In each of those cities, the executive branch consists of a Senate of approximately eight, selected by the state's parliament; the senators carry out duties equivalent to those of the ministers in the larger states. In fact, until 1933 there were only four changes in the configuration of the German states: The 7 Thuringian states were merged in 1920, whereby Coburg opted for Bavaria, Pyrmont joined Prussia in 1922, and Waldeck did so in 1929. Fun Facts About Germany, Are you curious about what people in Germany earn? There are of course many more great places in the different states of Germany and I cannot list them all. [12] More than 8 million Germans had been expelled from these territories that had formed part of the German-speaking lands for centuries and which mostly did not have sizable Polish minorities before 1945. However, the unincorporated areas are continually being incorporated into neighboring municipalities, wholly or partially, most frequently in Bavaria. If no agreement is reached, the revision shall be effected by a federal law, which shall provide for an advisory referendum." Major landforms here include the volcanic in origin Harz Mountains and the thickly wooded Rothaargebirge Mountains. In the following I would like to briefly introduce you to a few provincial capitals. Discover the 16 federal states of Germany with me, and find your personal highlight for your next vacation. 25 Highest Income Earning Countries In The World, The 10 Least Densely Populated Places in the World. Setting the popular vote will also set the color of a state The Landschaftsverbände now have very little power. State. Henceforth, the 10 "old states" plus 5 "new states" plus the new state Berlin add up to current 16 states of Germany. [a] Since the German nation state was formed from an earlier collection of several states (only some of which still exist), it has a federal constitution, and the constituent states retain a measure of sovereignty. Later, the constitution was amended to state that the citizens of the 16 states had successfully achieved the unity of Germany in free self-determination and that the Basic Law thus applied to the entire German people. It is also the most populous city of EU. Germany is also the 2nd most populous country in Europe and the most populous member-state of EU. The city-states of Berlin and Hamburg are subdivided into boroughs. Discover more than 40 destinations in Germany, Book Hotels, Trains, Search Flights. However, it was in many ways de facto integrated with West Germany under a special status. State. The former district of East Berlin joined West Berlin to form the new state of Berlin. Until the unification of Germany in 1990, Germany was composed of 11 states, which were founded in the former zones of Western occupation and which gave democratic constitutions between 1946 and 1957. The proposal should not take effect if within any of the affected territories a majority rejected the change. The state is the third largest state in Germany with an area of 13,804 square miles and is also the third most populous state with a population of 10.8 million residents. As the premiers did not come to an agreement on this question, the Parliamentary Council was supposed to address this issue. They are intended to implement simplification of administration at that level. In 1952, these states were abolished and the East was divided into 14 administrative districts called Bezirke. Municipalities (Gemeinden): Every rural district and every Amt is subdivided into municipalities, while every urban district is a municipality in its own right. In 2010 only three Kommunalverbände besonderer Art exist. All sixteen states are represented at the federal level in the Bundesrat (Federal Council), where their voting power depends on the size of their population. If at least one tenth of those entitled to vote in Bundestag elections were in favour of a revision, the federal government had to include the proposal into its legislation. Germany consists of 16 federal states, which you can see listed below. Only four unincorporated areas are populated, with a total population of about 2,000.