 212,433 km 1.435-m gauge


note: represents the aggregate length of roadway of all line-haul railroads including an estimate for Class II and III railroads (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 Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989) Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, unaffiliated or other 26.3%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 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: a very large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system


domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country


international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
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 194 million (1997) 45.2 million (1997)

note:
46.5 million main lines were installed by yearend 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular 69.209 million (1998) 15.318 million (April 1999)
Television broadcast stations more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997) 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Total fertility rate 2.07 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 5% (2002) 9.9% (2000 est.)
Waterways 41,009 km


note: navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes
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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