Germany (Deutschland) is a Federal Republic made up of sixteen states, known in German as Länder (singular Land). Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. A LAND attack is a DoS (Denial of Service attack that consists of sending a special poison spoofed packet to a computer causing it to lock up Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesländer (federal states; singular Bundesland) is commonly used colloquially as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law. The modern German legal system is a system of Law which is grounded on the principles laid out by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, though many of

The peoples of the states are the nation of Germany which has the right of abode within the states. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered The right of abode refers to an individual's freedom from immigration control in a particular Country. The area covered by the 16 states is completely and solely the territory of Germany. The governments of the states are part of the authority of Germany.

The cities of Berlin and Hamburg are states in their own right, termed Stadtstaaten (city states), while Bremen consists of two urban districts. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) This is a list of urban districts in Germany. Germany is divided into 429 districts (not to be confused with the larger Regierungsbezirk) these consist The remaining 13 states are termed Flächenländer (area states).

Lower Saxony

Bremen

Hamburg

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony

Brandenburg

Berlin

Thuringia

Hesse

North Rhine-Westphalia

Rhineland-Palatinate

Bavaria

Baden-Württemberg

Saarland

Schleswig-Holstein

States

After the end of the Second World War, the Länder in the western part of the former German Reich were constituted as administrative areas first and subsequently federated into the Bund or Federal Republic of Germany. Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Deutsches Reich was the name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language. This is in contrast to post-war development in Austria, where the Bund was constituted first, and then the individual states were created as units of a federal system. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich In Austria, the states are also referred to as Länder in the Austrian constitution. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Austria is a federal republic made up of nine States, known in German as Länder (singular Land) The Constitution of Austria ( Österreichische Bundesverfassung) is the body of all constitutional law of the Republic of Austria on the federal level.

The use of the term Länder (countries) instead of Staaten (states) is in accordance with German political tradition, where the concept of Germany as an entity has always existed, either as a confederation or an alliance of several smaller independent kingdoms and duchies dating from the 9th century. A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. Many of the current Länder have the same names and generally occupy the same areas as their namesakes, the former sovereign countries (for example Bavaria and Saxony which have alongside with Bremen nearly the same territory as in 1871). The singular term Staat however is in use for the Länder severally and their institutions in many cases.

Overview

Coat of arms	Land (state)	Joined the federation	Head of government	Government- coalition	Votes in Bundesrat	Area (km²)	Inhabitants (Thousands)	Inhabitants per km²	Capital	German abbreviation
	Baden-Württemberg	1949[1]	Günther Oettinger (CDU)	CDU/FDP	6	35,752	10,739	300	Stuttgart	BW
	Bavaria	1949	Günther Beckstein (CSU)	CSU	6	70,552	12,488	177	Munich	BY
	Berlin	1990[2]	Klaus Wowereit (SPD)	SPD/The Left	4	892	3,395	3,807	–	BE
	Brandenburg	1990	Matthias Platzeck (SPD)	SPD/CDU	4	29,479	2,559	87	Potsdam	BB
	Bremen	1949	Jens Böhrnsen (SPD)	SPD/The Greens	3	404	663	1,641	–	HB
	Hamburg	1949	Ole von Beust (CDU)	CDU/The Greens	3	755	1,774	2,309	–	HH
	Hesse	1949	Roland Koch (CDU)	CDU	5	21,115	6,075	289	Wiesbaden	HE
	Mecklenburg- Vorpommern	1990	Harald Ringstorff (SPD)	SPD/CDU	3	23,180	1,707	74	Schwerin	MV
	Lower Saxony	1949	Christian Wulff (CDU)	CDU/FDP	6	47,624	7,997	168	Hannover	NI
	North Rhine- Westphalia	1949	Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU)	CDU/FDP	6	34,085	18,029	530	Düsseldorf	NW
	Rhineland-Palatinate	1949	Kurt Beck (SPD)	SPD	4	19,853	4,053	204	Mainz	RP
	Saarland	1957	Peter Müller (CDU)	CDU	3	2,569	1,050	409	Saarbrücken	SL
	Saxony	1990	Georg Milbradt (CDU)	CDU/SPD	4	18,416	4,250	232	Dresden	SN
	Saxony-Anhalt	1990	Wolfgang Böhmer (CDU)	CDU/SPD	4	20,446	2,470	121	Magdeburg	ST
	Schleswig-Holstein	1949	Peter Harry Carstensen (CDU)	CDU/SPD	4	15,799	2,833	179	Kiel	SH
	Thuringia	1990	Dieter Althaus (CDU)	CDU	4	16,172	2,335	144	Erfurt	TH

