Germany

By: Oscar Montoya

Map of Germany

Top Government Officials

President: Horst Khler (2004)

Born February 22, 1943 in Skierbieszw, Poland. He is

the current President of Germany. As the candidate of
the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU
and the CSU, Khler was elected to his first five-year
term by the Federal Assembly on May 23, 2004 and
was subsequently inaugurated on July 1, 2004. He was
reelected to a second term on May 23, 2009 as the
common candidate of the Christian Democratic parties
and the liberal FDP.

Chancellor: Angela Merkel (2005)

Born July 17, 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany. She is

the current Chancellor of Germany. Merkel, elected to
the German Parliament from MecklenburgVorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian
Democratic Union (CDU) since 9 April 2000, and
Chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary party group
from 2002 to 2005.

Type of Government
Germany is a democratic federal
republic.
The present (2008) national
government is directed by Angela Merkel
and a coalition of the Christian
Democrats and Social Democrats.

Type of Economy
Germany imports and exports its
goods.

They have a mixed economy, just like

the United States.

Main Industries
Leading German industries include:
Motor vehicles
For Example, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi

Pharmaceuticals
Electronics

Trading
Number of Exports:$1.354 Trillion FOB
(2007 est.)
Main types: Machinery, Vehicles,
Chemicals, Metals and Manufactures,
Foodstuffs, Textiles
Number of Imports:$1.075 Trillion FOB
(2007 est.)
Main types: Machinery, Vehicles,
Chemicals, Foodstuffs, Textiles, Metals

Main Trading Partners

Main export partners
France 9.7%, U.S. 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy
6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Austria 5.4%,
Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2007)
Main import partners Netherlands
12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China
6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5.6%, the United
States 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2007)

Financial Stats
GDP:$3.297 Trillion (2007 est.)
Revenues:$1.277 Trillion (2006)
Debt:$1.93 Trillion (66.8% of $2.89
Trillion, Nominal GDP) (2006)
Inflation:1.7% (2006)

Numbers
Unemployment rate:

9%
Poverty line:

A single adult person in 2003 was 938

Euros per month (11,256 Euros/year,
$12,382 PPP. West Germany 974
Euros/month, 11,688 Euros/year, $12,857
PPP)
Labor force:

43.54 million (2007 est.)

Percentage by occupation

Natural Resources and

Agriculture
Natural resources:
Coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper,
nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction
materials, timber, arable land

Agriculture:
Potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit,
cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry

Currency And Exchange Rate

With U.S.
Since late March 2002 the only legal tender currency in Germany
has been the Euro. From 1948-2002 the currency was the
Deutsche Mark.
Since Germany uses the Euro, the Exchange Rate with the United
States is:

1 Euro = 1.3982 U.S. dollars

Culture
Music
Forms of German-language music include Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW),
Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, German hip hop, trance, Schlager
and multiple varieties of folk music.

Food
German Wurst
A type of sausage

Linsen Mit Sptzle

A type of egg noodles and small dumplings

Klsch
German Beer

Sports
Bobsleigh
Germany has long been dominant in the sport of Bobsledding having won more
medals in the Winter Olympics than any other nation except Switzerland.

Tourist Attractions
Neuschwanstein Castle
The most famous of Germany's castles, and one of the three
commissioned by King Ludwig II, overlooks the gorgeous
Hohenschwangau valley

The Romantic Road

With over 220 miles of enchanting vistas, the Romantic Road is one
of the most picturesque of Germany attractions.

The Black Forest

Don't let the ominous name fool you, the Black Forest is a wonderful
place to visit on your vacation and is quite sunny during the
summer.

Famous People
Albert Einstein

Born March 14, 1879 18 April

1955 was an ethnically Jewish,
German-born, theoretical physicist
of the 20th century who is best
known for his theories of special
relativity and general relativity.

Adolf Hitler

Born April 20, 1889 30 April 1945

was an Austrian-born German
politician and the leader of the
National Socialist German Workers
Party, popularly known as the Nazi
Party. He was the ruler of Germany
from 1933 to 1945, serving as
chancellor from 1933 to 1945 and
as head of state from 1934 to 1945.

Would I consider visiting or

moving to this country?
Germany seems like a very exquisite
and interesting country.
I would definitely visit this country if I
had the chance to.
Even though touring in a beautiful
country such as Germany is very
fascinating, I would not consider
moving to this country.