Lower Saxony

 Bremen

 Hamburg

 Mecklenburg-
Vorpommern

 Saxony-
Anhalt

 Saxony

 Brandenburg

Berlin

 Thuringia

 Hesse

 North Rhine-
Westphalia

 Rhineland-
Palatinate

 Bavaria

 Baden-
Württemberg

 Saarland

 Schleswig-
Holstein

Germany is made up of sixteen Länder (singular Land, colloquially [but rarely in a legal context] called Bundesland, for "federated state") which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries. Often referred to in English by German speakers as "states", the term "Land" (with an uppercase 'L') is used in the official English version of the Basic Law^[1] and in UK parliamentary proceedings.^[2] However, it is sometimes translated as "federal states" in other publications.^[3]

Although the term Land applies to all states, some are also described as "states" in German. Each of the states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia officially describes itself as a "state" (Staat) and more specifically as a "free state" (Freistaat).

Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are frequently called Stadtstaaten (city-states). The remaining 13 states are called Flächenländer (literally: area states).

States[link]

Map of German states and cities in German.

After 1945, new states were constituted in all four zones of occupation. In 1949, the states in the three western zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany. This is in contrast to the post-war development in Austria, where the Bund (federation) was constituted first, and then the individual states were created as units of a federal state.

The use of the term Länder dates back to the Weimar constitution of 1919. Before this time, the constituent states of the German Empire were called Staaten. Today, it is very common to use the term Bundesland. However, this term is not used officially, neither by the constitution of 1919 nor by the Basic Law of 1949. Three Länder are called Freistaat (free state, republic), i.e., Bavaria (since 1919), Saxony (since 1990), and Thuringia (since 1994). There is little continuity between the current states and their predecessors of the Weimar Republic with the exception of the three free states, and the two city-states of Hamburg and Bremen.

A new delimitation of the federal territory keeps being debated in Germany though "there are significant differences among the American states and regional governments in other federations without serious calls for territorial changes".^[4] However, "the argument the proponents of boundary reform in Germany make is that the German system of dual federalism requires strong Länder that have the administrative and fiscal capacity to implement legislation and pay for it from own source revenues. [...] But in spite of these and other arguments for boundary reforms, action has not been taken ....^[5]

Coat of arms	State	Joined the FRG	Head of government	Image	Gov't coalition	Bundes- rat votes	Area (km²)	Population (thous.)	Pop. per km²	Capital	German abbrev.
	Baden-Württemberg	1949[6]	Winfried Kretschmann (Green Party)		Green Party of Germany, SPD	6	35,752	10,755	301	Stuttgart	BW
	Bavaria (Bayern)	1949	Horst Seehofer (CSU)		CSU, FDP	6	70,552	12,542	178	Munich (München)	BY
	Berlin	1990[7]	Klaus Wowereit (SPD)		SPD, CDU	4	892	3,469	3,890	–	BE
	Brandenburg	1990	Matthias Platzeck (SPD)		SPD, The Left	4	29,479	2,500	85	Potsdam	BB
	Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen)	1949	Jens Böhrnsen (SPD)		SPD, Green Party of Germany	3	419	661	1,577	–	HB
	Hamburg	1949	Olaf Scholz (SPD)		SPD	3	755	1,788	2,368	–	HH
	Hesse (Hessen)	1949	Volker Bouffier (CDU)		CDU, FDP	5	21,115	6,066	287	Wiesbaden	HE
	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	1990	Erwin Sellering (SPD)		SPD, CDU	3	23,180	1,639	71	Schwerin	MV
	Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)	1949	David McAllister (CDU)		CDU, FDP	6	47,609	7,914	166	Hanover (Hannover)	NI
	North Rhine- Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)	1949	Hannelore Kraft (SPD)		SPD, Green Party of Germany (minority government)	6	34,085	17,837	523	Düsseldorf	NW
	Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)	1949	Kurt Beck (SPD)		SPD, Green Party of Germany	4	19,853	3,999	202	Mainz	RP
	Saarland	1957	Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU)		CDU, SPD	3	2,569	1,018	400	Saarbrücken	SL
	Saxony (Sachsen)	1990	Stanislaw Tillich (CDU)		CDU, FDP	4	18,416	4,143	227	Dresden	SN
	Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)	1990	Reiner Haseloff (CDU)		CDU, SPD	4	20,446	2,331	116	Magdeburg	ST
	Schleswig-Holstein	1949	Peter Harry Carstensen (CDU)		CDU, FDP	4	15,799	2,833	179	Kiel	SH
	Thuringia (Thüringen)	1990	Christine Lieberknecht (CDU)		CDU, SPD	4	16,172	2,231	138	Erfurt	TH