History

Map of current states of Germany that are completely or mostly situated inside the old borders of Imperial Germany’s Kingdom of Prussia (in dark green)

During the initial occupation of Germany after World War II, the territory in each Occupation Zone was re-organized into new Länder to prevent any one Land from ever dominating Germany (as Prussia had done). The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Günther Hermann Oettinger (born October 15 1953 in Stuttgart) is a German politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. The Free Democratic Party ( Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP is a liberal Political party in Germany. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Günther Beckstein ( (born November 23 1943 in Hersbruck, Germany) is a Bavarian CSU Politician and since October 9 2007 Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Klaus Wowereit (born October 1, 1953 in West Berlin) is a German Politician, member of the SPD (Social Democratic Party and The Left (Die Linke is a German political party that came into being on 16 June 2007 as a merger of The Left Party/PDS the former Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician Also see Potsdam New York (in the USA For the Potsdam Conference see Potsdam Conference. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Jens Böhrnsen (born June 12 1949 in Bremen) is a German politician of the SPD. The Alliance '90/The Greens ( Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) the German Green party, is a Political party in Germany whose regional Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Carl-Friedrich Arp Ole Freiherr von Beust, generally called Ole von Beust, born April 13 1955, in Hamburg, Germany, has been Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area Roland Koch (born March 24 1958 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German Politician and acting Minister-President of Wiesbaden, a city in southwest Germany, is the capital of the state of Hesse. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Dr Harald Ringstorff (born September 25 1939 in Wittenburg) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party ( SPD) and Minister-president Schwerin (ʃveˈʁiːn is a City in northern Germany and the capital of the state Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second See also Christian Wolff. Christian Wulff (born June 19 1959 in Osnabrück) is a German politician Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Jürgen Rüttgers (born June 26, 1951 in Cologne) is a German Politician ( CDU) and Minister-President of Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Kurt Beck (born February 5, 1949) is a German Politician ( SPD) serving as the Minister President of the German federal Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Peter Aloysius Müller (born September 25, 1955 in Illingen, Germany) is a German politician belonging to the Christian Democratic Saarbrücken (ˈzaːɐ̯ˈbrʏkn in German; Sarrebruck is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Georg Milbradt (born 23 February 1945 in Eslohe) is a German politician ( CDU) Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. Magdeburg ( Low Saxon: Meideborg ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx the Capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is Peter Harry Carstensen (born 12 March 1947 in Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog / Nordstrand, on the North Sea coast of the German state For the city in the United States, see Kiel Wisconsin. For the name see Kiel (name. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Dieter Althaus (born in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Thuringia, 1958 is a German politician ( CDU) Erfurt (ˈɛɐ̯fʊɐ̯t is a City in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202619 (2006 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising Initially, only 7 of the pre-War Länder remained: Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Baden, Saarland, Saxony, and Thuringia. The rest were amalgamations of Prussian provinces and smaller Länder. For example, the Prussian Province of Saxony and the Land of Anhalt were merged to create Saxony-Anhalt.

Upon founding in 1949, West Germany had eleven states, which were reduced to nine in 1952 as three south-western states (Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Württemberg-Baden) merged to form Baden-Württemberg. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( South Baden (Südbaden formed in December 1945 from the southern half of the former Republic of Baden, was a subdivision of the French occupation zone of post- Württemberg-Hohenzollern is a historical state of West Germany. Württemberg-Baden is a former state of Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since 1957, when the French-occupied Saarland was returned (the "small reunification"), the Federal Republic consisted of ten states. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. West Berlin was in many ways integrated with West Germany, but due to its special status de jure under the sovereignty of the Western Allies, did not officially constitute a Land or part of one.

