Last updated: June 2nd, 2021
The Federal Republic of Germany is located in Central Europe and its central position makes it an attractive location. Neighbouring countries are – clockwise starting in the north – Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Since the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, the Federal Republic has been divided into sixteen federal states, which hold a strong position in the constitutional structure. The capital is Berlin with about 3.7 million inhabitants. The total population is around 83 million.
Germany is a founding member of the European Union as well as a member of the UN, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and numerous other international and regional organisations such as the Union for the Mediterranean, which was founded in 2008 and builds on the Barcelona Process begun in 1995. The affairs of state have been led by Chancellor Angela Merkel in changing coalitions since 2005; she is not running for office again in the upcoming 2021 federal elections. The head of state has been Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier since March 2017.
Germany is the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest internationally. Its GDP in 2020 was around 3.33 trillion euros, a reduction of 4.8 percent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, a recovery of 3.2 percent is expected.
In 2020, Germany repeatedly ranked among the top three exporting countries in the world. The Arab countries also represent a large sales market for products “Made in Germany”. According to Germany’s national statistics authority, the five Arab countries to which Germany exported the most in 2020 were the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria, with an export volume of more than 20 billion euros. Among all Arab countries, only the Comoros, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Libya export more to Germany than they import from there.
Some of the trade relations with individual countries in the Mediterranean and Middle East region go back a long way. Trade relations between Morocco and Germany can be traced back to the beginning of the 16th century. At that time, trading families and merchants such as the Fuggers already had their own representations in the port city of Safi, where they loaded saffron and wheat. Towards the end of the 17th century, negotiations between the Empire of the Sherif and the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck led to a treaty on the security of the sea routes. From then on, ships from these cities enjoyed free passage along the Moroccan coast.
German-Turkish economic relations also have a long tradition. In 1761, Frederick the Great and Sultan Mustafa III signed a treaty of friendship, shipping, and trade. In 1856, Siemens built the first telegraph office in Istanbul. In addition, Deutsche Bank participated in the construction of the Baghdad Railway from Anatolia to the Middle East. Relations between Germany and Iran also go back to the 19th century. Even today, Hamburg is the city with the most Iranian inhabitants in Europe after London.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Chancellor
- Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research
- Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
- Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Serniors, Women and Youth
- Federal Ministry of Finance
- Federal Ministry of Health
- Bundesministerium of the Interior, for construction and home
- Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection
- Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
- Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
- Federal Ministry of Defense
- Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
- The Federal Government
- aireg – Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany e. V.
- BAGIV – Federal Working Group of Immigrant Associations in the Federal Republic of Germany
- BDE – Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials Management
- BDEW – Federal Association of Energy and Water Management eV
- BEE – German Renewable Energy Association
- BGL – Federal Association of Goods Transport, Logistics and Disposal eV
- BHB – trade association for DIY, building and gardening eV
- BIEK – Federal Association of Parcel & Express Logistics eV
- BITCOM – the digital association
- BME Association – Federal Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics eV
- BWO – Bundesverband Windparkbetreiber Offshore
- BPW – Business and Professional Women – Germany eV
- Federal Association of German Service Companies V.
- Federal Association for Sustainability eV
- bvek – Federal Association of Emissions Trading and Climate Protection eV
- BWE – Bundesverband WindEnergie eV
- BWVL – Federal Association of Economy, Transport and Logistics eV
- Club of Logistics eV
- German-Algerian Society
- German-Arab Society
- German-Iranian Society
- German-Israeli Association
- German-Jordanian Society eV
- German-Lebanese Friendship eV
- German-Moroccan Society eV
- German-Moroccan Competence Network eV
- German-Palestinian Society
- German-Palestinian Economic Council (DPW) eV
- German-Syrian Association
- German-Tunisian Society
- DGS – German Society for Solar Energy eV
- Digital Analytics Association eV
- DIWAN – German-Iranian Encounters eV
- DSLV – German Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association
- econsense – Forum for Sustainable Development of German Business V.
- EUROSOLAR – European Association for Renewable Energies eV
- FidAR – Women in the Supervisory Boards
- FVEE – Research Association for Renewable Energies
- Goethe Institute eV
- ILS – Association of Instore and Logistics Services eV
- Near and Middle East Association
- NORDMETALL Association of the Metal and Electrical Industry eV
- Public Private Partnership Association, Europe PPP Alliance
- Senate of the Economy – Germany ; – Austria
- Sequa gGmbH – partner of the German economy
- TERRE DES FEMMES – Human Rights for Women eV
- TOTAL E-QUALITY Germany eV
- UN Women National Committee Germany
- ver.di – United Service Union eV
- Association of German Women Entrepreneurs
- VIW – Association for intercultural welfare, empowerment and diversity eV
- Women In International Security – Germany eV
- WVW – Wirtschaftsverband Windkraftwerke eV
- Central Council of Muslims in Germany eV
In Germany
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- Allianz Environmental Foundation
- Aspen Institute Germany
- Bayer foundations
- Bavarian Research Foundation
- Bertelsmann Foundation
- Federal Association of German Foundations
- the German Society for Foreign Policy
- German Institute for Development Policy
- The BMW Foundation
- Dr. Friedrich Jungheinrich Foundation
- Ecologic Institute
- Forum Ecological-Social Market Economy e. V.
- Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
- Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
- Heinrich Böll Foundation
- IFO – Institute for Economic Research
- iöw – Institute for Ecological Economic Research
- Kiel Institute for the World Economy
- Konrad Adenauer Foundation eV
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
- Siemens Foundation
- Foundation Science and Politics
- Transparency International
- Volkswagen Foundation
- ZEIT Foundation Ebelin and Gerd Bucerius
In Hamburg
- Der Spiegel (German Newspaper)
- Deutsche Welle (German News Company)
- Financial Times Germany
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (German Newspaper)
- Frankfurter Rundschau (German Newspaper)
- Handelsblatt (German economic Newspaper)
- Mediterranes
- Süddeutsche Zeitung (German Newspaper)
- Welt (German Newspaper)
- Zeit (German Newspaper)
The best universities in Germany
- Rhine-Westphalian Technical University of Aachen
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- University of Bremen
- Technical University Dresden
- Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg
- University of Heidelberg
- University of Cologne
- Technical University of Munich
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
- Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Universities in Hamburg
- Bucerius Law School
- HafenCity University Hamburg
- Helmut Schmidt University
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- Hamburg University of Music and Theater
- Kühne Logistics University
- MSH Medical School Hamburg
- North German Academy for Finance and Tax Law
- Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg
- University of Hamburg
Oriental science institutes in Germany
- German Association of the Middle East for contemporary research and documentation (DAVO)
- German Oriental Society (DMG)
- Free University of Berlin, Institute for Islamic Studies
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Institute for the Near and Middle East
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies (ZIRS)
- Philips University Marburg, Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS)
- University of Bamberg, Institute for Oriental Studies
- University of Erlangen, Erlangen Center for Islam and Law in Europe (EZIRE)
- University of Hamburg, Africa-Asia Institute of the Middle East
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies
- Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce Day (Umbrella Organization for Chambers of Commerce in Baden-Württemberg)
- German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK)
- Chamber of Crafts Lübeck
- Chamber of Crafts Flensburg
- IHK Aachen
- IHK Arnsberg, Hellweg-Sauerland
- IHK Aschaffenburg
- IHK Bavaria
- IHK Bodensee-Oberschwaben
- IHK Bonn / Rhein-Sieg
- IHK Braunschweig
- IHK Bremen for Bremen and Bremerhaven
- IHK Chemnitz
- IHK Coburg
- IHK Darmstadt Rhein Main Neckar
- IHK in Dortmund
- IHK Dresden
- IHK Düsseldorf
- IHK Erfurt
- IHK for Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen
- IHK Frankfurt am Main
- IHK Fulda
- IHK Giessen-Friedberg
- IHK Hanau-Gelnhausen-Schlüchtern
- IHK Hannover
- IHK Heilbronn-Franken
- IHK Hochrhein-Bodensee
- IHK Karlsruhe
- IHK Koblenz
- IHK Cologne
- IHK Lahn-Dill
- IHK in Leipzig
- IHK Limburg
- IHK Lippe zu Detmold
- IHK Lüneburg-Wolfsburg
- IHK Magdeburg
- IHK Middle Lower Rhine
- IHK Central Ruhr Area
- IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria
- IHK Neubrandenburg
- IHK for Lower Bavaria
- IHK Lower Saxony
- IHK Northern Black Forest
- IHK North Westphalia
- IHK Bayreuth
- IHK Offenbach am Main
- IHK Oldenburg
- IHK Osnabrück-Emsland-Grafschaft Bentheim
- IHK East Thuringia in Gera
- IHK Ostwestfalen zu Bielefeld
- IHK Ostwuerttemberg
- IHK for the Palatinate
- IHK Potsdam
- IHK Regensburg for Upper Palatinate / Kelheim
- IHK Region Stuttgart
- IHK Reutlingen
- IHK Rheinhessen
- IHK Rhein-Neckar
- Rostock Chamber of Commerce
- IHK Saarland
- IHK Schleswig-Holstein: Flensburg, Kiel, Lübeck
- IHK Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg
- IHK to Schwerin
- IHK Siegen
- IHK Stade for the Elbe-Weser area
- IHK Südlicher Oberrhein
- IHK South Thuringia
- IHK Trier
- IHK Ulm
- IHK Wiesbaden
- IHK Wuppertal-Solingen-Remscheid
- IHK Würzburg-Schweinfurt Mainfranken
- Lower Rhine IHK Wesel-Kleve zu Duisburg
- South Westphalian IHK in Hagen
- Turkish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce eV