History[link]

Federalism has a long tradition in German history. The Holy Roman Empire comprised numerous petty states. The number of territories was greatly reduced during the Napoleonic Wars. After the Congress of Vienna, 39 states formed the German Confederation. The Confederation was dissolved after the Austro-Prussian War and replaced by a North German Federation under Prussian hegemony; this war left Prussia dominant in Germany, and German nationalism would compel the remaining independent states to ally with Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, and then to accede to the crowning of King Wilhelm of Prussia as German Emperor. The new German Empire included 25 states (three of them, Hanseatic cities) and the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The empire was dominated by Prussia, which controlled 65% of the territory and 62% of the population. After the territorial losses of the Treaty of Versailles, the remaining states continued as republics. These states were gradually de facto abolished under the Nazi regime via the Gleichschaltung process, as the states administratively were largely superseded by the Nazi Gau system.

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

During the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II, borders were redrawn by the Allied military governments. No single state comprised more than 30% of either population or territory; this was done to prevent any one state from being as dominant within Germany as Prussia had been in the past. Initially, only seven of the pre-War states remained: Baden (in part), Bavaria (reduced in size), Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse (enlarged), Saxony, and Thuringia. The “hyphenated” Länder, such as Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt, owed their existence to the occupation powers and were created out of Prussian provinces and smaller states.

Upon founding in 1949, West Germany had eleven states. These were reduced to nine in 1952 when three south-western states (South Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Württemberg-Baden) merged to form Baden-Württemberg. From 1957, when the French-occupied Saarland was returned ("little reunification"), the Federal Republic consisted of ten states, which are called the Old States today. West Berlin was under the sovereignty of the Western Allies and neither a Western German state nor part of one. However, it was in many ways integrated with West Germany under a special status.

East Germany (GDR) originally consisted of five states (i.e., Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia). In 1952, the Länder were abolished and the GDR was divided into 14 administrative districts instead. Soviet-controlled East Berlin, despite officially having the same status as West Berlin, was declared the GDR's capital and its 15th district.

Just prior to the German reunification on 3 October 1990, East German Länder were simply reconstituted in roughly their earlier configuration as five new states. The former district of East Berlin joined West Berlin to form the new state of Berlin. Henceforth, the 10 "old states" plus 5 "new states" plus the new state Berlin add up to 16 states of Germany.

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

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. Article 23, which had allowed “any other parts of Germany” to join, was rephrased. It had been used in 1957 to reintegrate the Saar as Saarland into the Federal Republic, and this was used as a model for German reunification in 1990. The amended article now defines the participation of the Federal Council and the 16 German states in matters concerning the European Union.

The Länder can conclude treaties with foreign countries in matters within their own sphere of competence and with the consent of the Federal Government (Article 32 of the Basic Law).

The description free state (Freistaat) is merely a historic synonym for republic—a description used by most German states after the abolishment of monarchy. Today, Freistaat is associated emotionally with a more independent status, especially in Bavaria. However, it has no legal meaning. All sixteen states are represented at the federal level in the Bundesrat (Federal Council), where their voting power merely depends on the size of their population.

West Germany 1945-1990[link]

Article 29 of the Basic Law states that the "division of the federal territory into Länder may be revised to ensure that each Land be of a size and capacity to perform its functions effectively". The somewhat complicated provisions regulate that "[r]evisions of the existing division into Länder shall be effected by a federal law, which must be confirmed by referendum".

A new delimitation of the federal territory has been discussed since the Federal Republic was founded in 1949 and even before. Committees and expert commissions advocated a reduction of the number of the Länder; scientists (Rutz, Miegel, Ottnad etc.) and politicians (Döring, Apel and others) made sometimes very far-reaching proposals for redrawing boundaries but hardly anything came of these public discussions. Territorial reform is sometimes propagated by the richer Länder as a means to avoid or limit fiscal transfers.

To date the only successful reform was the merger of the states of Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern to the new state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952.

Delimitations

Article 29 reflects a debate on territorial reform in Germany that is much older than the Basic Law. The Holy Roman Empire was a loose confederation of large and petty principalities under the nominal suzerainty of the emperor. Approximately 300 states existed at the eve of the French Revolution in 1789.

