Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General Prime minister: Stephen Harper
Population
81,305,856
34,300,083
Life Expectancy
80.190 years
81.480 years
Capital City
Berlin
Ottawa
Largest city
Berlin (population: 3,426,350)
Toronto (population: 4,612,190)
Human Development Index
0.94
0.967
GDP per capita
$38,400 US
$41,100 US
Literacy Rate
99%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
7.9
8.7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
30.6%
24.9%
Wealthiest Citizens
Karl Albrecht ($21.5bn US)
David Thomson & family ($13.0bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.000%
7.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
federal republic
constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation
Independence date
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
1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK)
Religions
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)
Languages
German
English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
Exports
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar - 1.0364 (2008 est.), 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.500%
1.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
41
18
Location
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
Area
357,022 km sq
9,984,670 km sq
Coastline
2,389 km
202,080 km
Climate
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
