Germany Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Federal Republic of Germany (Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland).

【 Area 】 358000 square kilometers.

The population is approximately 84.7 million. Mainly Germans.

【 Capital 】 Berlin.

[Head of State] Federal President Frank Walter Steinmeier.

[Important Festival] New Year: January 1st; Easter: the first Sunday after the full moon of the Spring Equinox every year (between March 21st and April 25th); May Day International Labor Day: May 1st; German Unity Day (National Day): October 3rd; Christmas: December 25th.

【 Natural Geography 】 Located in central Europe. To the east are Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south are Austria and Switzerland, to the west are the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, to the north are Denmark, and to the north are the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The total length of the land boundary is 3876 kilometers, and the coastline is 2389 kilometers. The northern temperate zone located between 47-55 degrees north latitude has a more pronounced oceanic climate in the northwest, gradually transitioning towards a continental climate towards the east and south. The average temperature is -5-1 ℃ in January and 14-19 ℃ in July.

The administrative divisions of Germany are divided into three levels: federal, state, and municipality, with a total of 16 states and 10786 municipalities. The names of the states are: Baden-W ü rttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony Anhalt, Schleswig Holstein, and Thuringia. Among them, Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg are city states.

In 962 AD, the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation was established. In 1871, the unified German Empire was established. Started the First World War in 1914. The Weimar Republic was established in 1919. The Second World War was launched in 1939. After the war, it was occupied by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. On May 23, 1949, the Basic Law was promulgated in the western region, establishing the Federal Republic of Germany. On October 7th of the same year, the German Democratic Republic was established in the east. On October 3, 1990, Germany achieved reunification.

The political system implements a prime minister responsibility system under parliamentary democracy.

The Constitution came into effect on May 23, 1949, and established five basic systems in Germany: republican, democratic, federal, rule of law state, and social welfare system. Applicable to all of Germany from October 3, 1990.

A bicameral system consisting of the Federal Parliament and the Federal Senate. The Federal Parliament exercises legislative power, supervises the enforcement of laws, elects the Federal Prime Minister, participates in the election of the Federal President, and supervises the work of the Federal Government. Each term is 4 years. On September 26, 2021, Germany held its 20th Federal Parliament election. On October 26th, the 20th Federal Parliament of Germany held its first plenary session, and Social Democratic Party member B ä rbel Bas was elected as the new Speaker of the Federal Parliament. The new federal parliament has a total of 733 seats, with party seats allocated as follows: Social Democratic Party 207 seats, Alliance Party (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) 196 seats, Alliance 90/Green Party 117 seats, Liberal Democratic Party 91 seats, Choice Party 76 seats, Left Party 28 seats, Wa State League 10 seats, and 8 non partisan members.

The Federal Senate participates in federal legislation and exerts influence over the federal administration, safeguarding the interests of the states. According to the population ratio of each state, 3-6 state government members are appointed by each state government, with a total of 69 seats. The Senate President is rotated by the governors of each state for a term of one year. If the President is unable to exercise his powers due to unforeseen circumstances, he shall assume the office of President. On November 1, 2024, the Governor of Saarland, Anke Rehlinger (Social Democratic Party), was appointed as the President of the Senate, serving until October 31, 2025.

The current federal government was composed of the Social Democratic Party, Green Party, and Liberal Democratic Party on December 8, 2021. Olaf Scholz (Social Democratic Party) serves as the Prime Minister. Other key members of the government include: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck (Green Party), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (Liberal Democratic Party), Interior and Land Minister Nancy Faeser (Social Democratic Party), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party), Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (Liberal Democratic Party), Labour and Social Security Minister Hubertus Heil (Social Democratic Party), Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Social Democratic Party), and Food and Agriculture Minister Cezdemir (Social Democratic Party). M Ö zdemir, Green Party), Lisa Paus, Minister for Family, Elderly, Women and Youth, Green Party), Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (Social Democratic Party), Digitalization and Transport Minister Volker Wissing (Social Democratic Party), Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke (Green Party), Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark Watzinger (Social Democratic Party), Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulze (Social Democratic Party), Housing, Urban Development and Construction Minister Klara Geywitz (Social Democratic Party), Prime Minister's Office Minister Wolfgang Schmidt, Social Democratic Party).

