| Capitale | nom: Berlin coordonnées géographiques: 52 31 N, 13 24 E différence de temps: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the origin of the name is unclear but may be related to the old West Slavic (Polabian) word "berl" or "birl," meaning "swamp" |
| Fête de l'Indépendance | 18 Janvier 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 Mai 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 Octobre 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 Octobre 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights on 15 Mars 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 Aoüt 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 Février 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor) |
| Fête nationale | German Unity Day, 3 Octobre (1990) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10-23 Aoüt 1948, approved 12 Mai 1949, promulgated 23 Mai 1949, entered into force 24 Mai 1949 amendments: 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; amended many times, last in 2017 (2018) |
| Suffrage - Age minimum de l'électeur | 18 ans; universal; age 16 for some state and municipal elections |
| Pouvoir exécutif | chef d'état (Président): Président Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (depuis 19 March 2017) chef de gouvernement (1er ministre): Chancellor Angela MERKEL (depuis 22 November 2005) 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); election last held on 12 February 2017 (next to be held in February 2022); following the most recent Federal Parliament election, the party or coalition with the most representatives usually elects the chancellor (Angela Merkel depuis 2005) and appointed by the president to serve a renewable 4-year term; Federal Parliament vote for chancellor last held on 14 March 2018 (next to be held after the Bundestag elections in 2021) election results: Frank-Walter STEINMEIER elected president; Federal Convention vote count - Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (SPD) 931, Christopher BUTTERWEGGE (The Left) 128, Albrecht GLASER (Alternative for Germany AfD) 42, Alexander HOLD (BVB/FW) 25, Engelbert SONNEBORN (Pirates) 10; Angela MERKEL (CDU) reelected chancellor; Federal Parliament vote - 364 to 315 |
Source: CIA World Factbook - Version du décembre 31, 2019
