Birth rate:
8.6 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.42 years
male: 75.46 years
female: 81.55 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
41,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
660 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of
Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, 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% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Germany
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
Berlin
Administrative divisions:
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
Independence:
18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four
zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945
following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West
Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and
French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany)
proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;
unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October
1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday:
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
German people 3 October 1990
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)
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 22 September 2002 (next to be
held NA September 2006)
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
election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal
Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor;
percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or parlament consists of the Federal Assembly
or Bundestag (603 seats; elected by popular vote under a system
combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win
5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain
representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal
Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly
represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population
and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 22 September 2002 (next to
be held NA September 2006); note - there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD
38.5%, CDU/CSU 38.5%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.6%, FDP 7.4%, PDS 4%;
seats by party - SPD 251, CDU/CSU 248, Alliance '90/Greens 55, FDP
47, PDS 2; Federal Council - current composition - NA
Judicial branch:
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the
judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)