World Country Guide

Area
357,027 sq km (137,849 sq miles).

Population
82,536,680 (official estimate 2002).

Population Density
231.2 per sq km.

Capital
Berlin. Population: 3,392,000 (2002).

Geography
The Federal Republic of Germany shares frontiers with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. The northwest of the country has a coastline on the North Sea with islands known for their health resorts, while the Baltic coastline in the northeast stretches from the Danish to the Polish border. The country is divided into 16 states (Bundeslnder), including the formerly divided city of Berlin. The landscape is exceedingly varied, with the Rhine, Bavaria and the Black Forest being probably the three most famous features of western Germany. In eastern Germany, the country is lake-studded with undulating lowlands which give way to the hills and mountains of the Lausitzer Bergland, the Saxon Hills in the Elbe Valley and the Erzgebirge, whilst the once divided areas of the Thuringian and Harz ranges in the central part of the country are now whole regions again. River basins extend over a large percentage of the eastern part of Germany, the most important being the Elbe, Saale, Havel, Spree and Oder. Northern Germany includes the states of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and the city states of Bremen and Hamburg. The western area of the country consists of the Rhineland, the industrial sprawl of the Ruhr, Westphalia (Westfalen), Hesse (Hessen), the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and the Saarland. In the southern area of the country are the two largest states, Baden-Wrttemberg and Bavaria (Bayern), which contain the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Lake Constance (Bodensee) and the Bavarian Alps. Munich (Mnchen), Stuttgart and Nuremberg (Nrnberg) are the major cities. The eastern part of the country is made up of the states of Thuringia, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. The major cities in eastern Germany are Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Halle, Potsdam, Schwerin and Rostock. Apart from Leipzig and Rostock, these are also all recently reconstituted state capitals.

Government
Federal Republic. Head of State: President Horst Kehler since 2004. Head of Government: Chancellor Gerhard Schrder since 1998.

Language
German. English is widely spoken and French is also spoken, particularly in the Saarland. In the north of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish is spoken by the Danish minority and taught in schools. In Brandenburg and Saxony, Sorbic is spoken by the ethnic minority called the Sorbs and is also taught in about 50 schools. Regional dialects often differ markedly from standard German.

Religion
Approximately 34 per cent Protestant, 34 per cent Roman Catholic, with Jewish, Muslim and other non-Christian minorities.

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity
230 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style round two-pin plugs are in use. Lamp fittings are screw type.

Communications

Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 49. Outgoing international code: 00. National and international calls can be made from coin- or card-operated telephone booths. Calls can be made from post offices. Cheap rate applies Mon-Fri 1800-0800 and all day Saturday and Sunday. Discount phonecards from private companies can be bought from shops and kiosks.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover the whole country. It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile telephone while driving.

Fax
Facilities are readily available.

Internet
There are many Internet cafes all over the country. Large Internet access centres exist in most main cities. Hotels also provide facilities. ISPs include Data Online (website: www.d-online.com).

Telegram
These can be sent during opening hours from all post offices.

Post
Stamps are available from hotels, slot machines and post offices. A five-figure postal code is used on all internal addresses. Poste Restante mail should be addressed as follows: recipient’s name, Postlagernd, Hauptpostamt, post code, name of town. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1200. Smaller branches may close for lunch.

Press
The most influential dailies include the Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Sddeutsche Zeitung. The most widely read of the weekly publications are Der Spiegel and Die Zeit. Some new or revamped newspapers, such as Berliner Kurier, have emerged out of eastern Germany and are competing well with western German papers. Most major English newspapers and international magazines are also available in Germany.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.