Germany

File:Flag germany.svg Flag of Germany.
Capital	Berlin
Currency	Euro
Area	357,000 km²
Population	82 million

Germany (German: Deutschland), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a country in north-western continental Europe that is a major political and economic world player. With a population of 82 million persons today, the region that the modern Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) now covers has historically been a cultural crossroads, particularly in literature, philosophy and music, and later in science, mathematics and technology. Its standard language, 'High' German, remains a lingua franca in much of Europe, and its speakers represent their nation as full participants in such international arenas as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO and the G8. As well as having the highest population in Europe, Germany is the third largest economy in the world by GDP and the biggest in Europe.

History

Germany has existed in its current form only since 1990, when West Germany and its Soviet neighbour East Germany were reunited, and Berlin again became the capital, following their 1945 division by the Iron Curtain separating Western nations from countries under the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. As a republic, Germany was formed from the ashes of the German Empire following its defeat in World War I, but the new Weimar Republic crumbled amid economic instability, allowing the rise of the Nazis. Defeat in World War II was followed by the east-west split.

Geography

Germany, lying in central Europe, in its current form occupies an area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north, and the Alps in the south. Its direct neighbors are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands in the west.

Government

Today, German is a democratic and federal republic, meaning that its 16 constituent states can exercise devolved power, and their representatives form the upper chamber of parliament; as in other bicameral systems, this Bundesrat is not as powerful as the Bundestag, the directly elected lower house. Otherwise, Germany's system is dissimilar to other two-chamber democracies because the upper house is only indirectly elected, its members being appointed by elected local governments. Germany's head of government - Angela Merkel since 2005 - is known as the Chancellor (Kanzler), who is usually the chair of the largest political party in the Bundestag; however, the holder must be elected by a majority of all members. Except in time of war, neither the Chancellor nor the President of Germany (Bundespräsident) head the armed forces, a role normally occupied by the Minister of Defence. The President, by convention, exercises only ceremonial duties; limited powers invested in the position can mostly be overruled by parliament. Presidents are currently elected by an assembly of Bundestag members and state representatives. The incumbent is President Horst Köhler, elected in 2004.

Population

In 2005 there were 388,451 marriages and 201,693 divorces. There were 685,795 births and 830,227 deaths. The number of births has dropped from 767,000 in 2000, while the deaths have risen from 179,600.

The average age at marrying (for the first time) for men was 32 and for women 29. Abortions are officially illegal, according to a 1995 law. However, prosecutions are not brought if they are performed in the first three months of pregnancy after consultation with a doctor. The annual abortion rate, at under ten per 1,000 women aged 15–44, is among the lowest in the world

In 2005 10.2% of all children lived in poverty (in households with income below 50% of the national median).

Germany had a Net Reproduction Rate (NRR) of 0.66 in 1999. A rate of NRR=1.0 equals a constant population. Therefore, in terms of births and deaths (and not counting immigration) the population is shrinking by 34% between generations.

Life expectance of females at birth in West Germany rose from 71 years in 1954 to 80 years in 2000; the expectancy for boys rose from 66 to 75. Expectancy in the eastern zone was about three years less.

Projected population in 2050 is 76 million, down from the present 82 million. There will be more deaths than births, and that is laregly offset by a net inflow of immigrants from 2000 to 2050, predicted to be about 240,000 per year.