Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/89.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 18.2 KB | 548 lines

@node Geography (Germany)
@section Geography (Germany)

@display

Location:
  Western Europe, bordering the North Sea between France and Poland
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  356,910 km2
 land area:
  349,520 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Montana
 note:
  includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany, the German
  Democratic Republic, and Berlin following formal unification on 3 October
  1990
Land boundaries:
  total 3,621 km, Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km,
  Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland
  456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline:
  2,389 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
 exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  3 nm in North Sea and Schleswig-Holstein coast of Baltic Sea (extends, at
  one point, to 16 nm in the Helgolander Bucht); 12 nm in remainder of Baltic
  Sea
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional
  warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain:
  lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources:
  iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt,
  nickel
Land use:
 arable land:
  34%
 permanent crops:
  1%
 meadows and pastures:
  16%
 forest and woodland:
  30%
 other:
  19%
Irrigated land:
  4,800 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  air and water pollution; groundwater, lakes, and air quality in eastern
  Germany are especially bad; significant deforestation in the eastern
  mountains caused by air pollution and acid rain



@end display

@node Geography (Germany 2. usage)
@section Geography (Germany 2. usage)

@display

Note:
  strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the
  Baltic Sea



@end display

@node People (Germany)
@section People (Germany)

@display

Population:
  80,767,591 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.4% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  11 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  11 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  76 years
 male:
  73 years
 female:
  79 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.4 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  German(s)
 adjective:
  German
Ethnic divisions:
  German 95.1%, Turkish 2.3%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks 0.4%, Poles 0.4%, other
  1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia)
Religions:
  Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other 18%
Languages:
  German
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1977 est.)
 total population:
  99%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  36.75 million
 by occupation:
  industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)



@end display

@node Government (Germany)
@section Government (Germany)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Federal Republic of Germany  conventional short form:
  Germany
 local long form:
  Bundesrepublik Deutschland
 local short form:
  Deutschland
Digraph:
  GM
Type:
  federal republic
Capital:
  Berlin
 note:
  the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of years with
  Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several ministries
Administrative divisions:
  16 states (laender, singular - land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin,
  Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen,
  Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,
  Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringen
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; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October
  1990; all four power rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991
Constitution:
  23 May 1949, provisional constitution known as Basic Law
Legal system:
  civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative
  acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction
National holiday:
  German Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Political parties and leaders:
  Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian Social
  Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL, chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Klaus
  KINKEL, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SPD); Green Party, Ludger VOLMER,
  Christine WEISKE, co-chairmen (after the 2 December 1990 election the East
  and West German Green Parties united); Alliance 90 united to form one party
  in September 1991, Petra MORAWE, chairwoman; Party of Democratic Socialism
  (PDS), Gregor GYSI, chairman; Republikaner, Franz SCHOENHUBER; National
  Democratic Party (NPD), Walter BACHMANN; Communist Party (DKP), Rolf PRIEMER
Other political or pressure groups:
  expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal



@end display

@node Government (Germany 2. usage)
@section Government (Germany 2. usage)

@display

Elections:
 Federal Diet:   last held 2 December 1990 (next to be held October 1994); results - CDU
  36.7%, SPD 33.5%, FDP 11.0%, CSU 7.1%, Green Party (West Germany) 3.9%, PDS
  2.4%, Republikaner 2.1%, Alliance 90/Green Party (East Germany) 1.2%, other
  2.1%; seats - (662 total, 656 statutory with special rules to allow for
  slight expansion) CDU 268, SPD 239, FDP 79, CSU 51, PDS 17, Alliance
  90/Green Party (East Germany) 8; note - special rules for this election
  allowed former East German parties to win seats if they received at least 5%
  of vote in eastern Germany
Executive branch:
  president, chancellor, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral parliament (no official name for the two chambers as a whole)
  consists of an upper chamber or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower
  chamber or Federal Diet (Bundestag)
Judicial branch:
  Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984)
 Head of Government:
  Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB
  (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-5,
  G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
  ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
  MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, UNTAC, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Juergen RUHFUS
 chancery:
  4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:
  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
  San Francisco, Seattle
 consulates:
  Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands) and Wellington (America
  Samoa)
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Robert M. KIMMITT
 embassy:
  Deichmanns Avenue, 5300 Bonn 2, Unit 21701
 mailing address:
  APO AE 09080
 telephone:
  [49] (228) 3391
 FAX:
  [49] [phone]
 branch office:
  Berlin
 consulates general:
  Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow



@end display

@node Economy (Germany)
@section Economy (Germany)

@display

Overview:
  With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, prospects seemed
  bright for a fairly rapid incorporation of East Germany into the highly
  successful West German economy. The Federal Republic, however, continues to
  experience difficulties in integrating and modernizing eastern Germany, and
  the tremendous costs of unification have sunk western Germany deeper into
  recession. The western German economy grew by less than 1% in 1992 as the
  Bundesbank set high interest rates to offset the inflationary effects of
  large government deficits and high wage settlements. Eastern Germany grew by
  6.8% in 1992 but this was from a shrunken base. Despite government transfers
  to the east amounting to nearly $110 billion annually, a self-sustaining
  economy in the region is still some years away. The bright spots are eastern
  Germany's construction, transportation, telecommunications, and service
  sectors, which have experienced strong growth. Western Germany has an
  advanced market economy and is a world leader in exports. It has a highly
  urbanized and skilled population that enjoys excellent living standards,
  abundant leisure time, and comprehensive social welfare benefits. Western
  Germany is relatively poor in natural resources, coal being the most
  important mineral. Western Germany's world-class companies manufacture
  technologically advanced goods. The region's economy is mature: services and
  manufacturing account for the dominant share of economic activity, and raw
  materials and semimanufactured goods constitute a large portion of imports.
  In recent years, manufacturing has accounted for about 31% of GDP, with
  other sectors contributing lesser amounts. Gross fixed investment in 1992
  accounted for about 21.5% of GDP. GDP in the western region is now $20,000
  per capita, or 85% of US per capita GDP. Eastern Germany's economy appears
  to be changing from one anchored on manufacturing into a more
  service-oriented economy. The German government, however, is intent on
  maintaining a manufacturing base in the east and is considering a policy for
  subsidizing industrial cores in the region. Eastern Germany's share of
  all-German GDP is only 7% and eastern productivity is just 30% that of the
  west even though eastern wages are at roughly 70% of western levels. The
  privatization agency for eastern Germany, Treuhand, has privatized more than
  four-fifths of the almost 12,000 firms under its control and will likely
  wind down operations in 1994. Private investment in the region continues to
  be lackluster, resulting primarily from the deepening recession in western
  Germany and excessively high eastern wages. Eastern Germany has one of the
  world's largest reserves of low-grade lignite coal but little else in the
  way of mineral resources. The quality of statistics from eastern Germany is
  improving, yet many gaps remain; the federal government began producing
  all-German data for select economic statistics at the start of 1992. The
  most challenging economic problem is promoting eastern Germany's economic
  reconstruction - specifically, finding the right mix of fiscal, monetary,
  regulatory, and tax policies that will spur investment in eastern Germany -
  without destabilizing western Germany's economy or damaging relations with
  West European partners. The government hopes a "solidarity pact" among labor
  unions, business, state governments, and the SPD opposition will provide the
  right mix of wage restraints, investment incentives, and spending cuts to
  stimulate eastern recovery. Finally, the homogeneity of the German economic
  culture has been changed by the admission of large numbers of immigrants.
National product:
 Germany:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.398 trillion (1992)
 western:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.294 trillion (1992)
 eastern:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $104 billion (1992)



@end display

@node Economy (Germany 2. usage)
@section Economy (Germany 2. usage)

@display

National product real growth rate:
 Germany:
  1.5% (1992)
 western:
  0.9% (1992)
 eastern:
  8% (1992)
National product per capita:
 Germany:
  $17,400 (1992)
 western:
  $20,000 (1992)
 eastern:
  $6,500 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
 western:
  4% (1992)
 eastern:
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
 western:
  7.1% (1992)
 eastern:
  13.5% (December 1992)
Budget:
 western (federal, state, local):
  revenues $684 billion; expenditures $704 billion, including capital
  expenditures $NA (1990)
 eastern:
  revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $378.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:
  manufactures 86.6% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor
  vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 4.9%, raw
  materials 2.3%, fuels 1.3%
 partners:
  EC 54.3% (France 12.9%, Netherlands 8.3%, Italy 9.3%, UK 7.7%,
  Belgium-Luxembourg 7.4%), other Western Europe 17.0%, US 6.4%, Eastern
  Europe 5.6%, OPEC 3.4% (1992)
Imports:
  $354.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:   manufactures 68.5%, agricultural products 12.0%, fuels 9.7%, raw materials
  7.1%
 partners:
  EC 52.0 (France 12.0%, Netherlands 9.6%, Italy 9.2%, UK 6.8%,
  Belgium-Luxembourg 7.0%), other Western Europe 15.2%, US 6.6%, Eastern
  Europe 5.5%, OPEC 2.4% (1992)
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
 western:
  growth rates -5% (1992 est.)
 eastern:
  $NA
Electricity:
  134,000,000 kW capacity; 580,000 million kWh produced, 7,160 kWh per capita
  (1992)



