Gerhard Schröder
Chancellor

(pronounced "GARE-hard SHROH-der")

"We want a new spirit in Germany, where people ask what they can do for their country."

The Federal Republic of Germany is situated in north central Europe and shares a border with Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Switzerland and Austria to the south, and France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to the west. From 1949 to 1990, Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany; the two were unified through a treaty effective 3 October 1990. The total area is 357,021 sq km (137,847 sq mi), with an estimated population of 83.3 million inhabitants in 2002. Berlin is the capital and largest city.

Germany is a culturally and ethnically homogenous nation, with German being the official language. The population is comprised primarily of ethnic Germans with less than...