The Federal Republic of Germany consists of sixteen states and its capital is Berlin. Germany is the most-populated country in the European Union, as well as being its largest economy. The Bundestag is Germany’s parliament, with the chancellor as head of state with executive power, and the president fulfilling representative duties.

Despite changes in the economic growth rate over the last three years, Germany boasts one of the strongest economies in Europe. According to statistics about export from Germany, it was among the top 20 export countries worldwide in 2010, being ranked third behind China and the USA with a total export value of more than 1.2 million U.S. dollars. In 2010, Germany exported more than 141 million euros worth of goods in the chemical industry. Based on inflation statistics from Germany, the inflation rate in Germany was at its lowest point in 2009, at 0.4 percent compared to the previous year.

Germany is known for its technological progress and open approach to innovation. According to figures from TNS Infratest, among respondents from 14 years of age and older, the internet usage trend has experienced a marked change from 2001 to 2011. In 2001, 37 percent of Germans were online. Ten years later it was double that amount at 74.7 percent. According to other statistics on Germany, the country had the second highest amount of government requests for data removal from Google from January to June 2011, with 125 requests being sent to the company.

Germany is also widely known for its various industries, from food to cars. In these areas,the country also boasts impressive results. In 2010, Germany was the EU leader in beer production and has also been in the top three among pork-producing countries during the last three years. Germany’s car industry is famous as well. Based on a forecast of Germany’s vehicle production from 2010 to 2015, six million units will be on the market by 2015. German statistics on the total assets of Audi, one of Germany’s most famous car brands, have shown only growing figures over the years, reaching more than 30 billion euros in 2010.