Head of state: Prime minister - elect : Yingluck Shinawatra
Population
81,305,856
67,091,089
Life Expectancy
80.190 years
73.830 years
Capital City
Berlin
Bangkok
Largest city
Berlin (population: 3,426,350)
Bangkok (population: 5,104,480)
Human Development Index
0.94
0.786
GDP per capita
$38,400 US
$9,500 US
Literacy Rate
99%
92.6%
Corruption Perception Index
7.9
3.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
30.6%
12.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Karl Albrecht ($21.5bn US)
Chaleo Yoovidhya ($3.7bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.000%
0.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
federal republic
constitutional monarchy
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
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
Religions
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages
German
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Exports
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
External Debt
$5,624,000,000,000 $
$115,600,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
baht per US dollar - 33.37 (2008 est.), 34.52 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.500%
1.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
41
4
Location
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Area
357,022 km sq
513,120 km sq
Coastline
2,389 km
3,219 km
Climate
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
