Germany - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Germany, it was the origin of the name is unclear; it may come from Celtic words meaning "neighboring people," or it may derive from Germanic words meaning either "spear man" or "head man;" the native designation "Deutsch" comes from the Old High German "diutisc" meaning "national". The Government system in this country is the federal parliamentary republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia)
National symbols
Eagle.
The flag
The National flag of Germany has three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; the colors can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor -- a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Das Lied der Deutschen" (Song of the Germans) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN/Franz Joseph HAYDN |
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note: adopted 1922; the anthem, also known as "Deutschlandlied" (Song of Germany), was originally adopted for its connection to the March 1848 liberal revolution; following appropriation by the Nazis of the first verse, specifically the phrase, "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles" (Germany, Germany above all) to promote nationalism, it was banned after 1945; in 1952, its third verse was adopted by West Germany as its national anthem; in 1990, it became the national anthem for the reunited Germany
More about the government of Germany
| Date of Independence | 18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 after World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990, with all four powers formally relinquishing rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | German Unity Day, 3 October (1990) |
| Legal system | civil law system |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10-23 August 1948, approved 12 May 1949, promulgated 23 May 1949, entered into force 24 May 1949 |
| Amendment process | Proposed by Parliament; passage and enactment into law require two-thirds majority vote by both the Bundesrat (upper house) and the Bundestag (lower house) of Parliament; articles including those on basic human rights and freedoms cannot be amended |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a German citizen or a resident alien who has lived in Germany at least 8 years |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes, but requires prior permission from government |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 8 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (since 19 March 2017) |
| Head of government | Chancellor Friedrich MERZ (since 6 May 2025) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) recommended by the chancellor, appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president indirectly elected by a Federal Convention consisting of all members of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and an equivalent number of delegates indirectly elected by the state parliaments; president serves a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); following the most recent Federal Parliament election, the party or coalition with the most representatives usually elects the chancellor, who is appointed by the president to serve a renewable 4-year term |
| Most recent election date | president: 13 February 2022 chancellor: 6 May 2025 |
| Election results | 2025: Friedrich MERZ (CDU) elected chancellor in second round; Federal Parliament vote - 325 to 289 2022: Frank-Walter STEINMEIER reelected president; Federal Convention vote count - Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (SPD) 1,045, Max OTTE (CDU) 140, Gerhard TRABERT (The Left) 96, Stefanie GEBAUER (Free Voters) 58, abstentions 86 |
| Expected date of next election | president: February 2027 |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislative structure | Bicameral |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Federal Court of Justice (court consists of 127 judges, including the court president, vice presidents, presiding judges, other judges; organized into 25 Senates subdivided into 12 civil panels, 5 criminal panels, and 8 special panels); Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (consists of 2 Senates each subdivided into 3 chambers, each with a chairman and 8 members) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Federal Court of Justice judges selected by the Judges Election Committee, which consists of the Secretaries of Justice from each of the 16 federated states and 16 members appointed by the Federal Parliament; judges appointed by the president; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; half of Federal Constitutional Court judges are elected by the House of Representatives and half by the Senate; judges appointed for 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 68 |
| Subordinate courts | Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 federated states or Land has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, finance, labor, social) courts; two English-speaking commercial courts opened in 2020 in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg -- the Stuttgart Commercial Court and the Mannheim Commercial Court |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Andreas MICHAELIS (since 15 September 2023) |
| Chancery | 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 298-4000 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 298-4261 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.germany.info/us-en |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Alan MELTZER (since July 2024) |
| Embassy | Pariser Platz 2, 10117 Berlin Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin (administrative services) |
| Mailing address | 5090 Berlin Place, Washington DC 20521-5090 |
| Telephone | [49] (30) 8305-0 |
| FAX | [49] (30) 8305-1215 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://de.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 54 (52 cultural, 2 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin (c); Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (c); Speyer Cathedral (c); Aachen Cathedral (c); Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau, and Bernau (c); Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura (c); Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter, and Church of Our Lady in Trier (c); Hanseatic City of Lübeck (c); Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof (c); Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square (c); Pilgrimage Church of Wies (c); Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl (c); St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim (c); Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch (c); Maulbronn Monastery Complex (c); Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg (c); Cologne Cathedral (c); Castle Church in Wittenberg (c); Classical Weimar (c); Wartburg Castle (c); Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (c); Monastic Island of Reichenau (c); Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (c); Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (c); Moravian Church Settlements (c); Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus (c); The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (c); Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke (c); Naumburg Cathedral (c); Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt (c); ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz (c); The Great Spa Towns of Europe (c); Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt (c); Schwerin Residence Ensemble (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Germany
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Germany
Want to know more about Germany? Check all different factbooks for Germany below.
