National name: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
President: Horst Köhler (2004)
Chancellor: Gerhard Schröder (1998)
Area: 137,846 sq mi (357,021 sq km)
Monetary units: Euro (formerly Deutsche mark)

Language: German
Population (2005 est.): 82,431,390
- birth growth rate: 0%;
- rate: 8.3/1000;
- infant mortality rate: 4.2/1000;
- life expectancy: 78.7;
- density per sq mi: 598

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Berlin (capital since Oct. 3, 1990), 3,933,300 (metro. area), 3,274,500 (city proper)

Other large cities: - Hamburg, 1,686,100; - Munich, 1,185,400; - Cologne, 965,300; - Frankfurt, 648,000; - Essen, 588,800; - Dortmund, 587,600; - Stuttgart, 581,100; - Düsseldorf, 568,900; - Bremen, 527,900; - Hanover, 516,300; - Duisburg, 513,400

Ethnicity/race: - German 91.5%, - Turkish 2.4%, - Italian 0.7%, - Greek 0.4%, - Polish 0.4%, - other 4.6%

Religions: - Protestant 34%, - Roman Catholic 34%, - Islam 3.7%, - Unaffiliated or other 28.3%

 
Literacy rate: 99% (1977 est.)

Economic summary:
- GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $2.362 trillion; per capita $28,700.
- Real growth rate: 1.7%.
- Inflation: 1.6%.
- Unemployment: 10.6%.
- Arable land: 34%.
- Agriculture: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry.
- Labor force: 42.63 million; industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999).
- 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.
- Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land.
- Exports: $696.9 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles.
- Imports: $585 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals.
- Major trading partners: France, U.S., UK, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, China.

Communications:
- Telephones: main lines in use: 50.9 million (March 2001); mobile cellular: 55.3 million (June 2001).
- Radio broadcast stations: AM 51, FM 767, shortwave 4 (1998).
- Radios: 77.8 million (1997).
- Television broadcast stations: 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995).
- Televisions: 51.4 million (1998).
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 200 (2001).
- Internet users: 32.1 million (2002).

Transportation:
- Railways: total: 45,514 km including at least 21,000 km electrified (2002).
- Highways: total: 230,735 km; paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways); unpaved: 0 km (2002).
- Waterways: 7,500 km (1999); major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea.
- Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart.
- Airports: 551 (2002).