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| The '''Federal Republic of Germany''' (]: ''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'') is one of ] ] countries, located in the heart of ]. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other country which is located with all its territory in Europe: ] to the north, ] and the ] to the east, ] and ] to the south and ], ], ] and the ] to the west. Germany has coastlines in the north-west on the ] and in the north-east on the ]. | The '''Federal Republic of Germany''' (]: ''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'') is one of ] ] countries, located in the heart of ]. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other country which is located with all its territory in Europe: ] to the north, ] and the ] to the east, ] and ] to the south and ], ], ] and the ] to the west. Germany has coastlines in the north-west on the ] and in the north-east on the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary state, made up of 16 federal ] (''Länder''), which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation. It is a member state of the ], ], the ] nations and a founding member of what is now the ]. | ||
| {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" | {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" | ||
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| <sup>2</sup> Prior to ]: ].</small> | <sup>2</sup> Prior to ]: ].</small> | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| ⚫ | Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary state, made up of 16 federal ] (''Länder''), which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation. It is a member state of the ], ], the ] nations and a founding member of what is now the ]. | ||
| == History == | == History == | ||
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| During these almost thousand years, the Germans expanded their influence with the help of the ], Northern campaigns and the ]. | During these almost thousand years, the Germans expanded their influence with the help of the ], Northern campaigns and the ]. | ||
| The demise of the ] dynasty in ] brought with it a decrease in power for Emperor, who became a mere '' |
The demise of the ] dynasty in ] brought with it a decrease in power for Emperor, who became a mere ''primus inter pares'' and had to deal with the various princes of the realm. | ||
| In ] the ] broke out and spread through Germany. This resulted in the religious split of the country and in 1555 it was left to the princes to determine the ] of their respective territories | In ] the ] broke out and spread through Germany. This resulted in the religious split of the country and in 1555 it was left to the princes to determine the ] of their respective territories | ||
| The resulting domestic strife, the ] (]) and the ] (]) drastically enfeebled and politically divided Germany, and thus the ''imperium'' was overrun and dissolved during the ]. ] soon proclaimed its own empire, and the ] coalesced. | The resulting domestic strife, the ] (]) and the ] (]) drastically enfeebled and politically divided Germany, and thus the ''imperium'' was overrun and dissolved during the ]. ] soon proclaimed its own empire, and the ] (''Deutscher Bund'') coalesced. | ||
| ===German Empire=== | ===German Empire=== | ||
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| Following the abdication of ], ] proclaimed a republic (see ]). That same evening, the ], a militant left-wing offshoot of the Social Democrats, proclaimed a Socialist Republic, beginning several months of struggle in Germany between republican, communist, and authoritarian groups. By January of 1919, however, the fledgling Weimar Republic, with the help of the nationalist freebooter ] ''and'' the army, had crushed the Spartacists and associated movements throughout Germany. On ], ], the ] ] came into effect. At this time both the ] (''NSDAP'') and the ] were founded, although the former was but one of many small ultra-nationalist parties. | Following the abdication of ], ] proclaimed a republic (see ]). That same evening, the ], a militant left-wing offshoot of the Social Democrats, proclaimed a Socialist Republic, beginning several months of struggle in Germany between republican, communist, and authoritarian groups. By January of 1919, however, the fledgling Weimar Republic, with the help of the nationalist freebooter ] ''and'' the army, had crushed the Spartacists and associated movements throughout Germany. On ], ], the ] ] came into effect. At this time both the ] (''NSDAP'') and the ] were founded, although the former was but one of many small ultra-nationalist parties. | ||
| The ] were more characterised by ] brought on by the post-war economic hardship. There was considerable unrest, the German people's being unused to the new very liberal ] and lacking confidence in the new state; German voters increasingly supported anti-democratic parties, both ] and ]. Anti-] and ] appealed to the voters. The situation deteriorated further after the world wide ], and in two extraordinary elections of ], the most aggressive anti-parliamentarian parties together got more than the half of the seats, with 37% and then 33% of the votes to the National Socialist Party, and about 16% of the votes to the Communists. | The ] were more characterised by ] brought on by the post-war economic hardship, which may have been aggravated by the conditions and reparations required by the ]. There was considerable unrest, the German people's being unused to the new very liberal ] and lacking confidence in the new state; German voters increasingly supported anti-democratic parties, both ] and ]. Anti-] and ] appealed to the voters. The situation deteriorated further after the world wide ], and in two extraordinary elections of ], the most aggressive anti-parliamentarian parties together got more than the half of the seats, with 37% and then 33% of the votes to the National Socialist Party, and about 16% of the votes to the Communists. | ||
