وزارة الخارجية البريطانية: Country Profile: The Federal Republic of Germany

Last reviewed: 16 November 2009

معلومات عن البلد

Area: 357,050 sq km
Population: 82.5 million
Capital City: Berlin (population – 3.4 million)
People (ethnicity): Germans 94%, Turks 2.2%
Language: German
Religion: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%, Muslim 3.7%
Currency: euro
Major Political Parties: Social Democrats (SPD); Christian Democrats (CDU); Christian Social Union (CSU); Alliance 90/The Greens; Free Democrats (FDP); The Left Party (Die Linke).
Government: Germany is a federal republic made up of 16 states, called Länder. The Federal Parliament comprises two chambers: the lower house, called the Bundestag, which is elected every 4 years by a mixed constituency and PR list system; and the upper house, called the Bundesrat, which represents the 16 state governments. The Federal Government is formed by whichever party or coalition of parties has a majority in the Bundestag and is lead by the Chancellor. The Federal President, elected by a Federal Assembly for a term of five years, is the formal Head of State, but only acts on the advice of the Federal Government.
Head of State: Professor Horst Köhler (CDU) was elected on 23 May 2004 and was officially inaugurated on 1 July 2004. He was re-elected to a second term on 23 May 2009.
Chancellor: Angela Merkel (since November 2005) - CDU
Foreign Minister: Guido Westerwelle - FDP
Europe Minister: Werner Hoyer – FDP
Membership of international organisations: European Union (EU), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), G8, World Trade Organisation (WTO), United Nations (UN) , North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

DID YOU KNOW?

The composition of German beer is tightly governed by a 16th century law on brewing, the Reinheitsgebot, which rules that only barley, hops and water may be used.
Men should be careful when wearing a tie in Germany on Weiberfastnacht (Women’s Day – the Thursday before Ash Wednesday). On this day, women have the right to cut men’s ties off.
Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Vicky, briefly became German Empress in 1888.

الصفحة التالية Economy