Territorial boundaries were essentially redrawn as a result of military conflicts and interventions from the outside: from the Napoleonic Wars to the Congress of Vienna, the number of territories decreased from about 300 to 39; in 1866 Prussia annexed the sovereign states of Hanover, Nassau, Hesse-Kassel and the Free City of Frankfurt; the last consolidation came about under Allied occupation after 1945.

The debate on a new delimitation of the German territory started in 1919 as part of discussions about the new constitution. Hugo Preuss, the father of the Weimar constitution, drafted a plan to divide the German Reich into 14 roughly equal-sized Länder. His proposal was turned down due to opposition of the states and concerns of the government. Article 18 of the constitution enabled a new delimitation of the German territory but set high hurdles: Three fifth of the votes handed in, and at least the majority of the population are necessary to decide on the alteration of territory. In fact, until 1933 there were only four changes of the German map: The 7 Thuringian states united in 1920, whereby Coburg opted for Bavaria, Pyrmont joined Prussia in 1922, and Waldeck did so in 1929. Any later plans to break up the dominating Prussia into smaller states failed because political circumstances were not favorable to state reforms.

After the National Socialists seized power in January 1933, the Länder increasingly lost importance. They became administrative regions of a centralised country. Three changes are to be noted: on January 1, 1934, Mecklenburg-Schwerin was united with the neighbouring Mecklenburg-Strelitz; and, by the Greater Hamburg Act (Groß-Hamburg-Gesetz), from April 1, 1937, the area of the city-state was extended, while Lübeck lost its independence and became part of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein.

West Germany (blue) and East Germany (red) and West Berlin (yellow)

Between 1946 and 1947, new Länder were established in all four zones of occupation: Bremen, Hesse, Württemberg-Baden, and Bavaria in the American zone; Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia in the British zone; Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and the Saarland—which later received a special status—in the French zone; Mecklenburg(-Vorpommern), Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia in the Soviet zone.

In 1948, the military governors of the three Western Allies handed over the so-called Frankfurt Documents to the minister-presidents in the Western occupation zones. Among other things they recommended to revise the boundaries of the West German Länder in a way that none should be too big or too small in comparison to the others.

As the premiers did not come to an agreement on this question, the Parliamentary Council was supposed to address this issue. Its provisions are reflected in Article 29. There was a binding provision for a new delimitation of the federal territory: the Federal Territory must be revised ... (paragraph 1). Moreover, in territories or parts of territories whose affiliation with a Land had changed after 8 May 1945 without referendum, people were allowed to petition for a revision of the current status within a year after the promulgation of the Basic Law (paragraph 2). 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. Then a referendum was required in each territory or part of territory whose affiliation was to be changed (paragraph 3). The proposal should not take effect if within any of the affected territories a majority rejected the change. In this case, the bill had to be introduced again and after passing had to be confirmed by referendum in the Federal Republic as a whole (paragraph 4). The reorganization should be completed within three years after the Basic Law had come into force (paragraph 6).

In their letter to Konrad Adenauer the three western military governors approved the Basic Law but suspended Article 29 until a peace treaty was agreed upon. Only the special arrangement for the southwest under Article 118 could enter into force.

Foundation of Baden-Württemberg

In southwestern Germany, territorial revision seemed to be a top priority since the border between the French and American occupation zones was set along the Autobahn Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm (today the A8). Article 118 said, "The division of the territory comprising Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern into Länder may be revised, without regard to the provisions of Article 29, by agreement between the Länder concerned. If no agreement is reached, the revision shall be effected by a federal law, which shall provide for an advisory referendum.." Since no agreement was reached, a referendum was held on 9 December 1951 in four different voting districts, three of which approved the merger (South Baden refused but was overruled as the result of total votes was decisive). On 25 April 1952, the three former Länder merged into Baden-Württemberg.

Petitions

With the Paris Agreements West Germany regained (limited) sovereignty. This triggered the start of the one year period as set in paragraph 2 of Article 29. As a consequence, eight petitions for a referendum were launched, six of which were successful:

• Reconstitution of the Land Oldenburg 12.9%
• Reconstitution of the Land Schaumburg-Lippe 15.3%
• Reintegration of Koblenz and Trier into North Rhine-Westphalia 14.2%
• Reintegration of Rheinhessen into Hesse 25.3%
• Reintegration of Montabaur into Hesse 20.2%
• Reconstitution of the Land Baden 15.1%

The last petition had originally been rejected by the Federal Minister of the Interior in reference to the referendum of 1951. However, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that the rejection was unlawful: the population of Baden had the right to a new referendum because the one of 1951 had taken place under different rules from the ones provided for by article 29. In particular, the outcome of the 1951 referendum did not reflect the wishes of the majority of Baden's population.

