Facts and figures: A brief introduction of Germany

Germany has many strong suits: the country is renowned for the quality of the "made-in-Germany" trademark.

It is also a country with a great lifestyle, highly diverse countryside and open-minded inhabitants.

An increasing number of foreign students enjoy the academic climate at Germany's universities.

International investors appreciate the know-how and superior training of the workforce.

The art and cultural scene is brimming over with a zest for experimentation and innovation. This is true of all 16 federal states and in particular of Berlin, the capital and the country's political and creative heart.

Federal Republic of Germany

State: Democratic parliamentary federal democracy since 1949

Capital city: Berlin, with 3.4 million inhabitants

National flag: Three horizontal stripes in black, red, gold

Emblem: Stylized eagle

Anthem: Third verse of August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben's "Das Lied der Deutschen" to a melody by Joseph Haydn - "Kaiserhymne"

State holiday: October 3, Day of German Unity

Parliament: Bundestag

Currency: Euro. Germany is a member of the Eurozone

International dial code: +49

Official language: German. German is the mother tongue of 100 million people and is the language most spoken in the European Union

Geography

Location: Central Europe

Size: 357,021 sq km

Borders: 3,757 km

Coastline: 2,389 km

Neighboring states: Germany is at the heart of Europe and has nine neighbors: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland

Highest mountain: Zugspitze - 2,963 m above sea level

Longest rivers: Rhine 865 km, Elbe 700 km

Large cities: Berlin 3.4 million inhabitants; Hamburg (1.7 million); Munich (1.2 million); Cologne (1.0 million); Frankfurt/Main (655,000)

Climate: Moderate oceanic/continental climate zone with frequent changes in weather and primarily westerly winds

Population

Inhabitants: With 82.5 million inhabitants, Germany has the largest population of any EU member state. Around 7.3 million foreigners live in Germany and of them 1.8 million are Turks

Population density: With 231 inhabitants per sq km, Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe

Population growth: 0.0 percent

Religions: Nearly 53 million Germans profess to be Christians (26 million Catholics, 26 million Protestants, 900,000 members of the Orthodox churches), 3.3 million are Muslims, 230,000 Buddhists, 100,000 Jews, 90,000 Hindus. The Basic Law guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion. There is no state religion

Immigration: Since 2005, the new Immigration Act regulates immigration

Political system

Legislature: Bicameral system. In addition to the Bundestag, the Bundesrat participates in legislation

State structure: Germany is a federation consisting of 16 federal states, each with its own constitution, parliament and government. The highest state authority is exercised by the federal government. Through the agency of the Bundesrat, the states are represented at the federal level and participate in federal legislation

Suffrage: Universal, equal and secret suffrage as of 18 years of age, elections to the Bundestag are held every four years

Federal President: Professor Dr Horst Kohler since 2004

Federal Chancellor: Dr Angela Merkel since 2005

Legal system: Germany is a social constitutional state. It is based on the principle of a diversion of powers and lawful administration. All organs of state are subject to the constitutional order. The Basic Law guarantees every individual citizen basic and human rights. The federal Constitutional Court watches over adherence to the Basic Law

Germany in the world

International Cooperation: Germany joins its European and transatlantic partners in championing peace, democracy and human rights in the world. Germany is a member of key European and international organizations

European Union: The Federal Republic of Germany is a founding member of the European Union (EU). In the first half of 2007, Germany held the presidency of the Council of the European Union

United Nations: Germany has been a full member of the United Nations (UN) since 1973. Germany contributes nearly 10 percent of the regular UN budget and is the third largest contributor. Since 1996 Bonn has had the title of "UN City"; 12 UN organizations are based there

Federal Foreign Office: The Federal Foreign Office, which is headquartered in Berlin, and its network of 226 foreign representative offices represent Germany in the world. Germany currently maintains diplomatic relations with 191 countries

Economy

Economic Prowess: Germany is the largest economy in the European Union and the third largest in the world. With the highest GDP and the largest number of inhabitants in the EU, Germany is Europe's most important market

Export: Germany is one of the world's leading exporters: exporting goods worth 733.5 billion euros ($990 billion) in 2004.

Investment magnet: Germany holds a strong attraction for foreign investors. The world's 500 largest corporations are present there, as are 22,000 foreign companies with a total staff of 2.7 million

Infrastructure: Germany has a highly developed infrastructure that is growing dynamically. Its rail network covers 36,000 km, and the road network 230,000 km. The country boasts one of the world's most modern telecommunication networks

Trade fairs: About two-thirds of all the world's keynote trade fairs take place in Germany (about 140 international trade fairs)

Research and Development

Patent registrations: Germany is Europe's No 1 in terms of patent registrations. Together with Japan and the United States, Germany, with its 157,000 patent registrations, is among the world's three most innovative countries

Leading research institutes: Since 1948, 16 Nobel prizes have been won by Max Planck society scientists. Likewise internationally renowned is the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for applied research and the Helmholtz Association with 15 internationally leading large research institutions

Social system

Social security: Germany has an elaborate network of social security systems (pension, health, healthcare and unemployment insurance), financed in equal measure by employees and employers alike

Health: Almost all Germany's inhabitants have health insurance (88 percent on statutory and just under 12 percent in private insurance schemes)

Higher education

There are 372 institutes of higher learning in Germany, 102 of them universities, and 167 universities of the applied sciences, with 937,000 or 48 percent of the total of some 2 million students being women. Tuition for higher education in Germany is largely free, and the tuition fees planned for introduction in various federal states as of 2007 are comparatively low at about 500 euros ($675) per semester.

Foreign students: 246,000 foreign students are enrolled at German institutes of higher education. After the United States and Great Britain, Germany is the third most attractive country worldwide for foreign students.

(China Daily 08/25/2007 page5)