The Federal Constitutional Court is one of the constitutional institutions in Germany, mainly responsible for interpreting the Basic Law, supervising its implementation, and making rulings on whether it is unconstitutional. There are a total of 16 judges, 8 of whom are elected by the Federal Parliament and 8 by the Federal Senate, and appointed by the President for a term of generally 12 years. The President and Vice President are elected alternately by the Federal Parliament and the Federal Senate. The current dean, Stephan Harbart, took office in June 2020.

In addition, there are federal courts (responsible for civil and criminal cases), federal administrative courts, federal financial courts, federal labor courts, federal social courts, etc.

Federal and state courts have corresponding procuratorates, but they are not under the jurisdiction of the court and do not interfere with the court's trial work. Their main task is to investigate criminal cases and initiate public prosecution. The prosecutor's office is under the leadership of the federal or state government's Department of Justice and is relatively independent in exercising its powers. The Federal Prosecutor's Office is composed of the Federal Prosecutor General and several federal prosecutors. Jens Rommel, the Federal Prosecutor General, took office in March 2024.

Germany implements a multi-party system, mainly consisting of the following political parties:

(1) Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, also known as the Christian Democratic Union. Established in 1945. Party Chairman Friedrich Merz.

(2) Christian Social Union (Christlich Soziale Union in Bayern e. V.): Abbreviated as' Ji She Meng '. Established in 1945. According to the agreement reached with the Christian Democratic Union, the party will only develop and organize activities in Bavaria, forming an alliance party parliamentary group with the Christian Democratic Union in the Federal Parliament. Party Chairman Markus S ö der.

(3) The Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), abbreviated as the "Social Democratic Party". Established in 1863, it is one of the earliest established labor parties in the world. In 1878, it was declared illegal by the Bismarck government and regained legal status in 1890. In 1933, the Social Democratic Party was banned by the Nazi regime and rebuilt after the war. In September 1990, the Social Democratic Parties of East and West Germany merged. Party chairpersons Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil.

(4) Alliance 90/Green Party (B ü ndnis 90/Die Gr ü nen): abbreviated as "Green Party". The Green Party in western Germany was established in January 1980. In May 1993, it merged with the Eastern Alliance 90/Green Party. The current party chairpersons, Omid Nouripour and Ricarda Lang, have resigned, and a new party chairperson will be elected at the party congress in November 2024.

(5) Liberal Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei): abbreviated as the "Liberal Democratic Party". Established in 1948. Party Chairman Christian Lindner.

(6) Alternative f ü r Deutschland, also known as the "Alternative Party". Established in 2013. Party chairman Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel.

(7) The Left Party (Die Linke) was formed in 2007 by the merger of the Left Party Demokratische Linke PDS and the Labor and Social Equity Electoral Choice Party (Wahl alternative Arbeit und Soziale Gerechtigkeit). The party chairman Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken.

(8) The Sara Wagenknecht Alliance: For Reason and Justice "Party (B ü ndnis Sahra Wagenknecht – F ü r Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit), also known as the" Wahl Alliance ". Established in 2024. Party chairpersons Sahra Wagenknecht and Amira Mohamed Ali.

(9) The German Communist Party (Deutsche Kommunistische Partei): Established in 1968, formerly known as the banned German Communist Party in 1956. Party Chairman Patrik K ö bele.

Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

Germany is a highly developed industrial country and the third largest exporter in the world. The total economic output ranks first in Europe and third in the world. In 2023, Germany's gross domestic product will be 4.12 trillion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 0.3%, with a per capita gross domestic product of 48800 euros. In the second quarter of 2024, Germany's gross domestic product decreased by 0.1% month on month.

[Industry] Industrial structure and characteristics: (1) Side heavy industry. The automotive and machinery manufacturing, chemical, electrical and other sectors are pillar industries, while other manufacturing industries such as food, textiles and clothing, steel processing, mining, precision instruments, optics, and aerospace are also well-developed. (2) Highly extroverted. More than half of the products from the main industrial sectors are sold abroad. (3) Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone. About two-thirds of industrial enterprises have less than 100 employees. Many small and medium-sized enterprises have a strong degree of specialization, high technological level, and strong flexibility. (4) High degree of monopoly. Large enterprises with over 1000 employees, accounting for 2.5% of the total number of industrial enterprises, account for 40% of the industrial employment and over half of the turnover.