The two Palatine petitions (for a reintegration into Bavaria and integration into Baden-Württemberg) failed with 7.6% and 9.3%. Further requests for petitions (Lübeck, Geesthacht, Lindau, Achberg, 62 Hessian communities) had already been rejected as inadmissible by the Federal Minister of the Interior or were withdrawn as in the case of Lindau. The rejection was confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court in the case of Lübeck.

Constitutional amendments

If a petition was successful paragraph 6 of Article 29 stated that a referendum should be held within three years. Since the deadline passed on 5 May 1958 without anything happening the Hesse state government filed a constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in October 1958. The complaint was dismissed in July 1961 on the grounds that Article 29 had made the new delimitation of the federal territory an exclusive federal matter. At the same time, the Court reaffirmed the requirement for a territorial revision as a binding order to the relevant constitutional bodies.

The grand coalition decided to settle the 1956 petitions by setting binding deadlines for the required referendums. The referendums in Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate were due till 31 March 1975, the one in Baden was due till 30 June 1970. The quorum for a successful vote was set to one-quarter of those entitled to vote in Bundestag elections. Paragraph 4 stated that the vote should be disregarded if it contradicted the objectives of paragraph 1.

In his investiture address, given on 28 October 1969 in Bonn, Chancellor Willy Brandt proposed that the government would consider Article 29 of the Basic Law as a binding order. For that purpose, an expert commission was established, named after its chairman, the former Secretary of State Professor Werner Ernst. After two years of work, the experts delivered their report in 1973. It provided an alternative proposal for both northern Germany and central and southwestern Germany. In the north, either a single new state consisting of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen and Lower Saxony should be created (solution A) or two new states, one in the northeast consisting of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and the northern part of Lower Saxony (from Cuxhaven to Lüchow-Dannenberg) and one in the northwest consisting of Bremen and the rest of Lower Saxony (solution B). In the Center and South West either Rhineland-Palatinate (with the exception of the Germersheim district but including the Rhine-Neckar region) should be merged with Hesse and the Saarland (solution C), the district of Germersheim would then become part of Baden-Württemberg.

The Palatinate (including the region of Worms) coould also be merged with the Saarland and Baden-Württemberg, and the rest of Rhineland-Palatinate would then merge with Hesse (solution D). Both alternatives could be combined (AC, BC, AD, BD).

At the same time the commission developed criteria for classifying the terms of Article 29 paragraph 1. The capacity to perform functions effectively was considered most important, whereas regional, historical, and cultural ties were considered as hardly verifiable. To fulfill administrative duties adequately, a population of at least five million per Land was considered as necessary.

After a relatively brief discussion and mostly negative responses from the affected Länder, the proposals were shelved. Public interest was limited or nonexistent.

The referendum in Baden was held on 7 June 1970: With 81.9% the vast majority of voters decided for Baden to remain part of Baden-Württemberg, only 18.1% were opting for a reconstitution of the old Land Baden. The referendums in Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate, were held on 19 January 1975:

• Reconstitution of the Land Oldenburg 31%
• Reconstitution of the Land Schaumburg-Lippe 39.5%
• Reintegration of Koblenz and Trier into North Rhine-Westphalia 13%
• Reintegration of Rheinhessen into Hesse 7.1%
• Reintegration of Montabaur into Hesse 14.3%

Hence, the two referendums in Lower Saxony were successful. As a consequence legislature was forced to act and decided that both Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe remain with Lower Saxony. Justification was that a reconstitution of Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe would contradict the objectives of paragraph 1. An appeal against the decision was rejected as inadmissible by the Federal Constitutional Court.

On 24 August 1976 the binding provision for a new delimitation of the federal territory was altered into a mere discretionary one. Paragraph 1 was rephrased, now putting the capacity to perform functions in the first place. The option for a referendum in the Federal Republic as a whole (paragraph 4) was abolished. Hence a territorial revision was no longer possible against the will of the affected population.

Reunited Germany 1990-present[link]

The debate about a territorial revision started again shortly before the German reunification. While scientists (Rutz and others) and politicians (Gobrecht) suggested introducing only two, three or four Länder in the GDR, legislation reintroduced the five Länder that existed until 1952, however, with slightly changed boundaries.

Article 118a was introduced into the Basic Law and provided the possibility for Berlin and Brandenburg to merge without regard to the provisions of Article 29, by agreement between the two Länder with the participation of their inhabitants who are entitled to vote.

