General Information General information about a country (Germany) provides potential investors with a starting point to begin learning about a foreign nation. If this information catches the interest of a potential investor, he/she may choose to conduct additional research. Look at the CIA Factbook to start your research.

For Germany provide the following general information and explain how it enhances a business environment:

• Brief overview of any current political and social challenges; (if none - state that)
• Geographic location/region of the world;
• Natural hazards and environmental issues;
• National population and growth rate;
• Capital city and major cities including populations;
• Provide a map of your country outlining major cities and physical characteristics;
• Major ethnic groups/religions/languages spoken;
• General assessment of communications systems (internet, telephone, etc);
• Assessment of railways, roadways and waterways; total number of airports; (Infrastructure)
• Research population statistics, currency, and GDP per capita (converted to Canadian Dollars);
• Time difference versus Canadian Eastern Standard Time;
• Brief description of climate;
• Typical occupations of labour force;
• Examples of imports and exports exchanged with Canada;

Political and Economic Information A country's economic and political structure tells potential investors much about a country. Is the government corrupt? How strong is the economy? Potential investors must carefully study these questions and their answers before choosing to invest in a foreign country. For your country, provide the following political information:

• Type of government and current national governing party and leader;
• Major political pressure groups;
• Level of political corruption or transparency (look at the Corruption Perceptions Index);

For your country, provide the following economic information for the most recent period.

• Type of economic system (e.g. market, mixed, command);
• GDP real growth rate/GDP per capita;
• Major import and export partners;
• Major natural resources;
• Domestic currency and current exchange rate vs. CAD; (as exchange rates vary - put exchange rate as of (date))
• National and/or regional minimum wage in local currency and CAD;
• Major international trade organization members and agreements.

Please provide references for each answer!