Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic and North Sea, between the Netherlands and Denmark
Size:
slightly smaller than Montana
total: 357,022 sq km
land: 348,672 sq km
water: 8,350 sq km
Population:
82,329,758 (July 2009 est.)
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Resources:
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Natural Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Government:
Federal Republic
Civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)
Head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
Cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
Specific Trade Agreements:
- Free trade agreements with the other countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland
- Customs unions with Andorra, San Marino, and Turkey
- Trade agreements with former British, French, and Portuguese colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (the ACP countries)
- Trade agreements with countries around the Mediterranean, including those of southeastern Europe
