GERMANY

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Essential Country Information

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General Information

Area

357,027 sq km (137,849 sq miles).

Population

82.5 million (UN, 2005).

Population Density

231 per sq km.

Capital

Berlin. Population: 3.4 million (2005 estimate).

Geography

The Federal Republic of Germany shares frontiers with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. The northwest of the country has a coastline on the North Sea with islands known for their health resorts, while the Baltic coastline in the northeast stretches from the Danish to the Polish border. The country is divided into 16 states (Bundesländer), including the formerly divided city of Berlin. The landscape is exceedingly varied, with the Rhine, Bavaria and the Black Forest being probably the three most famous features of western Germany. In eastern Germany, the country is lake-studded with undulating lowlands which give way to the hills and mountains of the Lausitzer Bergland, the Saxon Hills in the Elbe Valley and the Erzgebirge, whilst the once divided areas of the Thuringian and Harz ranges in the central part of the country are now whole regions again. River basins extend over a large percentage of the eastern part of Germany, the most important being the Elbe, Saale, Havel, Spree and Oder. Northern Germany includes the states of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and the city states of Bremen and Hamburg. The western area of the country consists of the Rhineland, the industrial sprawl of the Ruhr, Westphalia (Westfalen), Hesse (Hessen), the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and the Saarland. In the southern area of the country are the two largest states, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria (Bayern), which contain the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Lake Constance (Bodensee) and the Bavarian Alps. Munich (München), Stuttgart and Nuremberg (Nürnberg) are the major cities. The eastern part of the country is made up of the states of Thuringia, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. The major cities in eastern Germany are Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Halle, Magdeburg, Potsdam, Schwerin and Rostock. Apart from Leipzig and Rostock, these are also all recently reconstituted state capitals.

Government

Federal Republic. Head of State: President Horst Köhler since 2004. Head of Government: Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2005. Recent history: From 1995 onwards, a new leadership under would-be Chancellor Gerhard Schröder emerged to challenge a Helmut Kohl Government (leader of the right-wing Christian Democrats (CDU)), now entering a stale twilight period. The Social Democratic (SPD) party duly won the 1998 general election and, after 17 years as Chancellor and 25 years as party leader, Kohl stood down. With a cleverly worked campaign which drew in part on widespread popular concern about a future Middle East war, Schröder out-manoeuvred the Christian Democrats and held on to power in the September 2002 general election. Schröder then sought to continue Helmut Kohl’s aim of a more activist German foreign policy. Along with French president Jacques Chirac, Schröder opposed much Anglo-American policy in the Middle East. However, Schröder's reign came to an end amidst stultifying confusion in the national elections held on 18 September 2005. Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats won Germany's election by just three seats, falling far short of a majority. As both Mrs Merkel and Mr Schröder claimed they had a mandate to be Chancellor, Germany faced weeks of uncertainty, which only resulted in a deal between the CDU and the SPD on 10 October. Angela Merkel was declared Germany's first woman Chancellor and sworn in in late November. She is also the first Chancellor to have grown up in the former Communist, eastern part of the country. Merkel's foreign stance is more pro-US than her predecessor and she has pledged to overhaul the German economy. Therefore it remains to be seen whether Schröder's stance on foreign policy is challenged. However, Merkel has been sworn in as part of a CDU-SPD 'grand coalition', under which the SPD will take eight ministerial posts, against six for the CDU and their CSU allies. This may mute the power of Merkel somewhat. For now, the same major political issues remain in Germany: Germany hosts the largest number of immigrants of any EU nation, and the debate has coincided with the growth of violent neo-Nazism.The present constitution dates from May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany being formally established four months later. The country is a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature (Bundesrat and Bundestag, with 68 and 663 members respectively). Executive authority lies with the Federal Government, led by the Federal Chancellor. The Federal President is the constitutional head of state. Each of the states has its own legislature with power to pass laws on all matters not expressly reserved for the competence of the Federal Government. The former German Democratic Republic has been absorbed into this system, adding five new states to the total.

Language

German. English is widely spoken and French is also spoken, particularly in the Saarland. In the north of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish is spoken by the Danish minority and taught in schools. In Brandenburg and Saxony, Sorbic is spoken by the ethnic minority called the Sorbs and is also taught in about 50 schools. Regional dialects often differ markedly from standard German.

Religion

Approximately 34 per cent Protestant, 34 per cent Roman Catholic, with Jewish, Muslim and other non-Christian minorities.

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style round two-pin plugs are in use. Lamp fittings are screw type.

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS

Handshaking is customary. Normal courtesies should be observed and it is common to be offered food and refreshments when visiting someone’s home. Before eating, it is normal to say Guten Appetit to the other people at the table to which the correct reply is Ebenfalls. It is customary to present the hostess with unwrapped flowers (according to tradition, one should always give an uneven number and it is worth noting that red roses are exclusively a lover’s gift). Courtesy dictates that when entering a shop, restaurant or similar venue, visitors should utter a greeting such as Guten Tag (or Grüss Gott in Bavaria) before saying what it is that they want; to leave without saying Auf Wiedersehen can also cause offence. Similarly, when making a telephone call, asking for the person you want to speak to without stating first who you are is considered rude. Casual wear is widely acceptable, but more formal dress is required for some restaurants, the opera, theatre, casinos and important social functions. Evening wear is worn when requested. Smoking is prohibited where notified and on public transport and in some public buildings. Visitors should be prepared for an early start to the day with businesses, schools, etc opening at 0800 or earlier. It is very common practice to take a mid-afternoon stroll on Sunday; town and city centres at this time are often very animated places, in stark comparison with Saturday afternoons when, owing to the early closing of shops, town centres can seem almost deserted.