| The end of the ] came when on ], ], ] ] appointed ] ] with support from the centre-right parties. A ] was used as an excuse for abolishing civil and political rights, and with the ], ], full legislative power was transferred to Hitler's government, establishing a centralised ] state in which the remaining checks and balances were quickly abolished. | The end of the ] came when on ], ], ] ] appointed ] ] with support from the centre-right parties. A ] was used as an excuse for abolishing civil and political rights, and with the ], ], full legislative power was transferred to Hitler's government, establishing a centralised ] state in which the remaining checks and balances were quickly abolished. | ||
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| In ], German troops entered the demilitarised ], violating the Versailles Treaty, but rebuilding national self-esteem. Emboldened, Hitler from ] onwards executed a policy of ]. It started with the ], followed by the ] region in ]. In ], ] and ] was annexed and a ]n independent ] was created. To avoid a two-front war, the ] was concluded with the ]. Then Germany led a ] against ], which led to the beginning of ]. | In ], German troops entered the demilitarised ], violating the Versailles Treaty, but rebuilding national self-esteem. Emboldened, Hitler from ] onwards executed a policy of ]. It started with the ], followed by the ] region in ]. In ], ] and ] was annexed and a ]n independent ] was created. To avoid a two-front war, the ] was concluded with the ]. Then Germany led a ] against ], which led to the beginning of ]. | ||
| In ], most of ] was occupied and the ] was ordered in the ] to break the resolve of the British, through the bombing of London, resulting in many deaths. The British, however, slowly nullified the Luftwaffe's effectiveness. In ], ] and ] were conquered and the ] invaded, driving the attack to Stalingrad. When war was also declared on the ], Hitler had engaged too many enemies. The reversal of fortune became obvious at the ] (]). Russia started to push Germany back. German cities increasingly became targets of Allied air attacks. On ], ], Germany surrendered after the ] had occupied ] where Hitler had committed ]. Under his leadership, Nazi-Germany from 1939 to 1945 |
In ], most of ] was occupied and the ] was ordered in the ] to break the resolve of the British, through the bombing of London, resulting in many deaths. The British, however, slowly nullified the Luftwaffe's effectiveness. In ], ] and ] were conquered and the ] invaded, driving the attack to Stalingrad. When war was also declared on the ], Hitler had engaged too many enemies. The reversal of fortune became obvious at the ] (]). Russia started to push Germany back. German cities increasingly became targets of Allied air attacks. On ], ], Germany surrendered after the ] had occupied ] where Hitler had committed ]. Under his leadership, Nazi-Germany from 1939 to 1945 industrially murdered six million ]s in the ] and six million more ], ], ]s, ]s, and mentally and otherwise ] individuals. | ||
| ===Division and Reunification=== | ===Division and Reunification=== | ||
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| In the 1970s, left-extreme ] was a large problem and many high-profile Germans were murdered by the ]. | In the 1970s, left-extreme ] was a large problem and many high-profile Germans were murdered by the ]. | ||
| During the summer of ], following growing unrest, large numbers of ] citizens took refuge in ] embassies in ] and ] countries in the hope of emigrating to the West. The East German government's confusion grew and on ], East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to enter West Berlin and West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This marked the ''de facto'' end of East Germany as a country. The ] came into force on October 3rd, which was declared |
During the summer of ], following growing unrest, large numbers of ] citizens took refuge in ] embassies in ] and ] countries in the hope of emigrating to the West. The East German government's confusion grew and on ], East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to enter West Berlin and West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This marked the ''de facto'' end of East Germany as a country. The ] came into force on October 3rd, which was declared a national public holiday (]). | ||
| == Politics == | == Politics == | ||
| ''Main article: ]'' | ''Main article: ]'' | ||
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| ==Demographics== | ==Demographics== | ||
| ''Main article: ]'' | ''Main article: ]'' | ||
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| There are also a large number of ] immigrants from the former ] area (1.7 million), ] (0.7 million) and ] (0.3 million) (]–] totals), who are automatically granted German citizenship, and thus do not show up in foreign resident statistics; unlike the foreigners they have been settled by the government almost evenly spread throughout Germany. | There are also a large number of ] immigrants from the former ] area (1.7 million), ] (0.7 million) and ] (0.3 million) (]–] totals), who are automatically granted German citizenship, and thus do not show up in foreign resident statistics; unlike the foreigners they have been settled by the government almost evenly spread throughout Germany. | ||
| Germany now has Europe's third-largest ] population, and the world's fastest growing. In ], twice as many Jews from former ] republics settled in Germany as in ], bringing the total inflow to more than 200,000 since ]. Jews have a voice in German public life through the ]. | |||
| Germany now has Europe's third-largest ] population, estimated at 0.1 million. | |||
