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Introduction - Germany
Background:
As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia),
Germany is 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.
Geography - Germany
Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the
Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates:
51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 357,022 sq km
country comparison to the world: 62
land: 348,672 sq km
water: 8,350 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana
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
Coastline:
2,389 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Current Weather
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm
mountain (foehn) wind
Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources:
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt,
construction materials, timber, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 33.13%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 66.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
4,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
188 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%)
per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards:
flooding
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, 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: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic
Sea
People - Germany
Population:
82,282,988 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.5% (male 5,720,367/female 5,425,389)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 27,704,691/female 26,668,140)
65 years and over: 20.4% (male 7,048,438/female 9,715,963) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 44.3 years
male: 43 years
female: 45.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.061% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
Birth rate:
8.21 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 219
Death rate:
11 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Net migration rate:
2.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Urbanization:
urban population: 74% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.055 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 209
male: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.41 years
country comparison to the world: 33
male: 76.41 years
female: 82.57 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.42 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
53,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian,
Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Religions:
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Languages:
German
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.6% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 82
People - note:
second most populous country in Europe after Russia
Government - Germany
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
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Berlin
geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in
October
Administrative divisions:
16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria),
Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony),
Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz
(Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt
(Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern,
Sachsen, and Thuringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular
- Freistaat)
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; West
Germany and East Germany unified 3 October 1990; all four powers formally
relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday:
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3
October 1990
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts
in the Federal Constitutional Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Christian WULFF (since 30 June 2010)
head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the chancellor
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second 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
on 30 June 2010 (next to be held by June 2015); chancellor elected by an
absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; Bundestag vote
for Chancellor last held after 27 September 2009 (next to follow the legislative
election to be held no later than 2013)
election results: Christian WULFF elected president; received 625 votes of the
Federal Convention against 494 for GAUCK and 121 abstentions; Angela MERKEL
reelected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 323 to 285 with four abstentions
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes;
state governments sit in the Council; each has three to six votes in proportion
to population and are required to vote as a block) and the Federal Assembly or
Bundestag (622 seats; members elected by popular vote for a four-year term under
a system of personalized proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the
national vote or three direct mandates to gain proportional representation and
caucus recognition)
elections: Bundestag - last held on 27 September 2009 (next to be held no later
than autumn 2013); 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: Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 33.8%, SPD 23%,
FDP 14.6%, Left 11.9%, Greens 10.7%, other 6%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 239, SPD
146, FDP 93, Left 76, Greens 68
Judicial branch:
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are
elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Cem OZDEMIR]; Christian Democratic Union
or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Horst SEEHOFER]; Free
Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE]; Left Party or Die Linke [Lothar
BISKY and Oskar LAFONTAINE]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Sigmar GABRIEL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
business associations and employers' organizations; trade unions; religious,
immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer),
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), SICA
(observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Philip D. MURPHY
embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 14191 Berlin; note - new embassy opened 4 July 2008
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265, Clayallee 170, 14195 Berlin
telephone: [49] (030) 2385174
FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have
played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the
medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and
beak on a gold field
Economy - Germany
Economy - overview:
The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and
Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and
household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. Like its
western European neighbors, Germany faces significant demographic challenges to
sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and declining net immigration
are increasing pressure on the country's social welfare system and necessitate
structural reforms. The modernization and integration of the eastern German
economy - where unemployment can exceed 20% in some municipalities - continues
to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east
amounting in 2008 alone to roughly $12 billion. Reforms launched by the
government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (1998-2005), deemed necessary to
address chronically high unemployment and low average growth, contributed to
strong growth in 2006 and 2007 and falling unemployment, which in 2008 reached a
new post-reunification low of 7.8%. These advances, as well as a government
subsidized, reduced working hour scheme, have helped to explain the relatively
modest increase in unemployment during Germany's 2008-09 recession - the deepest
since World War II. GDP grew just over 1% in 2008 and contracted roughly 5% in
2009. Germany crept out of recession in the second and third quarters of 2009,
thanks largely to rebounding manufacturing orders and exports - primarily
outside the Euro Zone - and relatively steady consumer demand. The German
economy probably will recover to about 1.5% growth for the year 2010. However, a
relatively strong euro, tighter credit markets, and an anticipated bump in
unemployment could cloud Germany's medium-term recovery prospects. Stimulus and
stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in
Chancellor Angela MERKEL's second term will increase Germany's record budget
deficit, which is expected to exceed 5% of GDP in 2010. The EU has given Germany
until 2013 to get its consolidated budget deficit below 3% of GDP. A new
constitutional amendment likewise limits the federal government to structural
deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.811 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$2.959 trillion (2008 est.)
$2.921 trillion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.273 trillion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
1.3% (2008 est.)
2.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$34,100 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
$35,900 (2008 est.)
$35,500 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 26.8%
services: 72.3% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
43.5 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 29.7%
services: 67.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
7.3% (2008 est.)
note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate for
international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office estimated a
seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8%
Population below poverty line:
11% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 24% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 125
30 (1994)
Investment (gross fixed):
17.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
Budget:
revenues: $1.507 trillion
expenditures: $1.618 trillion (2009 est.)
Public debt:
72.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
66% of GDP (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
2.6% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
1.75% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 129
3% (31 December 2008)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility,
which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.97% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 139
5.96% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the
European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control
the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
$NA
Stock of domestic credit:
$5.019 trillion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
$4.457 trillion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 9
$1.108 trillion (31 December 2008)
$2.106 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
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
Industrial production growth rate:
-11% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Electricity - production:
593.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Electricity - consumption:
547.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Electricity - exports:
61.7 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
41.67 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
156,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
Oil - consumption:
2.437 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Oil - exports:
582,900 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Oil - imports:
2.777 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Oil - proved reserves:
276 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Natural gas - production:
15.29 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Natural gas - consumption:
96.26 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Natural gas - exports:
12.64 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
Natural gas - imports:
94.57 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Natural gas - proved reserves:
175.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
Current account balance:
$135.1 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$243.9 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:
$1.159 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.498 trillion (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners:
France 10.12%, US 6.66%, Netherlands 6.64%, UK 6.57%, Italy 6.29%, Austria
5.92%, Belgium 5.2%, China 4.55%, Switzerland 4.42% (2009)
Imports:
$966.9 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.232 trillion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners:
Netherlands 12.71%, France 8.3%, Belgium 7.19%, China 6.89%, Italy 5.88%, UK
4.76%, Austria 4.55%, US 4.25%, Switzerland 4.07% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$181.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$138 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.208 trillion (30 June 2009)
country comparison to the world: 3
$5.158 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.008 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
$1.015 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.454 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
$1.419 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964
(2006), 0.8041 (2005)
Communications - Germany
Telephones - main lines in use:
51.5 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 3
Telephones - mobile cellular:
107.245 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 8
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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
.de
Internet hosts:
23.796 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 3
Internet users:
61.973 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 6
Transportation - Germany
Airports:
550 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 13
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 330
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 52
1,524 to 2,437 m: 58
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 135 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 220
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 33
under 914 m: 184 (2009)
Heliports:
25 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 24,364 km; oil 3,379 km; refined products 3,843 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 41,896 km
country comparison to the world: 6
standard gauge: 41,641 km 1.435-m gauge (20,053 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 75 km 1.000-m gauge (75 km electrified); 180 km 0.750-m gauge (24
km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 644,480 km
country comparison to the world: 11
paved: 644,480 km (includes 12,600 km of expressways)
note: includes local roads (2008)
Waterways:
7,467 km
country comparison to the world: 19
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and
Black Sea (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 393
country comparison to the world: 26
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 43, chemical tanker 13, container 284, liquefied
gas 5, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 11 (China 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Finland 4, Netherlands 1,
Sweden 1)
registered in other countries: 2,998 (Antigua and Barbuda 941, Australia 2,
Bahamas 44, Bermuda 22, Brazil 6, Bulgaria 63, Burma 1, Canada 3, Cayman Islands
15, Cyprus 189, Denmark 9, Denmark 1, Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 1, Georgia 2,
Gibraltar 129, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 4,
Liberia 849, Luxembourg 5, Malaysia 1, Malta 91, Marshall Islands 235, Mongolia
4, Morocco 2, Netherlands 75, Netherlands Antilles 43, Norway 1, NZ 1, Panama
44, Portugal 20, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 24,
Slovakia 3, Spain 5, Sri Lanka 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bremen, Bremerhaven, Duisburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Lubeck, Rostock, Wilhemshaven
Military - Germany
Military branches:
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes
naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Services
(Streitkraeftbasis), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of compulsory military service)
(2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 19,195,804
females age 16-49: 18,159,851 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,564,748
females age 16-49: 14,723,200 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 421,227
female: 398,809 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Transnational Issues - Germany
Disputes - international:
none
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
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