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Federal Republic of Germany; Factbook for Germany
Topic Started: 24 Jun 2013, 22:55 (152 Views)
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FlagCoat of Arms
Motto:
"Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (German)"Unity and Justice and Freedom"
Anthem:
Third stanza of Lied der Deutschen (Song of the Germans)

Location of Germany (dark green)

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General Information

  • Capital and largest city: Berlin 52°31′N 13°23′E
  • Official languages: German
  • Demonym: German
  • Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional republic

    • President: Joachim Gauck
    • Chancellor: Angela Merkel
    • President of the Bundestag: Norbert Lammert
    • President of the Bundesrat: Winfried Kretschmann

  • Legislature: Bicameral

    • Upper house: Bundesrat
    • Lower house: Bundestag

  • Formation

    • Holy Roman Empire: 2 February 962
    • Unification: 18 January 1871
    • Federal Republic: 23 May 1949
    • Reunification: 3 October 1990

  • Area

    • Total: 137,847 sq mi ( 357,021 km2 )
    • Water (%): 2.416

  • Population

    • 2012 estimate: 80,399,300
    • 2011 census: 80,219,695
    • Density: 583/sq mi ( 225/km2 )

  • GDP (PPP): 2012 estimate

    • Total: $3.197 trillion
    • Per capita: $39,028

  • GDP (nominal): 2012 estimate

    • Total: $3.401 trillion
    • Per capita: $41,513

  • Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
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Geography

Germany is in Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. It lies mostly between latitudes 47° and 55° N (the tip of Sylt is just north of 55°), and longitudes 5° and 16° E. The territory covers 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi), consisting of 349,223 km2 (134,836 sq mi) of land and 7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi) of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 62nd largest in the world.

Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 metres or 9,718 feet) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the northeast. The forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany (lowest point: Wilstermarsch at 3.54 metres or 11.6 feet below sea level) are traversed by such major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Glaciers are found in the Alpine region, but are experiencing deglaciation. Significant natural resources are iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land and water.
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Topographical Map, click for larger version


Climate

Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. The country is situated in between the oceanic Western European and the continental Eastern European climate. The climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea; consequently in the northwest and the north the climate is oceanic. Germany gets an average of 789 mm (31 in) precipitation per year. Rainfall occurs year-round, with no obligatory dry season. Winters are mild and summers tend to be warm, temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F).

The east has a more continental climate; winters can be very cold and summers very warm, and longer dry periods can occur. Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental. In addition to the maritime and continental climates that predominate over most of the country, the Alpine regions in the extreme south and, to a lesser degree, some areas of the Central German Uplands have a mountain climate, characterised by lower temperatures and greater precipitation
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Government

Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The president is the head of state and invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers. He is elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates. The second-highest official in the German order of precedence is the Bundestagspräsident (President of the Bundestag), who is elected by the Bundestag and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body.

The third-highest official and the head of government is the Chancellor, who is appointed by the Bundespräsident after being elected by the Bundestag. The chancellor is the head of government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in other parliamentary democracies.

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Joachim Gauck, President since 2012.Angela Merkel, Chancellor since 2005


Federal legislative power is vested in the parliament consisting of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which together form the legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through direct elections, by proportional representation (mixed-member). The members of the Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federated states and are members of the state cabinets.

Since 1949, the party system has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany. So far every chancellor has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller liberal Free Democratic Party (which has had members in the Bundestag since 1949) and the Alliance '90/The Greens (which has had seats in parliament since 1983) have also played important roles.

Minor parties such as The Left, Free Voters and the Pirate Party are represented in some state parliaments.

The Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review. Germany's supreme court system, called Oberste Gerichtshöfe des Bundes, is specialised: for civil and criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the inquisitorial Federal Court of Justice, and for other affairs the courts are the Federal Labour Court, the Federal Social Court, the Federal Finance Court and the Federal Administrative Court. The Völkerstrafgesetzbuch regulates the consequences of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, and gives German courts universal jurisdiction in some circumstances.

Many of the fundamental matters of administrative law remain in the jurisdiction of the states, though most states base their own laws in that area on the 1976 Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz (Administrative Proceedings Act) covering important points of administrative law. The Oberverwaltungsgerichte are the highest level of administrative jurisdiction concerning the state administrations, unless the question of law concerns federal law or state law identical to federal law. In such cases, final appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is possible.

Constituent states

Germany comprises sixteen states which are collectively referred to as Länder. Each state has its own state constitution and is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. Because of differences in size and population the subdivisions of these states vary, especially as between city states (Stadtstaaten) and states with larger territories (Flächenländer). For regional administrative purposes five states, namely Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, consist of a total of 22 Government Districts (Regierungsbezirke). As of 2009 Germany is divided into 403 districts (Kreise) at a municipal level; these consist of 301 rural districts and 102 urban districts.