Article 29 was again modified and provided an option for the Länder to revise the division of their existing territory or parts of their territory by agreement without regard to the provisions of paragraphs (2) through (7).

The state treaty between Berlin and Brandenburg was approved in both parliaments with the necessary two-thirds majority, but in the popular referendum of 5 May 1996 about 63 % voted against the fusion.

Politics[link]

Germany

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

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Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). By calling the document Grundgesetz, rather than Verfassung (constitution), the authors expressed the intention that it would be replaced by a proper constitution once Germany was reunited as one state.

Amendments to the Grundgesetz generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity. Despite the original intention, the Grundgesetz remained in effect after the German reunification in 1990, with only minor amendments.

Government[link]

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). Most of the states are governed by a cabinet led by a Ministerpräsident (Minister-President), together with a unicameral legislative body known as the Landtag (State Diet). The states are parliamentary republics and the relationship between their 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. The Minister-President appoints a cabinet to run the state's agencies and to carry out the executive duties of the state's government.

The governments in Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg are designated by the term Senate. 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 states the term Land Government (Landesregierung) is used. Before January 1, 2000, Bavaria had a bicameral parliament, with a popularly elected Landtag, and a Senate made up of representatives of the state's major social and economic groups. The Senate was abolished following a referendum in 1998. The states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg are governed slightly differently from the other states. 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. 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 states are referred to as Landtag (State Parliament).

Subdivisions[link]

The city-states of Berlin and Hamburg are subdivided into boroughs. The state of Bremen consists of two urban districts, Bremen and Bremerhaven, which are not contiguous. In the other states there are the following subdivisions:

[edit] Area associations (Landschaftsverbände)

The most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia is uniquely divided into two area associations (Landschaftsverbände), one for the Rhineland, and one for Westphalia-Lippe. This arrangement was meant to ease the friction caused by uniting the two culturally different regions into a single state after World War II. The Landschaftsverbände now have very little power.

The constitution of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at §75 states the right of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern to form Landschaftsverbände, although these two constituent parts of the Land are not represented in the current administrative division.

[edit] Governmental districts (Regierungsbezirke)

The large states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony are divided into governmental districts, or Regierungsbezirke.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, these districts were abolished on January 1, 2000, in Saxony-Anhalt on January 1, 2004 and in Lower Saxony on January 1, 2005.

[edit] Administrative districts (Kreise)

Map of German districts. Yellow districts are urban, white are rural.

The Districts of Germany (Kreise) are administrative districts, and every state except the city-states of Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen consists of rural districts (Landkreise), District-free Towns/Cities (Kreisfreie Städte, in Baden-Württemberg also called urban districts, or Stadtkreise), cities that are districts in their own right, or local associations of a special kind (Kommunalverbände besonderer Art), see below. The state of Bremen consists of two urban districts, while Berlin and Hamburg are states and urban districts at the same time.

There are 313 Landkreise and 116 Kreisfreie Städte, making 429 districts altogether. Each consists of an elected council and an executive, which is chosen either by the council or by the people, depending on the state, the duties of which are comparable to those of a county executive in the United States, supervising local government administration. The Landkreise have primary administrative functions in specific areas, such as highways, hospitals, and public utilities.

Local associations of a special kind are an amalgamation of one or more Landkreise with one or more Kreisfreie Städte to form a replacement of the aforementioned administrative entities at the district level. They are intended to implement simplification of administration at that level. Typically, a district-free city or town and its urban hinterland are grouped into such an association, or Kommunalverband besonderer Art. Such an organization requires the issuing of special laws by the governing state, since they are not covered by the normal administrative structure of the respective states.

In 2010 only three Kommunalverbände besonderer Art exist.

• District of Hanover. Formed in 2001 out of the previous rural district of Hanover and the district-free city of Hanover.
• Regionalverband Saarbrücken (district association Saarbrücken). Formed in 2008 out of the predecessor organization Stadtverband Saarbrücken (city association Saarbrücken), which was already formed in 1974.
• City region of Aachen. Formed in 2009 out of the previous rural district of Aachen and the district-free city of Aachen.

[edit] Offices (Ämter)

Ämter ("offices" or "bureaus"): In some states there is an administrative unit between the districts and the municipalities, called Ämter (singular Amt), Amtsgemeinden, Gemeindeverwaltungsverbände, Landgemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden, Verwaltungsgemeinschaften or Kirchspiellandgemeinden.