In East Germany, originally five Länder (Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony) existed, until 1952, when the GDR divided them into 14 administrative districts (Bezirke). The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Following the redrawing of Germany 's national boundaries after 1945 there were five states or Länder in the Soviet occupation zone: Soviet-controlled East Berlin, despite officially having the same status as West Berlin, was declared capital of the GDR, as a (15th) district.

Just prior to the German reunification on 3 October 1990, 14 of the East German districts (not including East Berlin) reconstituted themselves, mainly along the old borders, into the five New Länder. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The (five New Länder ((Fünf Neue Bundesländer is a term describing five reestablished states ( Länder) in the former German Democratic Republic (East The former district of East Berlin joined West Berlin to form the new Land of Berlin. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Thus the 10 old states plus 5 new states plus Berlin add up to 16.

Later, the Grundgesetz was changed to state that the citizens of the 16 states had successfully achieved unity in freedom, and that the basic law now covers all German people. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. Article 23, which had allowed "other parts of Germany" to join, was abolished as its continued inclusion might have been regarded as an invitation for other German-speaking states and areas to join (e. g. Austria, South Tyrol, Liechtenstein, the Swiss cantons, Alsace, Luxembourg, and Eastern Belgium).

Unlike other federations, the German states retain the right to act on their own behalf at an international level. They retain the status of subjects of international law, independently from their status as members of a federation. This unique status is enshrined in Articles 23, 24, and 32 of the Basic Law.

the 16 Bundesländer (states) of Germany

The 16 Länder, by reference to the numbers on the map above, are:

1. Baden-Württemberg
2. Free State of Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern)
3. Berlin
4. Brandenburg
5. Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen)
6. Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg)
7. Hesse (Hessen)
8. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
9. Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
10. North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
11. Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
12. Saarland
13. Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen)
14. Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
15. Schleswig-Holstein
16. Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen)

The description free state (Freistaat) is merely used for historical reasons, when free state was added to the titles of states that were not monarchies. Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states Legally a Freistaat is no different from the other states. The usual official name is Land of [. . . ]. Each Land is represented at the federal level in the Bundesrat ("Federal Council"). The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of

Structure of government

The Länder of the Weimar Republic, with the Free State of Prussia (Freistaat Preußen) as the largest

Germany

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Germany

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The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, the federal constitution, stipulates that the structure of each Federal State's government must "conform to the principles of republican, democratic, and social government, based on the rule of law" (Article 28[1]). The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Politics of Germany takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Federal Chancellor The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. Based on the experience with the atrocities of the Nazi regime, human rights in Germany are protected extensively by the constitution The Federal Assembly (aka Federal Convention Bundesversammlung is a special body in the institutional system of Germany, convened solely for the purpose of electing The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of The Bundestag ("Federal Diet " or "Lower House of German Parliament" is the Parliament of Germany. The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht BVerfG) is a special Court established by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic The “ Federal Court of Justice of Germany ” ( German: “ Bundesgerichtshof ” or “ BGH ” is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction The President of Germany (deutscher Bundespräsident is Germany 's Head of state. Horst Köhler ( born 22 February 1943) is a German politician ( CDU) and economist who serves as the current President of Germany. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. The Cabinet of Germany ( German: Bundeskabinett or Bundesregierung) is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis'' The following information deals with elections in Germany, including elections to the Federal Diet (the lower house of the federal parliament the Landtags This is a list of political parties in Germany. Germany has a Multi-party system with two large parties three substantial smaller parties and a number of minor The Federal Republic of Germany is a Central European country and member of the European Union, Group of 8 and NATO (among others The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity

Most of the Länder are governed by a cabinet led by a Ministerpräsident (Minister-President), together with a unicameral legislative body known as the Landtag (State Diet). A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. A minister-president (Ministerpräsident is the Head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments who presides over the council of ministers Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation A Landtag ( Diet) is a representative assembly or Parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority In Politics, a diet is a formal Deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from The relationship between the legislative and executive branches mirrors that of the federal system: the legislatures are popularly elected for four or five years (depending on the state), and the Minister-President is then chosen by a majority vote among the Landtag's members. Majoritarianism is a traditional Political philosophy or agenda which asserts that a Majority (sometimes categorized by Religion, Language, or The Minister-President appoints a cabinet to run the Land's agencies and to carry out the executive duties of the Land's government. The governments in Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg are designated by the term Senate. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany A senate is a Deliberative body, often the Upper house or chamber of a Legislature or Parliament. In the three free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia the government is referred to as the State Government (Staatsregierung), and in the other ten Länder the term Land Government (Landesregierung) is used. Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany.

