Part 79
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)
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
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 23 May 2004 (next scheduled for 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; Bundestag vote for Chancellor last held 22 November 2005 (next will follow the national elections to be held by 27 September 2009)
election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to 202 with 12 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 [Franz MUENTEFERING]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: business associations and employers' organizations; religious, trade unions, 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, 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, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, 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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John KOENIG
embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 10117 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 - began to contract in the second quarter of 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit markets, and slowing growth abroad took their toll on Germany's export-dependent economy. At just 1% in 2008, GDP growth is expected to be negative in 2009. Recent stimulus and lender relief efforts will make demands on Germany's federal budget and undercut plans to balance its budget by 2011. The reforms launched by the former government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHOEDER, deemed necessary due to chronically high unemployment and low average growth, led to strong growth in 2007, while unemployment in 2008 fell below 8%, a new post-reunification low. Germany's aging population, combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006-07 and a 3% rise in the value-added tax cut Germany's budget deficit to within the EU's 3% debt limit in 2007. The current government of Chancellor Angela MERKEL has initiated other reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female participation in the labor market. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy - where unemployment still exceeds 30% in some municipalities - continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. While corporate restructuring and growing capital markets have set strong foundations to help Germany meet the longer-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, Germany's export-oriented economy has proved a disadvantage in the context of weak global demand.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.925 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 $2.887 trillion (2007 est.)
$2.817 trillion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.673 trillion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 2.5% (2007 est.)
3.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$35,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 $35,000 (2007 est.)
$34,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 30.1%
services: 69.1% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
43.6 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 14
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 29.7%
services: 67.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 106 9% (2007 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%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 22.1% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27 (2006) country comparison to the world: 123 30 (1994)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Budget:
revenues: $1.591 trillion
expenditures: $1.591 trillion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
66% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 20 65.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31 2.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 93 5% (31 December 2007)
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: 133 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 2008) country comparison to the world: 8 $2.106 trillion (31 December 2007)
$1.638 trillion (31 December 2006)
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:
0.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
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:
150,800 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Oil - consumption:
2.569 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
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: 6
Oil - proved reserves:
276 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Natural gas - production:
16.36 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Natural gas - consumption:
95.79 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Natural gas - exports:
12.68 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 16
Natural gas - imports:
91.99 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3
Natural gas - proved reserves:
175.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Current account balance:
$243.6 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $263.1 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.498 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $1.35 trillion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners:
France 9.7%, US 7.1%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 6.6%, Italy 6.4%, Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.2%, Spain 4.4%, Poland 4% (2008)
Imports:
$1.232 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $1.079 trillion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners:
Netherlands 12.5%, France 8.3%, Belgium 7.5%, China 6.2%, Italy 5.7%, UK 5.4%, Austria 4.3%, Russia 4.2%, US 4.2% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$138 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $136.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.158 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 3 $5.155 trillion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.027 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 5 $1.002 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.407 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 $1.249 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
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 (2008)
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); 24 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 12,400 km of expressways)
note: includes local roads (2006)
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) (2009)
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: 19,594,118
females age 16-49: 18,543,955 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,747,493
females age 16-49: 14,899,416 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 431,508
female: 409,111 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Ghana (Africa)
Introduction ::Ghana
Background:
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS took over as head of state in early 2009.
Geography ::Ghana
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 238,533 sq km country comparison to the world: 81 land: 227,533 sq km
water: 11,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km
Coastline:
539 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain:
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 17.54%
permanent crops: 9.22%
other: 73.24% (2005)
Irrigated land:
310 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
53.2 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.98 cu km/yr (24%/10%/66%)
per capita: 44 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts
Environment - current issues:
recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake
People ::Ghana
Population:
23,832,495 country comparison to the world: 47 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 4,503,331/female 4,393,104)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 7,039,696/female 7,042,208)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 393,364/female 460,792) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.7 years
male: 20.5 years
female: 21 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.882% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Birth rate:
28.58 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Death rate:
9.24 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Net migration rate:
-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Urbanization:
urban population: 50% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.09 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 50 male: 55.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 46.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.85 years country comparison to the world: 184 male: 58.98 years
female: 60.75 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.68 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.9% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
260,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
21,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian
Ethnic groups:
Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census)
Religions:
Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
Languages: