Population: 82,800,000 (2000 est.)
Area: 137,803 sq. mi. (356,910 sq. km), slightly smaller than Montana
Bordering Countries: (from n. clockwise) Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands
Coastline: 1,385 mi (2,389 km) - the Baltic Sea (die Ostsee) in the northeast, the North Sea (die Nordsee) in the northwest
Major Cities: Berlin (capital) 3,477,900, Hamburg 1,703,800, Munich (München) 1,251,100, Cologne (Köln) 963,300, Frankfurt 656,200
Religions: Protestant (Evangelisch) 38%, Roman Catholic (Katholisch) 34%, Muslim 1.7%, Other or non-affiliated 26.3%
Government: Federal republic with a parliamentary democracy. Germany's constitution (das Grundgesetz, Basic Law) of May 23, 1949 became reunified Germany's constitution on October 3, 1990 (now a national holiday, Tag der Deutschen Einheit, German Unity Day).
Legislature: There are two federal legislative bodies. The Bundestag is Germany's House of Representatives or lower house. Its members are elected to four-year terms in popular elections. The Bundesrat (Federal Council) is Germany's upper house. Its members are not elected but are the members of the 16 Länder governments or their representatives. By law the upper house must approve any law that affects the Länder.
Heads of Government: The federal president (der Bundespräsident) is the titular head of state, but he/she has no real political power. He/she holds office for a five-year term and can be re-elected only once. The current federal president is Horst Köhler (since July 2004).
The federal chancellor (der Bundeskanzler) is the German "premier" and political leader. He/she is elected by the Bundestag for a four-year term. The chancellor can also be removed by a no-confidence vote, but this is rare. Following the September 2005 elections, Angela Merkel (CDU) replaced Gerhard Schröder (SPD) as federal chancellor. In November a vote in the Bundestag made Merkel Germany's first woman chancellor (Kanzlerin). Government "grand coalition" negotiations for cabinet positions had also continued into November. For the results see Merkel's Cabinet.
Courts: The Federal Constitutional Court (das Bundesverfassungsgericht) is the highest court of the land and the guardian of the Basic Law. There are lower federal and state courts.
States/Länder: Germany has 16 federal states (Bundesländer) with governmental powers similar to those of U.S. states. West Germany had 11 Bundesländer; the five so-called "new states" (die neuen Länder) were reconstituted after reunification. (East Germany had 15 "districts" each named for its capital city.)
Monetary Unit: The euro (der Euro) replaced the Deutsche Mark when Germany joined 11 other European countries that put the euro into circulation in January 2002. See Der Euro kommt.
Highest Mountain: The Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps near the Austrian border is 9,720 ft (2,962 m) in elevation (more German geography)
More About Germany:
Almanac: German Mountains
Almanac: German Rivers
German History: History Contents Page
Recent History: The Berlin Wall
Money: Der Euro
