About Germany
Wednesday, April 08, 2026 06:34PM
Constituent states
Main articles: States of Germany, Federalism in Germany, and List of current heads of government of the German federal states
Germany is a federation comprising sixteen constituent states referred to as Länder,[137] thirteen of which are so-called "area-states" (Flächenländer). Two states, Berlin and Hamburg, are city-states (Stadtstaaten), in which there is no separation between state government and local administration. The state of Bremen, though officially also called a Stadtstaat, consists of the cities of Bremen, for which the state government also serves as the municipal administration, and the exclave of Bremerhaven.[138]
Each state (Land) has its own constitution[139] and is largely autonomous in its organisation.[137] As of 2017, Germany is divided into 401 districts (Kreise) at a municipal level; these consist of 294 rural districts and 107 urban districts.[140]
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