The Provinces of the Kingdom of Prussia (green) within the German Empire (1871-1918)

\Before January 1, 2000, Bavaria had a bicameral parliament, with a popularly elected Landtag, and an Senate made up of representatives of the state's major social and economic groups. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Landtag of Bavaria is the Unicameral legislature of the state of Bavaria in Germany. A senate is a Deliberative body, often the Upper house or chamber of a Legislature or Parliament. The Senate was abolished following a referendum in 1998. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita

The Länder of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg are governed slightly differently from the other states. In each of these cities, the executive branch consists of a Senate of approximately eight selected by the Land's parliament; the senators carry out duties equivalent to those of the ministers in the larger Länder. The equivalent of the Minister-President is the Senatspräsident (President of the Senate) in Bremen, the Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor) in Hamburg, and the Regierender Bürgermeister (Governing Mayor) in Berlin. The parliament for Berlin is called the Abgeordnetenhaus (House of Representatives), while Bremen and Hamburg both have a Bürgerschaft. The parliaments in the remaining 13 Länder are referred to as Landtag (State Parliament).

Politics

Politics at the state level often carries implications for federal politics. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Opposition victories in elections for State Parliaments, which take place throughout the federal government's four-year term, can weaken the federal government, because state governments have assigned seats in the "Bundesrat" (the upper chamber of the federal parliament), which must also approve many laws after passage by the "Bundestag" (the lower chamber of the federal parliament). The Bundesrat ("federal council" or "upper house of German parliament" is the representation of the 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) of The Bundestag ("Federal Diet " or "Lower House of German Parliament" is the Parliament of Germany. State elections are viewed as a barometer of support for the policies of the federal government. If the parties of the governing coalition lose support in successive Land elections, those results may foreshadow political difficulties for the federal government. In the early 1990s, the opposition SPD commanded a two-thirds majority in the Bundesrat, making it particularly difficult for the governing CDU/CSU-FDP coalition to achieve the constitutional changes it sought; by 2003 the situation was the reverse, with an SPD-led government being severely hindered by a large CDU majority in the Bundesrat. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. The Free Democratic Party ( Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP is a liberal Political party in Germany. This led to Konrad Adenauer and Gerhard Schröder losing the federal chancellorship in 1963 and 2005 respectively because their governments became unable to decisively act, thus losing popular support, all because of the efforts of the various state leaders in the Bundesrat in blocking legislation. Konrad Hermann Josef Adenauer ( 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967 was a German Statesman. ˌɡeɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪʦ kʊɐ̯t ˈʃʁøːdɐ (born 7 April 1944 German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler

The powers of the state governments and legislatures in their own territories have been much diminished in recent decades due to ever-increasing federal legislation. A commission has been formed to examine the possibility of instituting a clearer separation of federal and state powers. The states, in particular, are responsible for cultural development, law enforcement and the educational system in its entirety (both primary and secondary schools, and the universities as well).

Further subdivisions

The city-states of Berlin and Hamburg are subdivided into boroughs. A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice The state of Bremen consists of two urban districts, Bremen and Bremerhaven, which are not contiguous. This is a list of urban districts in Germany. Germany is divided into 429 districts (not to be confused with the larger Regierungsbezirk) these consist Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Bremerhaven (bʁeːmɐˈhaːfən is the seaport of the free city and federal state of Bremen, Germany. In the other Länder there are the following subdivisions:

Landschaftsverbände

Landschaftsverbände ("area associations"): The most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia is uniquely divided into two Landschaftsverbände, one for the Rhineland, one for Westphalia-Lippe. The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. Westphalia (Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster This article is about the district Lippe. For the like-named river see Lippe River. This was meant to ease the friction caused by uniting the two culturally quite different regions into a single Land after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Landschaftsverbände retain very little power today.

