General Information

Capital:

Berlin 3,477,900, (1994 est.)

Area:

356,910 sq km (137,823 sq km)

Form of government

Federal Republic

GDP per capita

Purchasing power parity-$22,700 (1999 est.)

Population

82,087,361 (July 1999 est.)

Ethnic composition

German - 91.5%

Turkish - 2.4%

Italians - 0.7%

Greeks - 0.4%

Poles - 0.4%

Other - 4.6%

(Made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia)

Danish - 50,000 (est.)

Sorbs - 60,000 (est.)

Frisians - 50,000-60,000

Sinti and Roma - up to 70,000

Note: Up to 60, 000 persons considers themselves North Frisians. 10,000 of those still speak North Frisian. Approximately 2,000 Sater Frisian speakers live in the Saterland.

Official Language(s)

German (cf.for instance § 23 Act on Administrative Procedures, § 87 Fee Ordinance)

German is also in principle the language spoken in court (sect; 184 Judicature Act)

Minority Language(s)

Germany includes five indigenous minority languages in addition to the official one, which is the German language. Danish and Northern Frisian are spoken in Schleswig-Holstein, Sater Frisian in the Saterland, Sorbian (High Sorbian and Low Sorbian) in the southeast of the republic, close to the Czech and Polish borders. The Romany language is spoken by Gypsies, whom are scattered throughout the territory. The minority languages are protected by law and enjoy a certain level of legal recognition inside the Länder (district) where they are used, with the exception of Romany.

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