Germany
As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany 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 (now 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 reunification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Communications
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: one of the world's most technologically advanced telecom systems with additional security measures; LTE universally available and 5G service to over 80% of population; mobile market is driven by data, with increased broadband subscribership; regulatory measures aimed at facilitating wholesale network access to provide fiber-based broadband services; government aims to provide smart technology solutions; over 60 cities use smart technology in urban development, many through joint initiative with private sector, utility companies, and universities; importer of broadcast equipment and computers from China (2020)Demography and Population
Population
79,903,481 (July 2021 est.)Ethnic groups
German 86.3%, Turkish 1.8%, Polish 1%, Syrian 1%, Romanian 1%, other/stateless/unspecified 8.9% (2020 est.)Religions
Roman Catholic 26.7%, Protestant 24.3%, Muslim 3.5%, other 4.8%, none 40.7% (2020 est.)Military
Military and security forces
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe, includes air defense), Joint Support Service (Streitkraeftebasis, SKB), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst, ZSanDstBw), Cyber and Information Space Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum, Kdo CIR) (2021)Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 184,000 active duty personnel (63,500 Army; 16,500 Navy; 27,500 Air Force; 27,000 Joint Support Service; 20,000 Medical Service, 14,500 Cyber and Information Space Command; 15,000 other) (2021) note - Germany in 2020 announced it planned to increase the size of the military to about 200,000 troops by 2025Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the German Federal Armed Forces inventory is mostly comprised of weapons systems produced domestically or jointly with other European countries and Western imports, particularly from the US; Germany's defense industry is capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems, and is one of the world's leading arms exporters (2021)Military deployments
approximately 500 Middle East (NATO/Counter-ISIS campaign 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL 600 Lithuania (NATO approximately 1,400 Mali (MINUSMA/EUTM note - Germany is a contributing member of the EuroCorps (2021)Terrorism
Terrorist group(s) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Founding Date
18 January 1871
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Federal Republic of Germany, Deutschland, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Demonym
German
Government System
Democracy, Parliamentary
Power Structure
Federation
Parent Organization
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Comments