[edit] Municipalities (Gemeinden)

Municipalities (Gemeinden): Every rural district and every Amt is subdivided into municipalities, while every urban district is a municipality in its own right. There are (as of 6 March 2009 (2009 -03-06)^[update]) 12,141 municipalities, which are the smallest administrative units in Germany. Cities and towns are municipalities as well, also having city rights or town rights (Stadtrechte). Nowadays, this is mostly just the right to be called a city or town. However, in former times there were many other privileges, including the right to impose local taxes or to allow industry only within city limits.

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

The municipalities have two major policy responsibilities. First, they administer programs authorized by the federal or state government. Such programs typically relate to youth, schools, public health, and social assistance. Second, Article 28(2) of the Basic Law guarantees the municipalities "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 trading estates.

Local authorities foster cultural activities by supporting local artists, building arts centres, and by holding 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. As of January 1, 2005, there were 246 such areas, with a total area of 4167.66 km² or 1.2 percent of the total area of Germany. Only four unincorporated areas are populated, with a total population of about 2,000. The following table gives an overview.

In 2000, the number of unincorporated areas was 295, with a total area of 4890.33 km². However, the unincorporated areas are continually being incorporated into neighboring municipalities, wholly or partially, most frequently in Bavaria.

See also[link]

	Germany portal
	European Union portal

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

References[link]

External links[link]

• CityMayors feature on Germany subdivisions

v t e States of the Federal Republic of Germany States  Baden-Württemberg (since 1952)  Bavaria (since 1949)  Brandenburg (since 1990)  Hesse (since 1949)  Lower Saxony (since 1949)  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (since 1990)  North Rhine-Westphalia (since 1949)  Rhineland-Palatinate (since 1949)  Saarland (since 1957)  Saxony (since 1990)  Saxony-Anhalt (since 1990)  Schleswig-Holstein (since 1949)  Thuringia (since 1990) City-states  Berlin (since 1990)  Bremen (since 1949)  Hamburg (since 1949) Former states  Baden (south) (1949–1952)  Württemberg-Baden (1949–1952)  Württemberg-Hohenzollern (1949–1952)

v t e Subdivisions of Allied-administered Germany (1945–1949/1956/1990) American zone Bavaria Bremen Hesse Greater Hesse Württemberg-Baden British zone Lower Saxony Hanover Hamburg North Rhine-Westphalia Schleswig-Holstein French zone Baden Rhineland-Palatinate Saar, 1945–1947 Württemberg-Hohenzollern Soviet zone 22x20px Brandenburg Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Thuringia Berlin (1949–90) West Berlin (UK, FR, USA) East Berlin (USSR) Saar Protectorate (1947–56) Saarland (FR)

German Fernandez

German Fernandez, after winning the 2009 US Junior Cross Country Championships
Personal information
Born	(1990-11-02) 2 November 1990 (age 21)
Sport
Country	United States
Event(s)	Cross Country, Middle Distance Track and Field
Team	Oklahoma State Cowboys (2008-present)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1500 m: 3:39.00 Mile: 3:55.02 3000 m: 7:47.97 5000 m: 13:25.46

German Fernandez (born November 2, 1990) is an American collegiate runner from Riverbank, California, known for his performance in high school cross country and track and field. He is most well known for running the CA Cross Country State Meet course record (14:24), as well as running a new American high-school record, 8:34 for two miles, at the 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals championship. He also holds the World Junior Indoor Mile record at 3:55.02.

He currently attends Oklahoma State University.

High school[link]

Fernandez was coached by Bruce Edwards of Riverbank High School, which competes in Division IV of the Sac-Joaquin Section. Fernandez first drew some attention as a high school freshman in track, when he raced 1600m in 4:22.95.^[1] During his 2005 CIF State championship victory, he clocked the second fastest sophomore time of all divisions, 15:14, on the heralded Woodward Park course. He went through a number of injuries throughout his junior year, giving him a relatively slow season.^[2] Fernandez set a number of course records in California. He won the prestigious Stanford Invitational (5k) with a time of 14:42, gapping the second place runner by 40 seconds.^[3] He won the Sac-Joaquin Section finals race with a time of 15:03, setting the course record and leading his team to win the section title.^[4] This culminated with his performance at the 2007 California CIF state meet where he ran the 5k race in 14:24, breaking the historic course record set by Olympian Marc Davis by 14 seconds.^[5] The performance is seen as one of the most outstanding in the history of high school distance running.^[6]

In 2007, Fernandez took first place at the Foot Locker West Regional, finishing in a time of 14:53.^[7] Fernandez capped his high school cross country career by placing third at the 2007 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, 19 seconds behind winner Mike Fout of LaPorte, IN.

