Feb 12 (Reuters) - Hammered by a global slump, German exports fell sharply in December after a record decline the previous month, setting the seal on a quarter which economists say was probably a record contraction in Europe's biggest economy.
Following are five facts about Germany's export sector:
* Germany has been the world's biggest exporter of goods since 2003, though economists expect China to surpass it soon.
* At 184 billion euros ($238 billion), cars and car parts accounted for the biggest chunk of German exports in 2007, the last full-year for which data is available. Machines came next followed by chemical products, and then metals and semi-finished metal goods.
* France is the biggest market for German exports, accounting for around 10 percent of the total in 2007.
* A marked slowdown in exports dragged German economic growth to a three-year low of 1.3 percent in 2008.
* The BGA trade association expects German export sales will decline by between 4 and 6 percent this year. (Compiled by Paul Carrel)