| ===Education=== | ===Education=== | ||
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| Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as ''The Land of Poets and Thinkers'' (''das Land der Dichter und Denker''). Germany was the birthplace of composers such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]; the poets ], ] and ]; the philosophers ], ], ] and ]; theologian ]; authors ], ], and ]; scientists ], ], ], ], ], ]; and inventors and engineers ], ], ], ], ], ]and ]; and artists ], ], ], ] and ]. Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were nevertheless seen as "]" in the sense that they were immersed in the German culture, for example ] and ]. | Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as ''The Land of Poets and Thinkers'' (''das Land der Dichter und Denker''). Germany was the birthplace of composers such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]; the poets ], ] and ]; the philosophers ], ], ] and ]; theologian ]; authors ], ], and ]; scientists ], ], ], ], ], ]; and inventors and engineers ], ], ], ], ], ]and ]; and artists ], ], ], ] and ]. Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were nevertheless seen as "]" in the sense that they were immersed in the German culture, for example ] and ]. | ||
| The ] was once the ] of central, eastern and northern Europe, and in Europe it is the second most popular language after English. As a foreign language, German is the third most taught worldwide . It is also the second most used language on the ]. German has its origin in ]. Germany had two languages: ] and ], which—from a linguistic standpoint—were two different languages. Today's standard language is based on High German rather than Low German; the latter has been given the status of a minority language by the ], although it is less used today in the traditionally Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany. | The ] was once the ] of central, eastern and northern Europe, and in Europe it is the second most popular language after English. As a foreign language, German is the third most taught worldwide . It is also the second most used language on the ]. German has its origin in ]. Germany had two languages: ] and ], which—from a linguistic standpoint—were two different languages. Today's standard language is based on High German rather than Low German; the latter has been given the status of a minority language by the ], although it is less used today in the traditionally Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany. ] is a form of Low German, and the ] was developed from Old Low German. | ||
| Since about ] Germany has once again had a thriving popular culture, now increasingly being led by its new old capital ], and a self-confident music and art culture. Germany is also well known for its many opera houses. | Since about ] Germany has once again had a thriving popular culture, now increasingly being led by its new old capital ], and a self-confident music and art culture. Germany is also well known for its many opera houses. | ||
| ==Religion== | ==Religion== | ||
| ⚫ | ''Main article:] | ||
| ], Father of the German Reformation and reformer of the German language, 1529]] | ], Father of the German Reformation and reformer of the German language, 1529]] | ||
| ⚫ | ''Main article:] | ||
| ⚫ | Germany is the home of the ] launched by ] in the early 16th century. Today, ] (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and ] (particularly in the south and west) also 33% |
||
| ⚫ | Germany is the home of the ] launched by ] in the early 16th century. Today, ] (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and ] (particularly in the south and west) also 33%. In total more than 55 million people officially belong to a Christian denomination. Most German Protestants are members of the ]. ] exist in all larger towns and many smaller ones, but most such churches are small. | ||
| Besides this there are several hundred thousand ] (mostly ] and ]), 400,000 ], 150,000 ], and numerous other small groups. | Besides this there are several hundred thousand ] (mostly ] and ]), 400,000 ], 150,000 ], and numerous other small groups. | ||
Revision as of 13:19, 20 May 2005
The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the world's leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other country which is located with all its territory in Europe: Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west. Germany has coastlines in the north-west on the North Sea and in the north-east on the Baltic.
| |||||
| National motto: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (German: Unity and Justice and Freedom) | |||||
| National anthem: Das Lied der Deutschen 3rd stanza (Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit) | |||||
| |||||
| Official language | German | ||||
| Capital | Berlin | ||||
| Largest City | Berlin | ||||
| Chancellor | Gerhard Schröder | ||||
| President | Horst Köhler | ||||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked 61st 349,223 km² 2.416% | ||||
| Population - April 2005 est - Density |
Ranked 14th 82,468,000 242/km² | ||||
| Formation Unification/reunification |
Treaty of Verdun (843) January 18 1871 May 23 1949 October 3 1990 | ||||
| GDP - Total (2003) - GDP/capita |
Ranked 3rd $2.271 trillion $27,600 | ||||
| Currency | Euro (€) | ||||
| Time zone - in summer |
CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .de | ||||
| Calling Code | +49 | ||||
|
Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian are officially recognised and protected as minority languages per the ECRML. | |||||
Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary state, made up of 16 federal states (Länder), which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation. It is a member state of the United Nations, NATO, the G8 nations and a founding member of what is now the European Union.