@end display

@node Economy (Germany 3. usage)
@section Economy (Germany 3. usage)

@display

Industries:
 western:
  among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals,
  machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics; food and beverages
 eastern:
  metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building,
  food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining
Agriculture:
 western:
  accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); diversified
  crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock include potatoes,
  wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net
  importer of food; fish catch of 202,000 metric tons in 1987
 eastern:
  accounts for about 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); principal
  crops - wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; livestock products
  include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net importer of food;
  fish catch of 193,600 metric tons in 1987
Illicit drugs:
  source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors
Economic aid:
 western:
  donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.5 billion
 eastern:
  donor - $4.0 billion extended bilaterally to non-Communist less developed
  countries (1956-89)
Currency:
  1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates:
  deutsche marks (DM) per US$1 - 1.6158 (January 1993), 1.5617 (1992), 1.6595
  (1991), 1.6157 (1990), 1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Germany)
@section Communications (Germany)

@display

Railroads:
 western:
  31,443 km total; 27,421 km government owned, 1.435-meter standard gauge
  (12,491 km double track, 11,501 km electrified); 4,022 km nongovernment
  owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (214 km electrified)
  and 424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km electrified)
 eastern:
  14,025 km total; 13,750 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 275 km 1.000-meter or
  other narrow gauge; 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter standard gauge double-track;
  3,475 km overhead electrified (1988)
Highways:
 western:
  466,305 km total; 169,568 km primary, includes 6,435 km autobahn, 32,460 km
  national highways (Bundesstrassen), 65,425 km state highways
  (Landesstrassen), 65,248 km county roads (Kreisstrassen); 296,737 km of
  secondary communal roads (Gemeindestrassen)
 eastern:
  124,604 km total; 47,203 km concrete, asphalt, stone block, of which 1,855
  km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,326 km are trunk roads, and
  34,022 km are regional roads; 77,401 km municipal roads (1988)
Inland waterways:
 western:
  5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric-ton
  capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is
  an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea
 eastern:
  2,319 km (1988)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 3,644 km; petroleum products 3,946 km; natural gas 97,564 km
  (1988)
Ports:
  coastal - Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Cuxhaven, Emden, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel,
  Lubeck, Wilhelmshaven, Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz; inland - 31
  major on Rhine and Elbe rivers
Merchant marine:
  565 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,928,759 GRT/6,292,193 DWT; includes
  5 short-sea passenger, 3 passenger, 303 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 134
  container, 28 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 7 barge carrier, 9
  oil tanker, 21 chemical tanker, 17 liquefied gas tanker, 5 combination
  ore/oil, 6 combination bulk, 12 bulk; note - the German register includes
  ships of the former East and West Germany; during 1991 the fleet underwent
  major restructuring as surplus ships were sold off
Airports:
 total:
  499
 usable:
  492
 with permanent-surface runways:
  271
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  5
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  59  with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  67



@end display

@node Communications (Germany 2. usage)
@section Communications (Germany 2. usage)

@display

Telecommunications:
 western:
  highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the
  country; fully adequate in all respects; 40,300,000 telephones; intensively
  developed, highly redundant cable and microwave radio relay networks, all
  completely automatic; broadcast stations - 80 AM, 470 FM, 225 (6,000
  repeaters) TV; 6 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 12
  Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT antennas, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT antennas,
  EUTELSAT, and domestic systems; 2 HF radiocommunication centers;
  tropospheric links
 eastern:
  badly needs modernization; 3,970,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 23 AM,
  17 FM, 21 TV (15 Soviet TV repeaters); 6,181,860 TVs; 6,700,000 radios; 1
  satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT and Intersputnik systems



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Germany)
@section Defense Forces (Germany)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 20,295,655; fit for military service 17,577,570; reach
  military age (18) annually 411,854 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $42.4 billion, 2.2% of GDP (1992)



@end display