conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland

GM

federal republic

Berlin

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

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

German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October (1990)

23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of
the united German people 3 October 1990

civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundeskanzler appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal
number of delegates elected by the Land 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 in the fall of
2002)
election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal
Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent
of Federal Assembly - 52.7%

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the
Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for the 1998
term; 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 by the fall of 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 298, Alliance '90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43,
PDS 36; Federal Council - current composition - votes by party -
SPD-led states 26, CDU-led states 28, grand coalitions 15

Federal Constitutional Court or
Bundesverfassungsgericht, half the judges are elected by the Bundestag
and half by the Bundesrat

Alliance '90/Greens [Gunda ROESTEL and
Antje RADCKE]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU ;
Christian Social Union or CSU ; Free
Democratic Party or FDP ; Party of
Democratic Socialism or PDS ; Social
Democratic Party or SPD

employers' organizations;
expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional),
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:  (202) 298-8141
FAX:  (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): Wellington (America Samoa)

chief of mission: Ambassador John C. KORNBLUM
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone:  (30) 238-5174
FAX:  (30) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig,
Munich

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and gold