History
Main article: History of GermanyHoly Roman Empire
The medieval empire – known for much of its existence as the Holy Roman Empire, later with the addition: "of the German Nation" – stemmed from the Carolingian Empire founded by Charlemagne on 25 December 800, and divided in 843. In 962 King Otto I, a Saxon who ruled the Eastern kingdom, was crowned Emperor in Rome and after that the Imperial dignity was permantently linked to the Eastern kingdom. It existed in varying forms until 1806.
During these almost thousand years, the Germans expanded their influence with the help of the Catholic Church, Northern campaigns and the Hanseatic League.
The demise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in 1254 brought with it a decrease in power for Emperor, who became a mere primus inter pares and had to deal with the various princes of the realm.
In 1517 the Protestant Reformation broke out and spread through Germany. This resulted in the religious split of the country and in 1555 it was left to the princes to determine the religious affiliation of their respective territories
The resulting domestic strife, the Thirty Years War (1618) and the Peace of Westphalia (1648) drastically enfeebled and politically divided Germany, and thus the imperium was overrun and dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. Austria soon proclaimed its own empire, and the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund) coalesced.
German Empire
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The German Empire (Kaiserreich) was proclaimed in Versailles on January 18th, 1871, after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. This was mainly the results of the efforts of Otto von Bismarck, Germany's most prominent statesman of the 19th century. As Chancellor, Bismarck challenged the influence of Catholicism during the Kulturkampf and fought the rise of Social Democracy. His foreign policy emphasized alliance-building in order to isolate France and a belated attempt at colonialism in Africa. In 1890 Bismarck was dismissed by the new Emperor William II due to differences about foreign and internal policies and because of personal differences between the aged chancellor and the young monarch. Soon the foreign policy took an imperialistic and also unpredictable course, which led to frictions with the other major powers. From 1898, negotiations for an alliance between Germany and the United Kingdom broke down. Germany became increasingly isolated.
Imperialist power politics and the determined pursuit of national interests were the main reasons for World War I. In the events following the assassination of the Austrian heir apparent and his wife at Sarajevo, on 28 July 1914, Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August, and on France on the 3rd; Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August. There was fighting in most of Europe, the Middle East and the German colonies. The British Naval Blockade in the North Sea crippled Germany's supplies of raw materials and foodstuffs. After the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917, Russia withdrew from the war. The entry of the United States into the war, in 1917, marked a decisive turning-point. On 4 November 1918, the German Revolution broke out, and five days later Emperor William II and all German ruling princes abdicated. On 11 November, an armistice was signed at Compiègne. The First World War was over.
Weimar Republic
Following the abdication of William II, Social Democrats proclaimed a republic (see Weimar Republic). That same evening, the Spartacist League, a militant left-wing offshoot of the Social Democrats, proclaimed a Socialist Republic, beginning several months of struggle in Germany between republican, communist, and authoritarian groups. By January of 1919, however, the fledgling Weimar Republic, with the help of the nationalist freebooter Freikorps and the army, had crushed the Spartacists and associated movements throughout Germany. On August 11, 1919, the federal Weimar Constitution came into effect. At this time both the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) and the German Communist Party were founded, although the former was but one of many small ultra-nationalist parties.
The 1920s were more characterised by hyperinflation brought on by the post-war economic hardship, which may have been aggravated by the conditions and reparations required by the Treaty of Versailles. There was considerable unrest, the German people's being unused to the new very liberal democracy and lacking confidence in the new state; German voters increasingly supported anti-democratic parties, both right- and left-wing. Anti-modernism and political reaction appealed to the voters. The situation deteriorated further after the world wide Great Depression, and in two extraordinary elections of 1932, the most aggressive anti-parliamentarian parties together got more than the half of the seats, with 37% and then 33% of the votes to the National Socialist Party, and about 16% of the votes to the Communists.
