Germany
| Population | 82.2 m |
| Capital | Berlin |
| Surface area | 357,000 km2 |
| Official Language | German |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 2,338 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 20 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 116.1 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.935 |
| World rank in HDI | 22/177 |
| Key economic sectors | Services (69.2); industry (29.6); agriculture (1.2) |
| Leading Companies | E.On (energy service provider); Volkswagen (automobile manufacturer); Siemens AG (electronic and electric equipment) |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 7.5% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (numbers in millions) | Roman Catholic (25.46); Protestant (24.83); Muslim (3.1 – 3.4); Jewish (0. 11) |
| Significant minority ethnic groups | Turkish |
| Political system | A parliamentary federal republic, with a directly elected lower house (Bundestag) and an upper house representing the states. Governments are usually consociational, led by the chancellor. |
| Electoral system | Mixed member proportional system for the Bundestag; members of the upper house are nominated by the assemblies of the states |
| Current leaders | Chancellor Angela Merkel (b. 1954), since 2005 Prime minister: François Fillon (b. 1954), since May 2007 |
| Previous leaders: | Chancellors: Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005); Helmut Kohl (1990-1998) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1957 (founder member) |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Gunter Oettinger (Energy) |
| Number of MEPs | 99/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 43.3 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com