What you should know about Germany

GERMANY is one of the world's most developed market economies. It is the world's third largest economy in USD terms and the fifth largest by purchasing power parity. In Europe it is the largest economy. Germany comprises 16 states which are to quite some extend following their own path.

Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate. In the north-west and the north, the climate is oceanic; rainfall occurs year round with a maximum during summer. Winters there are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C for prolonged periods. In the east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can be very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. Central and southern Germany weather varies from moderately oceanic to continental. Again, the maximum temperature can exceed 30 °C in summer.

Germany growth rate in 2007 was 2.4%. Since the age of industrialization the country has been motor, innovator and beneficiary of an ever more globalize economy. The export of goods "Made in Germany" is one of the main factors of the country's wealth. Germany is the world's top exporter with $1.133 trillion exported in 2006 and generates a trade surplus of €165 billion. The service sector contributes around 70% to the total GDP, the industry 29.1% and agriculture 0.9%. Most of the country's products are in engineering, especially in automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods. Germany is the leading producer of wind turbines and solar power technology in the world. The largest, annual, international trade fairs and congresses are held in several German cities such as Hanover, Frankfurt and Berlin.

With over 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union. However, its fertility rate of 1.39 children per mother is one of the lowest in the world and the federal statistics office estimates the population will shrink to between 69 and 74 million by 2050 on assuming a net migration of +100,000 per year. Germany has a number of larger cities, the most populous being Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

As of December 2004, about seven million foreign citizens were registered in Germany, and 19% of the country's residents were of foreign or partially foreign descent. The young are more likely to be of foreign descent than the old. 30% of Germans aged 15 years and younger have at least one parent born abroad. In the big cities 60% of children aged 5 years and younger have at least one parent born abroad. Germany is host to the third highest number of international migrants worldwide with about 12% of the population of Germany foreign migrants. Due to this Germany has introduced quite tough immigration restrictions and the number of immigrants seeking asylum or claiming German ethnicity has been declining steadily since 2000.