On February 16, 2008 Fernandez won the USATF Cross Country Junior Nationals at Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California in 24:18. This earned him a berth to the USA squad for the IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships.^[8][9]

In the 2008 CIF California State Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, Fernandez ran a 4:00.29 for 1600 meters to break Ryan Hall's state meet record of 4:02.62, and 3 hours later, ran the 3200m in 8:34.23. Fernandez's 8:34.23 (~=8:37.43 for 2 miles) converts slightly slower to the American high school 2-mile (3.2 km) record of 8:36.3. However, his 4:00.29/8:34.23 double for 1600/3200 meters is the fastest distance double in American high school history, beating Rich Kimball's 4:06.6/8:46.5 mile/two-mile double set at the 1974 California state high school championship meet.

Three weeks later, on June 20, 2008, Fernandez surpassed Jeff Nelson's 29-year-old national high school record for the 2-mile (3.2 km) race at Nike Outdoor Nationals, winning with a time of 8:34.40.Fernandez opened his first mile in 4:19.4, and finished with a second mile of 4:15. He also broke Galen Rupp's high school 3000 meter record with a 3000 meter split of 7:59.82.^[10]

College[link]

The top distance recruit in the nation, Fernandez elected to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma to run for Coach Dave Smith. During the Razorback Invitational, Fernandez broke a World Junior Record by running 3:56.5 mile indoors. At the Big 12 Championships, he ran 3:55.02 to further his record and beat the converted collegiate indoor record in the mile.

In outdoor track, he broke Galen Rupp's American Junior Record at 5000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, but Chris Derrick finished ahead of German to take the American Junior Record. However, at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships he placed 5th in the 5000m, beating Derrick's American Junior Record in a time of 13:25.46.

He was the 2009 NCAA Division I champion in the outdoor 1500 meters, winning in 3:39.^[11]

Personal bests[link]

* This is the Junior (under age 20) Indoor World Record and ties the U.S. Collegiate Indoor Record

** Stood as the American High School record until 2011

*** This is the Junior (under age 20) U.S.A. national record

References[link]

External links[link]

• Flotrack Race Videos/Interviews with German Fernandez

Peter Obi (born 19 July 1961) was governor of Anambra State in Nigeria^[1] from 17 March 2006 to 2 November 2006, when he was impeached and from 9 February 2007 to 29 May 2007 after his impeachment was overturned. Although a fresh election was held on 29 April 2007, he was reappointed governor on 14 June 2007 after a court ruling that he should be allowed to complete a four-year term.^[2] He won a 6 February 2010 election for a second term as governor.^[3]

Background[link]

Peter Obi was born on 19 July 1961 at Onitsha. He attended Christ the King College, Onitsha where he completed his secondary school education. He was admitted to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1980, graduating with a B.A (Hons) in philosophy in 1984.

Going into business, he became Chairman of Next International Nigeria Ltd, then Chairman and Director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd, Guardian Express Bank Plc, Future View Securities Ltd, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd. He was the youngest Chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC. Peter Obi married Margaret Brownson Usen in 1992 after which they had their first child Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi, two years later they had their first son Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi.^[4]

Governorship[link]

First term[link]

Peter Obi stood in the Anambra State governorship election as candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party in 2003, but his rival, Chris Ngige of the People's Democratic Party, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

After nearly three years of litigation, Ngige's victory was overturned by the Court of Appeal on 15 March 2006. Obi took office for on 17 March 2006. On 2 November 2006, he was impeached by the state house of assembly after seven months in office and replaced the next day by Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, making her the first ever female Governor in Nigeria's history. Obi successfully challenged his impeachment and was re-instated as the governor on 9 February 2007 by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu. Etiaba handed power back to him after the court ruling.^[5]

He once again left office on 29 May 2007 following the general elections, which Andy Uba won. Obi returned to the courts once more, this time contending that the four-year tenure he had won in the 2003 elections only started to run when he took office in March 2006. On 14 June 2007 the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld Obi's contention and returned Obi to office. This brought to an abrupt end the tenure of Obi's successor, Andy Uba whose April 14, 2007 election the Supreme Court nullified on the grounds that Obi's four-year tenure should have remained undisturbed till March 2010.^[6]

Second term[link]

On 7 February 2010, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Peter Obi the winner of the 6 February 2010 gubernatorial elections. This election victory gives Governor Obi an additional four years as the governor of Anambra State.^[3]