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Economy

Germany has a social market economy with a highly skilled labour force, a large capital stock, a low level of corruption, and a high level of innovation. It has the largest and most powerful national economy in Europe, the fourth largest by nominal GDP in the world, the fifth largest by PPP, and was the biggest net contributor to the EU budget in 2011. The service sector contributes approximately 71% of the total GDP, industry 28%, and agriculture 1%. The official average national unemployment rate in May 2012 was 6.7%. However, the official average national unemployment rate also includes people with a part-time job that are looking for a full-time job. The unofficial average national unemployment rate in 2011 was 5.7%.

Two decades after German reunification, standards of living and per capita incomes remain significantly higher in the states of the former West Germany than in the former East. The modernisation and integration of the eastern German economy is a long-term process scheduled to last until the year 2019, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. In January 2009 the German government approved a €50 billion economic stimulus plan to protect several sectors from a downturn and a subsequent rise in unemployment rates.

Of the world's 500 largest stock-market-listed companies measured by revenue in 2010, the Fortune Global 500, 37 are headquartered in Germany. 30 Germany-based companies are included in the DAX, the German stock market index. Well-known global brands are Mercedes-Benz, BMW, SAP, Siemens, Volkswagen, Adidas, Audi, Allianz, Porsche, Bayer, Bosch, and Nivea. Germany is recognised for its specialised small and medium enterprises.

Infrastructure

With its central position in Europe, Germany is a transport hub. This is reflected in its dense and modern transport networks. The motorway (Autobahn) network ranks as the third-largest worldwide in length and is known for its lack of a general speed limit. Germany has established a polycentric network of high-speed trains. The InterCityExpress or ICE network of the Deutsche Bahn serves major German cities as well as destinations in neighbouring countries with speeds up to 300 kph (186 mph). The largest German airports are Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, both hubs of Lufthansa, while Air Berlin has hubs at Berlin Tegel and Düsseldorf. Other major airports include Berlin Schönefeld, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Leipzig/Halle. Both airports in Berlin will be consolidated at a site adjacent to Berlin Schönefeld, which will become Berlin Brandenburg Airport in 2013.

In 2008, Germany was the world's sixth-largest consumer of energy, and 60% of its primary energy was imported. Government policy promotes energy conservation and renewable energy commercialisation. Energy efficiency has been improving since the early 1970s; the government aims to meet the country's electricity demands using 40% renewable sources by 2020 and 100% by 2050. In 2010, energy sources were: oil (33.7%); coal, including lignite (22.9%); natural gas (21.8%); nuclear (10.8%); hydro-electric and wind power (1.5%); and other renewable sources (7.9%). In 2000, the government and the nuclear power industry agreed to phase out all nuclear power plants by 2021. Germany is committed to the Kyoto protocol and several other treaties promoting biodiversity, low emission standards, recycling, and the use of renewable energy, and supports sustainable development at a global level. The German government has initiated wide-ranging emission reduction activities and the country's overall emissions are falling. Nevertheless the country's greenhouse gas emissions were the highest in the EU in 2010.
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Military

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Insignia of the Bundeswehr


The Bundeswehr (German for "Federal Defence") is the unified armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the German Constitution states that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the federal government.

The Bundeswehr is divided into a military part (armed forces or Streitkräfte) and a civil part with the armed forces administration (Wehrverwaltung). The military part of the federal defense force consists of the Heer (Army), Marine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force), Streitkräftebasis (Joint Support Service), and the Zentraler Sanitätsdienst (Central Medical Services) branches.

The Bundeswehr in general is among the world's most technologically advanced and best-supplied militaries, as befits Germany's overall economic prosperity and significant military industry. However, with military spending amounting only to 1.3% of the GDP (2011), it is also amongst the lowest military budgets in the world in terms of share of GDP.[6] As of June 2013, the Bundeswehr has a strength of roughly 185,000 active troops, making it the 29th largest military force in the world and the fourth largest in the European Union, behind the armed forces of France, Italy and the United Kingdom. In addition the Bundeswehr has approximately 144,000 reserve personnel (2010).

Command Organization

With the growing number of missions abroad it was recognized that the Bundeswehr required a new command structure. A reform commission under the chairmanship of the former President Richard von Weizsäcker presented its recommendations in spring 2000.

In October 2000 the Joint Support Service, the Streitkräftebasis, was established to concentrate logistics and other supporting functions such as military police, supply and communications under one command. Medical support was reorganized with the establishment of the Central Medical Services.

