Germany : Country overview

Geography

• Full country name: Federal Republic of Germany
• Population: 81.8 million (Eurostat, 2010)
• Border countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
• Climate: variable climate with frequent changes of weather (see BBC Weather Country Guides: Germany for further details).
• Terrain: lowlands in the north, uplands in centre, Bavarian Alps in the south.
• Natural hazards: flooding.

Living in Germany

• Cost of living: cost of living in Germany is relatively high. Rents vary from region to region and some cities, such as Hamburg and Munich, are markedly more expensive than average. Food and other basic purchases may be cheaper than in the UK, whereas entertainment including eating and drinking out are generally more expensive.
• Utilities: all of a world-class standard and costs are comparable to those in the UK.
• Internet domain: .de
• Health: Germany has one of the highest standards of healthcare in the world, and some of the lowest rates for key indicators such as infant mortality. If you work in Germany, compulsory health insurance is automatically arranged by employers and, similarly to UK National Insurance, contributions are made both by the employer and the employee. Practitioners and hospitals deal directly with insurers for billing, so you can access any insurer-improved healthcare provider when you need to without worrying about payment. Health insurance for students is compulsory and costs around €280 per semester. See About Germany   for more information.
• Laws and customs: while business customs are relatively formal, Germany is a tolerant and liberal society by global standards, with sexual orientation, for example, regarded as a matter of private choice. Laws are broadly similar to those in the UK for personal conduct, e.g. in matters such as drug possession.

Economy and finance

• Currency: Euro (€)
• Type of economy: Germany has a liberal free market economy. It is part of the Eurozone of European economies with a shared Central Bank, interest rate and currency.
• Health of economy: Germany went into recession in 2008 when the world economic climate led to a reduction in the demand for its exports. It emerged from the recession in the middle of 2009 and exports have been recovering in recent months as the global economy recovers.
• Unemployment rate: 7.3% (Eurostat, Mar 2010)
• Main exports: electrical machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals (EconomyWatch).

Culture

• People: Germans 94%.Turks make up the single largest ethnic minority group with significant numbers of Greeks, Italians, Poles, Russians, Serbo-Croats and Spaniards.
• Major religion: Christianity; 3.7% of the population are Muslims.
• History: see BBC Timeline: Germany .
• Local etiquette: largely the same as in other European countries.

Politics

• Type of government: federal democratic republic with two houses of parliament, the Bundestag, elected by the population on the basis of proportional representation, and the Bundesrat, made up of representatives of the cabinets of the 16 federal states. The Chancellor heads the Government and is elected by the Bundestag. The President has mainly representative powers and is elected by a body called the Bundesversammlung, which meets every five years for this purpose only.
• Major political parties: Alliance 90/The Greens; Christian Democrats (CDU); Christian Social Union (CSU); Free Democrats (FDP); The Left Party (Die Linke); Social Democrats (SPD).

Travel advice

Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.