Facts about Germany

deutsche information

Most statistics on Germany tend to separate the former East and West Germanys.  The four decades under different political and economic systems allowed the two countries to develop in vastly different ways.  As a rule of thumb, the East is much more rural than the West and not quite as industrialized.  Additionally, disposable income is lower and unemployment remains higher in the East.  Most of Germany's wealth is located in the West, though the discrepancies continue decrease. 

Ethnic groups:
Germans, Danish, Turkish and Serb minorities

Language: German

Religions, 1998: 33% Protestant, 33% Roman Catholic, 34% none or other.

Population, Dec.'99:
Bündesrepublik: 82,163,000 approx.
West: 66,946,150
East: 15,217,325

Population density, 2000:
596 persons per sq mi, Highest density: North Rhine-Westphalia: 1,359 persons, Lowest density: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 204 persons.

Area: 137,826 sq. miles (356,970 sq.km), about the size of Montana
Western Germany: 96,095 sq. miles, the size of Wyoming
Eastern Germany:  41,731 sq. miles, the size of Virginia.

Neighbors: Denmark to the North, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France to the West, Switzerland, Austria to the South, Czech Republic, Poland to the East.

Federal states: Baden-Wuerttemberg (population in millions:10.37, capital: Stuttgart), Bavaria (12.04, Munich), Berlin (3.45),
Brandenburg (2.55, Potsdam), Bremen (0.68), Hamburg (1.71), 
Hesse (6.03, Wiesbaden), Lower Saxony (7.82, Hanover), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1.82,Schwerin), North Rhine-Westphalia (17.95, Duesseldorf), Rhineland-Palatinate (4, Mainz),Saarland (1.08, Saarbruecken), Saxony (4.55, Dresden), Saxony-Anhalt (2.72, Magdeburg), Schleswig-Holstein (2.74, Kiel), Thuringia (2.49, Erfurt).

Major cities: (population Jan. '99):
Berlin: 3,398,800, national capital since Oct. 3, 1990
Hamburg:1,700,000
Munich: 1,188,900
Cologne: 962,600
Frankfurt: 643,900
Essen: 603,200
Dortmund: 591,700
Stuttgart: 582,000
Duesseldorf: 568,400
Bremen: 543,000
Duisburg: 523,300
Hanover: 516,200
Nuremberg: 487,100
Dresden: 452,800
Leipzig: 437,100

Land use: 54.1% farming, 29.4% forest,11.8% built-up areas, 
roads and railways, 2.2% water, 2.5% other.

Natural resources: iron ore, coal, timber, copper, natural gas, salt.

GDP, 2001:
€2,064 bn (+1.9%) at current prices

National Income, 2001:
€780.5 bn, +1.4% over 2000

Disposable income of private households, 2001:
€1,348 bn, +3.6% over 2000,
Savings: 10.1%

Net income of private households, 2000:
DM 60,700/$30,350, average per household
Per capita: DM 28,000/$14,000
Per household type, annual average,
Self-employed:  DM 173,000/$86,500
Civil servants:  DM 76,500/$38,250
Employees:  DM 69,000/$34,500
Workers:  DM 56,400/$28,200
Retirees (civil servants):  DM 53,200/$26,600
Retirees (employees):  DM 40,500/$20,250
Unemployed:  DM 36,500(/$18,250

Foreign Trade, 2001:
Exports: €641 bn, +7% over 2000,
Imports: €552 bn, +3% over 2000,
Trade Surplus: €88 bn
Trade Balance: +€59 bn

Federal Armed Services:
Troop Strength:338,000 
Army: 233,400, Air Force: 77,400, Navy: 27,200.
Draft: 10 months, 13 months alternative service 
for conscientious objectors.

Source:  German Embassy, Washington, D.C.