and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast,
but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk;
world's second largest ice cap
People Greenland
Population: 56,376 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 7,561; female 7,284) 15-64 years:
68.1% (male 20,880; female 17,489) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,442;
female 1,720) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.03% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 16.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 72.32 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites),
Danish and others 12% (January 2000)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper
Government Greenland
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Greenland local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat local long form: none
Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Capital: Nuuk (Godthab)
Administrative divisions: 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa
(Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland) note: there
are 18 municipalities in Greenland
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing
overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979) note: foreign
affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively
participates in international agreements relating to Greenland
National holiday: June 21 (longest day)
Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system: Danish
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark
(since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Gunnar
MARTENS (since NA 1995) note: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime
minister; percent of parliamentary vote - 57.3% head of government:
Prime Minister Jonathan MOTZFELDT (since 19 September 1997) cabinet:
Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament (Landstinget) on the
basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarchy is hereditary;
high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected
by Parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last
held 16 February 1999 (next to be held NA February 2003)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms) note: two representatives were
elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 20 November 2001 (next
to be held no later than November 2005); percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1 election results:
percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.2%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.1%,
Atassut Party 25.2%, Candidate's League 12.3%, independent 5.2%; seats
by party - Siumut 11, Atassut 8, Inuit Ataqatigiit 7, Candidate List 4,
independent 1 elections: last held on 16 February 1999 (next to be held
by NA February 2003)
Judicial branch: High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the
Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court
in Copenhagen)
Political parties and leaders: Akulliit Party [Bjarne KREUTZMANN];
Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing
close relations with Denmark) [Daniel SKIFTE]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA
(Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from
Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party)
[Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent
right-of-center party with no official platform [leader NA]; Siumut
(Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct
Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: NC, NIB
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark)
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half
of the disk is red, the bottom half is white
Economy Greenland
Economy - overview: The economy remains critically dependent on exports
of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies
about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly
owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role
in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and minerals
exploration activities, it will take several years before production can
materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential,
and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 24,500 (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $646 million expenditures: $629 million, including
capital expenditures of $85 million (1999)
Industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut),
handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards, mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 250 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% note: Greenland
is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydroelectric
power production (2000) hydro: 0% other: 0% nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 232.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables;
sheep, reindeer; fish
Exports: $264 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)
Exports - partners: EU (mainly Denmark) 85%, Japan 8%, US 2% (1999)
Imports: $349 million (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured
goods, food, petroleum products
Imports - partners: EU (mostly Denmark), Norway, US, Canada
Debt - external: $25 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1999)
Currency: Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code: DKK
Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 8.418 (January 2002),
8.323 (2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Greenland
Telephones - main lines in use: 25,617 (yearend 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,676 (yearend 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic and international
service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;
totally digitalized
microwave radio relay and satellite international: (all Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 publicly-owned station, some local
low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997)
Televisions: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Internet country code: .gl
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 17,800 (2001)
Transportation Greenland
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 150 km paved: 60 km unpaved: 90 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn),
Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab), Qaqortoq
(Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001)
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
3,289 GRT/1,500 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, includes a
foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1
(2002 est.)
Airports: 15 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to
1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2001)
Military Greenland
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Transnational Issues Greenland
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Germany
Introduction
Germany
Background: As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation,
Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political,
and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country
in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and
left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK,
France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two
German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany
(FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic
FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations,
the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the
front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the
end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then
Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity
and wages up to western standards. In January 2002, Germany and 11 other
EU countries introduced a common European currency, the euro.
Geography Germany
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,
between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 357,021 sq km water: 7,798 sq km land: 349,223 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 3,621 km border countries: Austria 784 km,
Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km,
Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 2,389 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm foehn wind
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m highest point:
Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium,
copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Land use: arable land: 34% permanent crops: 1% other: 65% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,850 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities
and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from
sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea
from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany;
hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending
the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to
meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with
the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed,
but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location on North European Plain and along
the entrance to the Baltic Sea
People Germany
Population: 83,251,851 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 15.4% (male 6,568,699; female 6,227,148) 15-64 years:
(male 5,546,140; female 8,607,361) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.26% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 8.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 81.09 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 37,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: German(s) adjective: German
Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely
of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Religions: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated
or other 28.3%
Languages: German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 99% (1977 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Government Germany
Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich local long form:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Berlin
Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular - Land);
Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,
Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein,
Thueringen
Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided
into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945
following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany)
proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones;
German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October
1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany
and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally
relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday: Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of
the united German people 3 October 1990
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review
of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999) elections:
all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates
elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 1999 (next
to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor elected by an absolute majority
of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 27
September 1998 (next to be held 22 September 2002) head of government:
or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the chancellor election results: Johannes RAU elected
president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER
elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly - 52.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of
the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 666 for the
1998 term; note - the number of seats will be reduced to 598 for 2002
elections; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and
proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote
or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year
terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments
are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending
on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Federal
Assembly - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held 22 September
2002); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition
is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the
composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one
of the 16 states holds an election election results: Federal Assembly -
percent of vote by party - SPD 40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU
35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%; seats by party - SPD 294, Alliance '90/Greens
47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43, PDS 37; Federal Council - current composition
- NA
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht
(half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and
Fritz KUHN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian
Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party
or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Party of Democratic Socialism or
PDS [Gregor GYSI]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER,
chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations;
expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU,
FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC,
UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich
ISHINGER consulate(s): Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249 telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Daniel R. COATS embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin;
note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265 telephone: [49] (030)
8305-0 FAX: [49] (030) 238-6290 consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf,
Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and gold
Economy Germany
Economy - overview: Germany's affluent and technologically powerful
economy turned in a relatively weak performance throughout much of the
1990s. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy
continues to be a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers
from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's ageing
population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security
outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural
rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on
laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis -
have made unemployment a chronic problem. Business and income tax cuts
introduced in 2001 did not spare Germany from the impact of the downturn
in international trade, and domestic demand faltered as unemployment began
to rise. The government expects growth to gain pace in the second half of
2002, but to fall short of 1% for the year again. Corporate restructuring
and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow
Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration
and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are addressed.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.174 trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $26,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 28% services: 71%
(2000)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2001)
Labor force: 41.9 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services
63.8% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $802 billion expenditures: $825 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: among the world's largest and most technologically advanced
producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles,
machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 537.328 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 63.08% hydro: 3.65%
other: 3.27% (2000) nuclear: 30%
Electricity - consumption: 501.716 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 42.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 44.5 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit,
cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports: $560.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and
manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: EU 56% (France 11%, UK 8%, Italy 8%, Netherlands 6%,
Belgium/Luxembourg 5%), US 10%, Japan 2% (2000)
Imports: $472.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs,
textiles, metals
Imports - partners: EU 52% (France 10%, Netherlands 9%, Italy 7%, UK 7%,
Belgium/Luxembourg 5%), US 9%, Japan 5% (2000)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Currency: euro (EUR); deutsche mark (DEM) note: on 1 January 1999, the
European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be
used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002,
the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the
member countries
Currency code: EUR; DEM
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); deutsche marks per US dollar -
1.69 (January 1999), 1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Germany
Telephones - main lines in use: 50.9 million (March 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.3 million (June 2001)