Agriculture and animal husbandry are developed with a high degree of mechanization. The agricultural output value in 2023 is 76.3 billion euros. The employed population is about 938000. There are about 263000 agricultural enterprises, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises and family businesses.

The service industry includes sectors such as commerce, transportation, telecommunications, banking, insurance, rental housing, tourism, education, culture, and healthcare. In 2023, the number of employed people in the service industry will be 34.6 million.

The tourism industry is well-developed, with famous attractions such as the Berlin Reichstag, Cologne Cathedral, Bonn Museum of Culture and Art, Rothenburg, Munich German Museum, Heidelberg Castle, Neuschwanstein Palace, and Dresden Gallery. The number of overnight tourists in 2023 is 490 million. Among them, 410 million domestic tourists stayed overnight; Foreign tourists stayed overnight 81 million times.

The transportation industry is highly developed, with comprehensive development in road, waterway, and air transportation. In 2022, the total volume of road freight in Germany was 3.1 billion tons, railway was 360 million tons, inland waterway was about 180 million tons, and sea freight was 270 million tons. The total passenger volume of railway, highway and urban rail transit in 2022 was 10.827 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28.56%. The total air passenger volume in 2023 is 186 million, an increase of 20.23% year-on-year.

In 2023, the total revenue of Germany's public finance will be 1.86 trillion euros, a year-on-year increase of 6%, and the total expenditure will be 1.95 trillion euros, a year-on-year increase of 4%. The total deficit of the national budget will be 91.873 billion euros. As of the second quarter of 2024, the Federal Bank of Germany has approximately 3351.5 tons of gold reserves, ranking second globally; As of September 2024, Germany's foreign exchange reserves amounted to approximately 33.6 billion euros; As of July 2024, the share of Special Drawing Rights in the International Monetary Fund is 26.63 billion euros.

Germany is a major trading nation in the world, maintaining trade relations with over 230 countries and regions. Nearly one-third of the country's workforce is engaged in jobs related to exports. It maintained its position as the world's largest exporter from 1986 to 1990 and from 2003 to 2008. The total foreign trade volume of Germany in 2023 is 2.96 trillion euros, including exports of 1.59 trillion euros and imports of 1.37 trillion euros, with a surplus of 225 billion euros. From January to August 2024, Germany's total foreign trade was 1.94 trillion euros, of which exports amounted to 1.06 trillion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 0.9%; The import volume was 0.88 trillion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 4.8%. The main export products include automobiles, mechanical products, chemical products, communication technology, power supply and distribution equipment, and medical and chemical equipment. The main imported products include chemicals, automobiles, oil and gas, machinery, communication technology, and steel products. The top five foreign trade partner countries of Germany in 2023 are China, the United States, the Netherlands, France, and Poland, with over half of imports and exports coming from or sold to EU countries.

In 2023, the total national income of Germany was 3 trillion euros, the average monthly household income in 2021 was 4979 euros, and the average monthly income of full-time employees was 3136 euros.

Germany is a member of the European Union and NATO, and has always regarded the EU and transatlantic relations with the United States as the core pillars of its foreign policy. The current government advocates for EU unity and coordination between Germany and France, supporting European integration and enhancing European strategic autonomy; At the same time, we believe that the United States remains Germany's most important partner and are willing to work together with the United States to uphold Western values and liberal democratic systems, and jointly support multilateralism; Highlighting the importance of NATO and transatlantic relations for Germany's security, committed to fulfilling commitments to NATO, and increasing defense spending; After the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, we strongly condemned Russia for violating international law and participating in multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia; Since the escalation of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, we firmly support Israel and do not recognize the state of Palestine; Emphasize the development of regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America; The first "China Strategy" document will be released in July 2023, emphasizing competition in China's system, interests, and values, while clearly opposing "decoupling" from China. China is an indispensable partner in addressing global challenges and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China; Continue to strive for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council; Seeking to play a role in addressing international affairs such as climate change, Afghanistan, and Iran's nuclear issues.