The end of the Weimar Republic came when on 30 January, 1933, President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor of Germany with support from the centre-right parties. A Reichstag fire was used as an excuse for abolishing civil and political rights, and with the Enabling Act, March 23, full legislative power was transferred to Hitler's government, establishing a centralised totalitarian state in which the remaining checks and balances were quickly abolished.
Third Reich
The new regime quickly dissolved all trade unions, made Germany a one-party state, and repressed all opposition. From 1933 onwards, 412 concentration camps were set up for groups and people perceived as threats. Open persecution of Jews began. In 1934, the Nazi Party was purged of internal opposition, concentrated to the paramilitary SA, in the Night of the Long Knives, ostensibly to prevent a coup by the SA. In 1935 the Nuremberg race laws came into force: Jews were deprived of their German citizenship, were banned from marrying Germans, and locked out from most of society.
In 1936, German troops entered the demilitarised Rhineland, violating the Versailles Treaty, but rebuilding national self-esteem. Emboldened, Hitler from 1938 onwards executed a policy of expansionism. It started with the annexation of Austria, followed by the Sudetes region in Czechoslovakia. In 1939, Bohemia and Moravia was annexed and a Slovakian independent state was created. To avoid a two-front war, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was concluded with the Soviet Union. Then Germany led a Blitzkrieg against Poland, which led to the beginning of World War II.
In 1940, most of Western Europe was occupied and the German Air Force was ordered in the Battle of Britain to break the resolve of the British, through the bombing of London, resulting in many deaths. The British, however, slowly nullified the Luftwaffe's effectiveness. In 1941, Yugoslavia and Greece were conquered and the Soviet Union invaded, driving the attack to Stalingrad. When war was also declared on the United States, Hitler had engaged too many enemies. The reversal of fortune became obvious at the Battle of Stalingrad (1943). Russia started to push Germany back. German cities increasingly became targets of Allied air attacks. On 8 May, 1945, Germany surrendered after the Red Army had occupied Berlin where Hitler had committed suicide. Under his leadership, Nazi-Germany from 1939 to 1945 industrially murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust and six million more Roma, Slavs, homosexuals, communists, and mentally and otherwise disabled individuals.
Division and Reunification
.jpg)
The war resulted in territorial losses and the expulsion of millions from Eastern Germany. Three million civilians died plus an even higher number of soldiers. Germany was occupied and partitioned by the allies. Berlin was partitioned among the four Allies, with West Berlin being controlled by the Western allies and East Berlin by the Soviets. When the Soviet cut off supplies to West Berlin, Western forces airlifted food and supplies. West Germany benefitted from the American Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after the war and was a founding state of the European Union. Its economy bloomed and democracy was stabilised by successive governments in Bonn.
The Soviet-supported East Germany, by contrast, became one of the most repressive of the communist satellite states of the Warsaw Pact under the governments of Walter Ulbricht and Erich Honecker in East Berlin. The flight of growing numbers of East Germans via West Berlin led on August 13, 1961, to East Germany erecting the Berlin Wall and a fortified border to West Germany.
In the 1970s, left-extreme terrorism was a large problem and many high-profile Germans were murdered by the RAF.
During the summer of 1989, following growing unrest, large numbers of East German citizens took refuge in West German embassies in Central and Eastern European countries in the hope of emigrating to the West. The East German government's confusion grew and on 9 November, East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to enter West Berlin and West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This marked the de facto end of East Germany as a country. The reunification came into force on October 3rd, which was declared a national public holiday (German Unity Day).
Politics
Main article: Politics of Germany
Germany is a constitutional federal republic, whose political system is laid out in the 1949 constitution called Grundgesetz (Basic Law). It has a parliamentary system in which the head of government, the Bundeskanzler (Chancellor), is elected by the parliament.
Head of state. The function of head of state is performed by the Federal President (Bundespräsident). He is elected every five years by the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung), which is made up by the members of the Bundestag plus the corresponding number of Länder (states) representatives. The powers of the Federal President are limited mostly to ceremonial and representative duties.
Parliament. German legislature consists of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. The supreme legislative body is the Bundestag (Federal Diet), the parliament, which is elected every four years. It in turn elects the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler). The Bundesrat (Federal Council), represents the 16 federal states (Bundesländer) and cooperates in law-making and administering the federation. Its members are delegates of the governments of the individual Länder, or states. Lately, there has been much concern about the Bundestag and the Bundesrat blocking each other, especially with majorities differing in the two bodies, making effective legislation very difficult.