Regierungsbezirke

Regierungsbezirke ("governmental districts"): The large states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony are divided into administrative regions, or Regierungsbezirke. A Regierungsbezirk is a type of government region of Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states ( ''Bundesländer'') In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Regierungsbezirke were dissolved on January 1, 2000, in Saxony-Anhalt on January 1, 2004 and in Lower Saxony on January 1, 2005. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Kreise

Kreise (administrative districts): Every state (except the city states Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen) consists of rural districts, Landkreise, and urban districts, Stadtkreise (also: Kreisfreie Städte), cities which are districts in their own right. German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis'' Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer) Germany is divided into 413 administrative districts; these consist of 301 rural districts ( Landkreise) listed fully here and 112 urban districts ( This is a list of urban districts in Germany. Germany is divided into 429 districts (not to be confused with the larger Regierungsbezirk) these consist The state of Bremen consists of two urban districts, while Berlin and Hamburg are states and urban districts at the same time. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is the smallest of Germany's 16 Federal States ( Bundesländer)

There are 313 Landkreise and 116 Kreisfreie Städte, making 439 districts all together. Each consists of an elected council and an executive, who is chosen by either the council or the people, depending on the Bundesland, and whose duties are comparable to those of a county executive in the United States, supervising local government administration. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Landkreise have primary administrative functions in specific areas, such as highways, hospitals, and public utilities.

Ämter

Ämter ("offices"): In some states there is an administrative unit between districts and municipalities. " Amt " is a type of Administrative division of some Northern European countries These units are called Ämter (singular Amt), Amtsgemeinden, Landgemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden, Verwaltungsgemeinschaften or Kirchspiellandgemeinden.

Gemeinden

Gemeinden ("municipalities"): Every rural district and every Amt is subdivided into municipalities, while every urban district is a municipality in its own right. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or There are (as of 30 September 2007) 12,291 municipalities, which are the smallest administrative units in Germany. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Cities are municipalities as well, which have city rights (Stadtrecht). 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during Nowadays, this is mostly just the right to be called a city. However, in older times it included many privileges, such as the right to impose its own taxes or to allow industry only within city limits.

Gemeinden are ruled by elected councils and an executive, the mayor, who is chosen by either the council or the people, depending on the Bundesland. The "constitution" for the Gemeinden is created by the Länder and is uniform throughout a Bundesland (except for Bremen, which allows Bremerhaven to have its own constitution).

Gemeinden have two major policy responsibilities. First, they administer programs authorized by the federal or Land government. Such programs typically might relate to youth, schools, public health, and social assistance. Second, Article 28(2) of the Basic Law guarantees Gemeinden "the right to regulate on their own responsibility all the affairs of the local community within the limits set by law. " Under this broad statement of competence, local governments can justify a wide range of activities. For instance, many municipalities develop and expand the economic infrastructure of their communities through the development of industrial parks.

Local authorities foster cultural activities by supporting local artists, building arts' centres, and by having fairs. Local government also provides public utilities, such as gas and electricity, as well as public transportation. The majority of the funding for municipalities is provided by higher levels of government rather than from taxes raised and collected directly by themselves.

In five of the German states, there are unincorporated areas, in many cases unpopulated forest and mountain areas, but also four Bavarian lakes, that are not part of any municipality. In Law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any Municipality. As of January 1, 2005, there were 246 such areas, most of them in Bavaria, with a total area of 4167. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 66 km², or 1. 2 percent of the total area of Germany. The following table gives an overview.

The table shows that in 2000 the number of unincorporated areas was still 295, with a total area of 4890. 33 km². Unincorporated areas are continually being incorporated into neighboring municipalities, wholly or partially, most frequently in Bavaria.

Only four unincorporated areas are populated, with an aggregate population of about 2000.

It is common for statistics to divide Germany into West Germany and East Germany (the former GDR area). The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state

See also

• Elections in Germany
• List of cities in Germany
• List of subnational entities
• For a list of German states prior to 1815 see List of states in the Holy Roman Empire
• New Länder
• State Police Landespolizei
• Composition of the German Regional Parliaments

External links

• CityMayors feature on Germany subdivisions

References