Course work Faculty of education Branch:German language Subject: Background Note: Germany Section:04 Prepared by: Enio Doka

To: Edvin cami

Official Name: Federal Republic of Germany PROFILE Geography

Area: 357,114 sq. km. (137,846 sq. mi.); about the size of Montana. Cities (2007): Capital--Berlin (population about 3.41 million). Other cities--Hamburg (1.77 million), Munich (1.31 million), Cologne (1 million), Frankfurt (671,000), Essen (567,000), Dortmund (581,000), Stuttgart (602,000), Dusseldorf (586,000), Bremen (548,000), Hanover (521,000). Terrain: Low plain in the north; high plains, hills, and basins in the center and east; mountainous alpine region in the south. Climate: Temperate; cooler and rainier than much of the United States. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--German(s). Population (January 1, 2010 estimate): 82,329,758. Population growth rate (% per annum, 2010 est.): -0.053%. Urban population (2008): 74%. Ethnic groups (2010): German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish); Danish minority in the north, Sorbian (Slavic) minority in the east. Religions: Protestant 34%; Roman Catholic 34%; Muslim 3.7%; unaffiliated or other 28.3%. Language: German. Education: Years compulsory--10; attendance-100%; literacy--99%. Health: Infant mortality rate (2010)--3.99/1,000; life expectancy (2010)--women 82.42 years, men 76.26 years. Persons employed (second quarter 2010): 40.3 million. Government Type: Federal republic. Founded: 1949 (Basic Law, i.e., Constitution, promulgated

on May 23, 1949). On October 3, 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic unified in accordance with Article 23 of the F.R.G. Basic Law. Branches: Executive--president (titular chief of state), chancellor (executive head of government); legislative-bicameral parliament; judicial--independent, Federal Constitutional Court. Administrative divisions: 16 Laender (states). Major political parties: Social Democratic Party (SPD); Christian Democratic Union (CDU); Christian Social Union (CSU); Alliance 90/Greens; Free Democratic Party (FDP); Left Party (LP). Suffrage: Universal at 18. Economy GDP (2009 nom.): $3.339 trillion. Annual growth rate: (2010 est.) 3.5%; (2009) -4.7%; (2008) 1.7%. Per capita GDP (2009 nom.): $44,525. Inflation rate (September 2010): 1.3%. Unemployment rate (October 2010): 7.5%. Agriculture (0.9% of GDP in 2010): Products--corn, wheat, potatoes, sugar, beets, barley, hops, viticulture, forestry, fisheries. Industry (26.8% of GDP in 2010): Types--car-making; mechanical, electrical, and precision engineering; chemicals; environmental technology; optics; medical technology; biotech and genetic engineering; nanotechnology; aerospace; logistics. Trade (2009): Exports--$1.124 trillion: chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products, manufactured goods, electrical products. Major markets (2009)--France, Netherlands, U.S.Imports--$937 billion: food, petroleum products, manufactured goods, electrical products, motor

vehicles, apparel. Major suppliers--Netherlands, China, France. HISTORY Two of Germany's most famous writers, Goethe and Schiller, identified the central aspect of most of Germany's history with their poetic lament, "Germany? But where is it? I cannot find that country." Until 1871, there was no "Germany." Instead, Europe's German-speaking territories were divided into several hundred kingdoms, principalities, duchies, bishoprics, fiefdoms and independent cities and towns. Finding the answer to "the German question"--what form of statehood for the German speaking lands would arise, and which form could provide central Europe with peace and stability--has defined most of German history. This history of many independent polities has found continuity in the F.R.G.'s federal structure. It is also the basis for the decentralized nature of German political, economic, and cultural life that lasts to this day.