Federal Constitutional Court. The Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), located in Karlsruhe, acts as the highest legal authority and ensures that legislative and judicial practice conforms with the Basic Law, the German constitution. It acts independently of the other state bodies but cannot act on its own behalf.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Germany
Together with France, the united Germany is playing a leading role in the European Union. Germany is at the forefront of European states seeking to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defence and security apparatus.
Since its establishment on 23 May, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany had kept a notably low profile in international relations. In 1999, however, on the occasion of the Kosovo War, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's government broke tradition by sending German troops into combat for the first time since World War II.
Germany and France were protagonists in the coalition of nations opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, the German government has offered help to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq, but only outside of the war-torn country. Last year, German troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates trained 122 Iraqi soldiers to drive and maintain military trucks. In April this year, the German military sent around 50 German soldiers and 19 translators to Abu Dhabi to show 85 Iraqis how to build bridges and streets.
Together with Japan, India and Brazil, Germany is currently seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Military
Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, is a federal defence force with Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Central Medical Services (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst) and Joint Service Support Command (Streitkräftebasis) branches. It employs some 250,000 personnel, 50,000 of whom are 18-30-year-old men on national duty for currently at least 9 months. In peacetime, the Bundeswehr is commanded by the Minister of Defence, currently Peter Struck (since 2002). If Germany is in a state of defence, the chancellor becomes commander in chief of the Bundeswehr.
Since 1990 the mission of the German military has changed from repelling a potential invasion of armoured Soviet-led divisions to policing the world's hot spots. In the process, German military spending has fallen from about 3.5 per cent of gross national product in the early 1990s to about 1.4 per cent.
Currently, the German military has about 7,200 troops serving abroad in such places as Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia. They are also assisting the US anti-terrorism operation called Enduring Freedom off the Horn of Africa.
States
Main article: States of Germany
Germany is divided into sixteen states (in German called Bundesländer, singular Bundesland). It is further subdivided into 439 Kreise (districts) and cities (kreisfreie Städte) (2004).
| State | Capital | In German | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart |
| 2 Bavaria | Munich | (Freistaat) Bayern | München |
| 3 Berlin | Berlin | Berlin | Berlin |
| 4 Brandenburg | Potsdam | Brandenburg | Potsdam |
| 5 Bremen (state) | Bremen | (Freie Hansestadt) Bremen | Bremen |
| 6 Hamburg | Hamburg | (Freie und Hansestadt) Hamburg | Hamburg |
| 7 Hesse | Wiesbaden | Hessen | Wiesbaden |
| 8 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | Schwerin | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin |
| 9 Lower Saxony | Hanover | Niedersachsen | Hannover |
| 10 North Rhine-Westphalia | Düsseldorf | Nordrhein-Westfalen | Düsseldorf |
| 11 Rhineland-Palatinate | Mainz | Rheinland-Pfalz | Mainz |
| 12 Saarland | Saarbrücken | Saarland | Saarbrücken |
| 13 Saxony | Dresden | (Freistaat) Sachsen | Dresden |
| 14 Saxony-Anhalt | Magdeburg | Sachsen-Anhalt | Magdeburg |
| 15 Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel |
| 16 Thuringia | Erfurt | (Freistaat) Thüringen | Erfurt |
Geography
Main article: Geography of Germany
The land. The territory of Germany stretches from the high mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 m) in the south to the shores of the North Sea in the north-west and the Baltic in the north-east. In between are found the forested uplands of central Germany and the low-lying lands of northern Germany (lowest point: Neuendorfer/Wilstermarsch at 3.54 meters below sea level), traversed by some of Europe's major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.
Thanks to its central situation Germany has more neighbours than any other European country; these are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west.
Climate. The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. In the north-west and the north the climate is extremely oceanic and rain falls all the year round. Winters there are relatively mild and summers comparatively cool. In the east the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Here, too, long dry periods are often recorded. In the centre and the south there is a transitional climate which may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general weather situation.
There have been several large-scale river floodings in the last few years; while floods of such severity are quite rare in the long term, their frequency has been increasing lately, partly due to changes in land use in the flood plains.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Germany
Germany is the world's third largest economy measured by gross domestic product, placed behind the United States and Japan. According to the World Trade Organisation, Germany is also the world's top exporter, ahead of the United States and China. Its major trading partners include France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands. A major issue of concern remains the persistently high unemployment rate - especially in the eastern states -, and partly as a result of it, weak domestic demand which slows down economic growth. However, according to the head of Germany's Council of Economic Advisers, Unification is to blame for two-thirds of Germany's growth lag compared to its EU neighbours. In particular, eastern Germany lacks a solid base of small and medium-sized companies, which provided the foundation for West Germany's economic prosperity.
