Long-form name: Federal Republic of Germany; abbreviated FRG

Type: federal republic

Capital: Bonn

Administrative divisions: 10 states (lander, singular--land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein

Constitution: 23 May 1949, provisional constitution known as Basic Law

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Branches: bicameral parliament--Bundesrat (Federal Council, upper house), Bundestag (National Assembly, lower house); president (titular head of state), chancellor (executive head of government); independent judiciary

Leaders: @m5Chief of State--President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984); @m5Head of Government--Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: national election generally held every four years; last held on 25 January 1987; next scheduled for December 1990

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut Kohl; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo Waigel; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Otto Lambsdorff; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Hans-Jochen Vogel; National Democratic Party (NPD), Martin Mussgnug; Communist Party (DKP), Herbert Mies; Green Party (Greens)--Realos faction, Otto Schily; Fundis faction, Jutta Ditfurth

Voting strength: (1987 election) 44.3% CDU/CSU, 37.0% SPD, 9.1% FDP, 8.3% Greens, 1.3% other

Communists: about 40,000 members and supporters

Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans groups

Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IEA, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jeurgen RUHFUS; Chancery at 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 298-4000; there are FRG Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, and Consulates in Miami and New Orleans; US--Ambassador Vernon WALTERS; Embassy at Deichmanns Avenue, 5300 Bonn 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09080); telephone 49 (228) 3391; there are US Consulates General in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow; similar to the flag of the GDR which has a coat of arms in the center

NOTE: The information regarding Germany, Federal Republic of on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Germany, Federal Republic of Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Germany, Federal Republic of Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.