Germany, Federal Republic of (West Germany) (continued)
with other sectors contributing lesser amounts. The major economic problem in 1989 is persistent unemployment of over 8%. The FRG is well poised to take advantage of the increasing economic integration of the European Community. The dramatic opening of the boundary with East Germany in late 1989 poses new economic challenges that could tax even this powerful economy.
GDP: $945.7 billion, per capita $15,300; real growth rate 4.3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (1989)
Budget: revenues $539 billion; expenditures $563 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.5 billion (1988)
Exports: $323.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—manufactures 86.6% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 4.9%, raw materials 2.3%, fuels 1.3%; partners—EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 9%, Italy 9%, UK 9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 18%, US 10%, Eastern Europe 4%, OPEC 3% (1987)
Imports: $250.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—manufactures 68.5%, agricultural products 12.0%, fuels 9.7%, raw materials 7.1%; partners—EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 11%, Italy 10%, UK 7%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 15%, US 6%, Japan 6%, Eastern Europe 5%, OPEC 3% (1987)
External debt: $500 million (June 1988) Industrial production: growth rate 3.3% (1988)
Electricity: (including West Berlin) 110,075,000 kW capacity; 452,390 million kWh produced, 7,420 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, ships, vehicles, and machine tools; electronics, food and beverages
Agriculture: accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net importer of food; fish catch of 202,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $60.0 billion
Currency: deutsche mark (plural—marks); 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1—1.6918 (January 1990), 1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988), 1.7974 (1987), 2.1715 (1986), 2.9440 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Railroads: 31,443 km total; 27,421 km
government owned, 1.435-meter standard
gauge (12,491 km double track, 11,501
km electrified); 4,022 km nongovernment
owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge (214 km electrified) and
424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km
electrified)
Highways: 466,305 km total; 169,568 km primary, includes 6,435 km autobahn, 32,460 km national highways (Bundesstrassen), 65,425 km state highways (Landesstrassen), 65,248 km county roads (Kreisstrassen); 296,737 km of secondary communal roads (Gemeindestrassen)
Inland waterways: 5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea
Pipelines: crude oil, 2,343 km; refined products, 3,446 km; natural gas, 95,414 km
Ports: maritime Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Cuxhaven, Emden, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Wilhelmshaven; inland 27 major
Merchant marine: 422 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,436,568 GRT/4,297,520 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 218 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 95 container, 20 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 7 barge carrier, 2 multifunction large-load carrier, 12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 21 chemical tanker, 15 liquefied gas, 5 combination ore/oil, 13 combination bulk
Civil air: 194 major transport aircraft
Airports: 466 total, 457 usable; 240 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 41 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 55 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the country; fully adequate in all respects; 40,300,000 telephones; stations—87 AM, 205 (376 relays) FM, 300 (6,400 relays) TV; 6 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (12 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and domestic systems
Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 16,006,352; 13,883,536 fit for military service; 326,666 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (1989 est.)