The German Federal Armed Forces were established in November 1955. The military is led by the Minister of Defense during peacetime and the Federal Chancellor serves as the highest commander during wartime. The Inspector General of the Federal Armed Forces is the highest commander of the military, and the current Inspector General is Carsten Breuer.

After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Germany announced a significant increase in defense spending, including the creation of a special defense fund worth 100 billion euros to accelerate the process of military modernization. In 2024, the German defense budget is 51.95 billion euros, an increase of 3.65% year-on-year. As of August 2024, the total strength of the German Defense Force is about 260000, including about 61000 in the army, 16000 in the navy, and 27000 in the air force. The rest are functional units such as the Central Health Service, Joint Support, and Network and Information Space Forces.

Germany abolished compulsory military service in 2011 and switched to voluntary military service. In 2016, Germany announced the establishment of a network and information space force, with a current size of 14000 personnel, making it the sixth branch of the German military after land, sea, air, medical, and logistics.

Education in Germany is mainly the responsibility of the states for education and cultural arts, with the federal government primarily responsible for educational planning and vocational education, and coordinating national education efforts through a joint conference of state ministers of culture and education. In terms of primary and secondary education, higher education, as well as adult education and continuing education, the main legislative and administrative powers belong to the states. National cultural and artistic activities are funded by the federal government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for coordinating cultural exchanges with foreign countries.

Primary, secondary, and vocational education are well-developed. Implement a 12 year compulsory education system, fully waive tuition fees for public schools, and partially waive textbooks and other learning materials. The primary school system lasts for 4-6 years, and the secondary school system lasts for 5-9 years. Higher education institutions enjoy a certain degree of autonomy and generally implement free enrollment for high school graduates, with quota restrictions for some subjects. Vocational education implements a dual system that combines theoretical learning in vocational schools with practical experience in enterprises. Adult education and extracurricular education are very popular. Teachers are lifelong civil servants and must have received higher education. As of December 2023, there are 32700 primary and secondary schools in Germany, with 8.4 million students enrolled; As of August 2024, there are 428 universities with 2.87 million college students.

The news publishing industry is highly developed, with a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. In the second quarter of 2024, the daily circulation of various daily newspapers in Germany was approximately 10.2 million copies, with the largest circulation being "Bild" with approximately 1.05 million copies. The circulation of other national newspapers is as follows: S ü ddeutsche Zeitung, 264000 copies; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 183000 copies; Business Daily, 120000 copies; World News, with 89000 copies. There are nearly 10000 types of magazines, with the most important current affairs and political weekly magazine, Mingjing, having a circulation of approximately 675000 copies.

News Agency: Deutsche Presse, established in 1949, is a private limited liability company and one of the world's largest news agencies. The head office is located in Hamburg, and the headquarters of the photo news editor is in Frankfurt. There are a total of 57 editorial departments in China, with reporters or hired writers stationed in 87 countries and regions. It is the main source of information for German mass media, and its clients include more than 500 domestic and 750 foreign news organizations, as well as a large number of non news organizations. Deutsche Presse-Agentur publishes articles in German, English, French, Spanish, Arabic and other languages, covering political, economic, scientific, technological, cultural and other fields at home and abroad, with the adoption rate of 100% in German daily newspapers.

Main radio station: Deutsche Welle, established in 1994, broadcasts in Berlin and Cologne, funded by the federal government and state radio stations, mainly responsible for domestic broadcasting. Deutsche Welle, founded in 1960, is headquartered in Cologne and funded by the federal government. It broadcasts to the world in 31 languages, including Chinese, and broadcasts television news programs in German, Chinese, English, and other languages.

Main television station: German Television One (ARD), established in 1950, is jointly operated by the German Broadcasting Association consisting of state radio stations, German Broadcasting Station, and Deutsche Welle radio station. ZDF, the largest television station in Germany, was jointly established by various states in 1961 and headquartered in Mainz. Other satellite TV programs and private TV stations such as SAT1, RTL, PRO7 also have a large audience. (Information)