The combat forces of the Army are organized into five combat divisions and participate in multi-national command structures at the corps level. The Air Force maintains three divisions and the Navy is structured into two flotillas. The Joint Support Service and the Central Medical Services are both organized in four regional commands of identical structure. All of these services also have general commands for training, procurement, and other general issues.

The minister of defense or the chancellor is supported by the Chief of Defense (CHOD, Generalinspekteur) and the service chiefs (Inspekteure) and their respective staffs in his or her function as commander-in-chief. The CHOD and the service chiefs form the Military Command Council (Militärischer Führungsrat) with functions similar to those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States. Subordinate to the CHOD is the Armed Forces Operational Command (Einsatzführungskommando). For smaller missions one of the service HQs (e.g. the Fleet Command) may exercise command and control of forces in missions abroad. The Bundestag must approve any deployment abroad by a simple majority. This has led to some discontent with Germany's allies about troop deployments e.g. in Afghanistan since parliamentary consent over such issues is relatively hard to achieve in Germany.

Service Branches

Deutsches Heer (German Army)

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The German Army (German: Deutsches Heer) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Marine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). As of June 2013, the German Army has a strength of 62,279 soldiers.

The German Army is commanded by the Inspector of the Army (Inspekteur des Heeres) based at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Berlin and Bonn. The major commands are the German Army Office in Cologne and the German Army Command in Koblenz. In 2002 a number of army units and their personnel were transferred to the newly formed Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis) and Joint Medical Service branches.

The German Army Office in Cologne (Heeresamt) is the superior authority for all supporting elements of the Army, such as schools and education centres. It is commanded by a Major General, currently MajGen Joachim Clauß.

The German Army Command in Koblenz (Heeresführungskommando) exercises command and control over all combat units. It is commanded by a Lieutenant General. These units include two armour divisions, two mechanized infantry divisions, the Division for Specialized Operations and the Airmobile Division. Depending on their size and role, brigades can be commanded either by a Brigadier General alike or a Colonel. Unlike other European armies such of neighbouring Netherlands and France, regiments are not a common form of organization and are thus rare in the German army. Battalions are directly subordinate to brigades or to divisions as divisional troops.

The German Army has eleven different branches of troops, designated as Truppengattungen. Each Truppengattung is responsible for training and readiness of its units and disposes of its own schools and centres of excellence for doing so. Optically this distinction can be made by the branch colour, called Waffenfarbe which is displayed by a cord attached to the rank insignia, and the colour of their beret with a specific badge attached to it.

Beret Colour (Army only and Security Units of Navy and Air Force)

  • Black: Armoured Corps, Reconnaissance Corps
  • Green: Mechanized Infantry and Rifles Corps
  • Dark Red: Aviation Corps, Airborne Corps, Special Forces, formations assigned to airborne division
  • Light Red: Combat Support Corps and Military Police
  • Dark Blue: Medical Corps
  • Navy Blue: Multinational Units, Officer Cadet Battalions, Navy and Air Force Security Units
  • Bright Blue: Troops with United Nations Missions
  • Grey mountain cap (Bergmütze): Mountain Troops Gebirgsjäger
  • Bright Red:General ranks (only "Kragenspiegel", not "Litze")
  • Crimson: General Staff


For vehicles, equipment, and weapons please see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Army#Aircraft_inventory


Luftwaffe (German Air Force)

The German Air Force (in German: Luftwaffe , the German-language generic term for air force) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. With a strength of 32,111 men (June 13, 2013), it is the fourth largest air force within the European Union, after the air forces of the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Although its budget has been significantly reduced since the end of the Cold War in 1989/90, the Luftwaffe is still among the best-equipped air forces of the world. Like the other branches of the Bundeswehr, it is fully integrated into the structures of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The German Air Force was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of then West Germany. After the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, it integrated parts of the air force of the former German Democratic Republic, which itself had been founded in 1956 as part of the National People's Army. There is no organizational continuity between the current Luftwaffe of the Bundeswehr and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht founded in 1935, which was completely disbanded in 1945/46 after World War II. The term Luftwaffe that is used for both the historic and the current German air force is the German-language generic designation of any air force, thus not establishing a link between the two forces.

Germany is participating in NATO's nuclear sharing concept. Nuclear sharing is a concept, which involves member countries without nuclear weapons of their own in the planning for the use of nuclear weapons by NATO, and in particular provides for the armed forces of these countries to be involved in delivering these weapons in the event of their use.

