Federation Maps and Fact Sheets for Germany
- Federalism in Germany dates back to 1867
- Current Federal Constitution adopted in 1949
- Federal Government of Germany
| Label | Data |
|---|---|
| Official name | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Population | 82,365,000 (2006) |
| Capital | Berlin |
Constituent units
- 16 states (Länder): Baden-Württemberg; Bavaria; Brandenburg; Hesse; Lower Saxony; Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; North Rhine-Westphalia; Rhineland-Palatinate; Saarland; Saxony; Saxony-Anhalt; Schleswig-Holstein; Thuringia and the city-states of Berlin; Bremen; Hamburg.
Constitutional distribution of powers
- The Basic Law (Constitution), in particular:
- The Federation and the States (Art. 23, 24, 28- 34, 37)
- Federal Legislative Powers (Art. 70-75 and 79)
- Execution of Statutes and Federal Administration (Art. 83 and 91)
- Joint Tasks (Art. 91a and 91b)
Legislative institutions
- Federal: Bicameral parliament composed of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) and the Parliamentary Assembly (Bundestag). The Federal Council (Bundesrat) represents the 16 states; it is composed of delegates from the state legislatures, the number of delegates varying according to the size of the population of each state.
- States: Most of the states have unicameral legislatures
Official language
- German