Agriculture. For many years now agriculture in Germany has been in a state of decline. Poor earnings and lack of profitability are counted to the main reasons for the failure of many medium and small concerns. The main crops grown are potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beet and cabbage. Germany ranks among the world's largest producers of milk, milk products and meat.
Industrial sector. As in most other large economic nations, Germany's industrial sector has declined in favour of the service sector. Germany is among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, cement, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, machine tools and electronics, as well as a world leader in the shipbuilding industry. Major automakers like DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen, and huge international corporations like Siemens rank among the world's largest firms.
Service sector. The service sector has grown steadily in recent years and now contributes the largest share of GDP. This sector includes tourism. As of 2004, the largest numbers of foreign visitors to Germany came from the Netherlands, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Natural resources. Germany is lacking in natural raw materials, if one disregards the hard coal deposits in the Ruhr area, in the Aachen district and in the Saarland, where mining is profitable only thanks to state subsidies. Brown coal from mines in the Leipziger Bucht and the Niederlausitz is still the major energy source in the eastern Länder, while mineral oil enjoys this position in the western Länder. The current red-Green coalition government is pursuing a long-term strategy of phasing out nuclear power in favour of renewable sources of energy.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Germany
Population
Germany has many large cities but only three with a population of one million or more (Berlin: 3 million, Hamburg: 1.8 million, Munich: 1.2 million); the population is thus much less centralised and oriented towards a single large capital than in most other European countries. The largest cities are Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, Dortmund, Essen, Düsseldorf, Bremen, Duisburg and Hanover. By far the largest urban conurbation is the Rhine–Ruhr region including the Düsseldorf-Cologne district.
On 31 December 2004, about 6.7 million non-citizen residents were living in Germany. By far the largest number came from Turkey, followed by Italy, Greece, Croatia, the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Portugal, Vietnam, Morocco, Poland, Macedonia, Lebanon and France. . About 2/3s of these have been in the country for 8 years or more, and are therefore eligible for naturalization.
Germany is still a primary destination for political and economic refugees from many developing countries, but the number of asylum seekers has been dropping in recent years, reaching about 50,000 in 2003. A new immigration law recently took effect (1 January 2005), which provides a more systematic treatment of immigration issues as well as increased support for German language classes for immigrants.
An ethnic Danish minority of about 50,000 people lives in Schleswig, mostly close to the Danish border, in the north; a small number of Slavic people known as the Sorbs lives in the states of Saxony (about 40,000) and Brandenburg (about 20.000). The Frisian language is mother tongue to about 12,000 speakers in Germany. In rural areas of Northern Germany Low Saxon is widely spoken.
There are also a large number of ethnic German immigrants from the former Soviet Union area (1.7 million), Poland (0.7 million) and Romania (0.3 million) (1980–1999 totals), who are automatically granted German citizenship, and thus do not show up in foreign resident statistics; unlike the foreigners they have been settled by the government almost evenly spread throughout Germany.
Germany now has Europe's third-largest Jewish population, and the world's fastest growing. In 2004, twice as many Jews from former Soviet republics settled in Germany as in Israel, bringing the total inflow to more than 200,000 since 1991. Jews have a voice in German public life through the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland.
Education
Main article: Education in Germany
Germany has one of the world's highest levels of education. The most important foreign languages taught at school are English, Latin, French, Russian, Greek and Spanish. Since the end of World War II, the number of youths entering universities has more than tripled, but university attendance still lags behind many other European nations. In the annual league of top-ranking universities compiled by Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2004, Germany came 4th overall, but with only 7 universities in the top 100 (USA: 51). The highest ranking university, at no. 45, was the TU Munich.
For Germany, the results of the PISA student assessments were some kind of nationwide shock. The comparatively low scores brought on heated debate about how the school system should be changed. Furthermore it was revealed that more than in other countries students with higher-earning parents are better-educated and tend to achieve higher results. There is also some diversity between the schools of the various states, that determine their respective school system independently.
In addition to academic education, Germany also has a elaborate system - called dual system - of vocational education, which combines apprenticeship in enterprises with theoretical teaching in vocational schools.
Social issues
Main article: Social issues in Germany
The German Social Market economy (German: soziale Marktwirtschaft) helped bring about the "economic miracle" that rebuilt Germany from ashes after World War II to one of the most impressive economies in Europe.