Soon after its founding the German Air Force began to train with the US Seventeenth Air Force in handling, arming and delivering nuclear weapons. At first the F-104 Starfighter was intended to be used solely as a nuclear delivery platform, armed with nuclear air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, as well as nuclear bombs. The Tornado was the second plane the air force fielded capable of delivering nuclear ammunition, although it was limited to deliver B61 nuclear bombs.

From 1965 through 1970, two surface-to-surface missile wings (Flugkörpergeschwader) fielded 16 Pershing I missile systems with nuclear warheads under U.S. Army custody. In 1970, the system was upgraded to Pershing IA with 72 missiles. Although not directly affected by the 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Luftwaffe unilaterally removed the Pershing IA missiles from its inventory in 1991, and the missiles were destroyed. At the end of the Cold War more than a 100,000 soldiers served in the Luftwaffe.

The United States still lends nuclear weapons for hypothetical use by the Luftwaffe under the nuclear sharing agreement. In 2007, 22 B61 nuclear bombs were still kept in Germany, stored at the Büchel Air Base for use with Tornado IDS fighter-bombers of Jagdbombergeschwader 33. The American nuclear weapons formerly stored at Nörvenich Air Base, Ramstein Air Base and Memmingen Air Base were all withdrawn from Germany during the mid-and-late-1990s.

By international treaties between Germany and the "Big Four" powers in Europe (that formerly occupied Germany), East Germany is a nuclear-free zone. The Big Four powers are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, and with the latter three having no nuclear weapons in Germany anymore.

The current commander of the German Air Force is Lieutenant General Karl Müllner. Upon the retirement of Lieutenant General Aarne Kreuzinger-Janik on 30 April 2012, Müllner became the 15th Inspector of the Air Force (Inspekteur der Luftwaffe)

Air Force Command

All combat forces of the German Air Force fall in peacetime under the Air Force Command. Similar to the Air Staff of the United States Air Force, the German Air Force Command is a force providing command, not an operational command. The Air Force Command is tasked with ensuring the combat readiness of the German Air Force combat units, which during operations would either be commanded by a NATO command or the Joint Operations Command of the Bundeswehr. The Air Force command directly controls three higher commands and three Air Divisions (Luftwaffendivision).

Subordinate elements are:
Air Force Operations Command
German Joint Force Air Component Command Headquarters (JFAC HQ)
National Air Defense Command Center
German Space Situational Awareness Center
Air Force Support Command

1st Air Division in Southern Germany 2nd Air Division in Eastern Germany 4th Air Division in Western Germany Air Command and Control Section 1 Air Command and Control Section 3 Air Command and Control Section 2 Surface-to-Air Missile Wing 5

SAM Battalion 22
SAM Battalion 23

Surface-to-Air Missile Wing 2
SAM Battalion 21
SAM Battalion 24

Surface-to-Air Missile Wing 1
SAM Battalion 25
SAM Battalion 26
Fighter-Bomber Wing 32
Fighter Wing 74
Air Transport Wing 61
Air Transport Wing 62
Ministry of Defence Transport Wing
Fighter-Bomber Wing 31 “Boelcke”
Fighter-Bomber Wing 33
Fighter Wing 73 “Steinhoff”
Helicopter Wing 64
Fighter Wing 71 "Richthofen"
Reconnaissance Wing 51 “Immelmann”
Air Transport Wing 63

German Air Force Tactical Training Center Italy Air Force Regiment "Friesland"


Air Force Office

The German Air Force Office is responsible for supporting the air force combat units. Main tasks are maintenance and logistic support and provision of basic training and education.

Subordinate elements are:

Surgeon General of the Air Force
Bundeswehr Air Traffic Services Office
Air Force Support Group (supporting the Air Force Command and Air Force Office)
Legal Advisor Center

Air Force Training Command Air Force Weapon Systems Command


Air Force Officer School
Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer School
Air Force Technical School 1 (with Air Force Bands 1 and 2)
Air Force Technical School 3 (with Air Force Bands 3 and 4)
Air Force Training Regiment
Air Force Specialized Schools
German Air Force Command United States/ Canada
Air Force Flying Training Center, United States Holloman AFB
2nd German Air Force Training Squadron NAS Pensacola
3rd German Air Force Training Squadron Goodyear Airport
German participation Euro NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Sheppard AFB
Air Force Tactical Training Center Air Defense Missiles Fort Bliss
Maintenance Regiment 1
Avionics Center
Aircraft Technology Center
Maintenance Regiment 2
Maintenance Group 21
Maintenance Group 22
Maintenance Group 25
Air Defense Missile Center
Weapon Systems Support Center


For German Air Bases see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Air_Force#Air_bases

For the current German aircraft inventory see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Air_Force#Aircraft_inventory
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