Germany
Land area: Total 357,021 sq km
Population: 82 million
Labour force: 44 million (2008 est.)
Occupations: Agriculture: 2.4%, Industry: 29.7%, Services: 67.8% (2005)
Languages: German
Capital: Berlin
Head of State: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
National holiday: Unity Day, 3 October
Economy: The fifth largest economy in the world in PPP (purchasing power parity) terms and Europe's largest with growth at 1.7% in 2008. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets have set strong foundations to help Germany meet the longer-term challenges of European economic integration and globalisation.
Imports: £28,396 million (2008) from the UK
Industries: Among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles
Inflation: 2.8% (2008 est.)
Did you know... When communism crumbled in 1989, it created an opportunity for wildlife. The Iron Curtain that divided communist Eastern Europe from the capitalist West had created a no-man's-land protected by barbed wire and minefields - a last haven for many rare animals and plants. Now as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, we can also celebrate the birth of the biggest conservation movement in the world.