Still, Germany continues to struggle with a number of social issues. Issues created by the German Reunification of 1990 have begun to narrow. While the standard of living is higher in the western half of the country, easterners now share a reasonably high standard of living. Germans continue to be concerned about a relatively high level of unemployment; however, they are generally unwilling to conceed to labour concessions such as longer working hours.
In September 2004, the right-wing extremist National Democratic Party (NPD) gained a new place on the national political stage when they captured 9.2% of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony. That compared with 1.9% in 1999. Like the party, right-wing extremist crimes also remain a problem for Germany. According to Interior Minister Otto Schily, the number of crimes rose 8.4% to 12,553 cases in 2004. The minister attributed the increase to such crimes as the display of illegal Nazi symbols. Schily also noted that the number of violent crimes related to right-wing groups slipped slightly to 832 cases.
Immigrants in Germany face undue police inquiries (such as repeat targeted requests for identification), violence from right-wing extremist groups, higher rates of delinquency and more general integration problems. Some states have introduced banning for Muslim teachers to wear religious headscarves.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Germany
Germany's contributions to the world's cultural heritage are numerous, and the country is often known as The Land of Poets and Thinkers (das Land der Dichter und Denker). Germany was the birthplace of composers such as Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Wagner; the poets Goethe, Schiller and Heine; the philosophers Kant, Marx, Hegel and Nietzsche; theologian Luther; authors Hesse, Mann, and Grass; scientists Fahrenheit, Kepler, Einstein, Hertz, Koch, Kopernikus; and inventors and engineers Gutenberg, Otto, Siemens, Braun, Daimler, Benzand Diesel; and artists Dürer, Ernst, Marc, Beuys and Baselitz. Many historical figures, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, were nevertheless seen as "Germans" in the sense that they were immersed in the German culture, for example Franz Kafka and Stefan Zweig.
The German language was once the lingua franca of central, eastern and northern Europe, and in Europe it is the second most popular language after English. As a foreign language, German is the third most taught worldwide . It is also the second most used language on the Internet. German has its origin in Old High German. Germany had two languages: High German and Low German, which—from a linguistic standpoint—were two different languages. Today's standard language is based on High German rather than Low German; the latter has been given the status of a minority language by the European Union, although it is less used today in the traditionally Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany. Dutch is a form of Low German, and the English language was developed from Old Low German.
Since about 1970 Germany has once again had a thriving popular culture, now increasingly being led by its new old capital Berlin, and a self-confident music and art culture. Germany is also well known for its many opera houses.
Religion
Main article:Religion in Germany
Germany is the home of the Reformation launched by Martin Luther in the early 16th century. Today, Protestants (particularly in the north and east) comprise about 33% of the population and Catholics (particularly in the south and west) also 33%. In total more than 55 million people officially belong to a Christian denomination. Most German Protestants are members of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Free churches exist in all larger towns and many smaller ones, but most such churches are small.
Besides this there are several hundred thousand Orthodox Christians (mostly Greeks and Serbs), 400,000 New Apostolic Christians, 150,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, and numerous other small groups.
In the territory of the former East Germany, there is much less religious feeling—probably the result of forty years of Communism—than in the West. Only 5% attend at least once per week, compared with 14% in the West according to a recent study. About 30% of the total population are officially religiously unaffiliated. In the East this number is also considerably higher.
Approximately 3.7 million Muslims (mostly of Turkish descent) live in Germany.
Church and state are declared by law to be separate, but some large churches can get special status from the state as a "corporation under public law" which allows the churches to levy taxes called Kirchensteuer (literally church tax) against the members of the church in return for a collection fee paid to the state. See Status of religious freedom in Germany.
Miscellaneous topics
- List of German towns
- List of German districts
- List of universities in Germany
- Historical Eastern Germany
- Communications in Germany
- Transportation in Germany
- Tourism in Germany
- Tax in Germany
- List of famous Germans
- List of English exonyms for German toponyms
External links
- Facts about Germany — Official site published by the German Federal Foreign Office
- Deutschland.de — Official German portal
- campus-germany.de — Study and Research in Germany (multilingual)
- Deutsche Welle Germany's international broadcaster, 30 language website
- Destatis.de — Federal Statistical Office Germany (in English)
- Statistikportal.de — More official statistical data
- Bundesregierung Deutschland — Official site of the German Federal Government
- Bundespräsident — Official site of the German Federal President
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