References[link]

v t e Nigerian state governors 2003-2007 term Abia Orji Uzor Kalu (PDP) Adamawa Boni Haruna (PDP) Akwa Ibom Victor Attah (PDP) Anambra Chris Ngige (PDP) (nullified) Peter Obi (APGA) Bauchi Adamu Mu'azu (PDP) Bayelsa Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (PDP) (impeached) Goodluck Jonathan (PDP) Benue George Akume (PDP) Borno Ali Modu Sheriff (ANPP) Cross River Donald Duke (PDP) Delta James Ibori (PDP) Ebonyi Sam Egwu (PDP) Edo Lucky Igbinedion (PDP) Ekiti Ayo Fayose (PDP) (impeached) Tunji Olurin (Administrator) Enugu Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP) Gombe Mohammed Danjuma Goje (PDP) Imo Achike Udenwa (PDP) Jigawa Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (APP) Kaduna Ahmed Makarfi (PDP) Kano Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) Katsina Umaru Yar'Adua (PDP) Kebbi Adamu Aliero (APP) Kogi Ibrahim Idris (PDP) Kwara Bukola Saraki (PDP) Lagos Bola Tinubu (AC) Nasarawa Abdullahi Adamu (PDP) Niger Abdulkadir Kure (PDP) Ogun Gbenga Daniel (PDP) Ondo Olusegun Agagu (PDP) Osun Olagunsoye Oyinlola (PDP) Oyo Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja (PDP) (impeached) Christopher Alao-Akala (PDP) Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja (PDP) (reinstated) Plateau Joshua Dariye (PDP) (suspended) Chris Alli (administrator) Joshua Dariye (PDP) (reinstated) Rivers Peter Odili (PDP) Sokoto Attahiru Bafarawa (APP) Taraba Jolly Nyame (PDP) Yobe Bukar Ibrahim (APP) Zamfara Ahmad Sani Yerima (ANPP) See also Nigerian state governors 1999-2003 term and Nigerian state governors 2007-2011 term

v t e Nigerian state governors 2007–2011 term Abia Theodore Orji Adamawa Murtala Nyako Akwa Ibom Godswill Akpabio Anambra Peter Obi Bauchi Isa Yuguda Bayelsa Timipre Sylva Benue Gabriel Suswam Borno Ali Modu Sheriff Cross River Liyel Imoke Delta Emmanuel Uduaghan Ebonyi Martin Elechi Edo Oserheimen Osunbor (annulled) Adams Aliyu Oshiomle Ekiti Olusegun Oni (annulled) Kayode Fayemi Enugu Sullivan Chime Gombe Mohammed Danjuma Goje Imo Ikedi Ohakim Jigawa Sule Lamido Kaduna Namadi Sambo (appointed VP) Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Kano Ibrahim Shekarau Katsina Ibrahim Shema Kebbi Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari Kogi Ibrahim Idris Kwara Bukola Saraki Lagos Babatunde Fashola Nasarawa Aliyu Doma Niger Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu Ogun Gbenga Daniel Ondo Olusegun Agagu (annulled) Olusegun Mimiko Osun Olagunsoye Oyinlola (annulled) Rauf Aregbesola Oyo Christopher Alao-Akala Plateau Jonah David Jang Rivers Rotimi Amaechi Sokoto Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko Taraba Danbaba Suntai Yobe Mamman Bello Ali (died) Ibrahim Geidam Zamfara Mahmud Shinkafi See also Nigerian state governors 2003-2007 term, Nigerian state governors 2011–2015 term

v t e Nigerian state governors 2011–2015 term Abia Theodore Orji Adamawa Murtala Nyako Akwa Ibom Godswill Akpabio Anambra Peter Obi Bauchi Isa Yuguda Bayelsa Timipre Sylva (sacked) Nestor Binabo (Acting) Henry Dickson Benue Gabriel Suswam Borno Kashim Shettima Cross River Liyel Imoke Delta Emmanuel Uduaghan Ebonyi Martin Elechi Edo Adams Oshiomhole Ekiti Kayode Fayemi Enugu Sullivan Chime Gombe Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo Imo Rochas Okorocha Jigawa Sule Lamido Kaduna Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Kano Rabiu Kwankwaso Katsina Ibrahim Shema Kebbi Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari (annulled and elected again) Aminu Musa Habib Jega (Acting) Kogi Ibrahim Idris Kwara Abdulfatah Ahmed Lagos Babatunde Fashola Nasarawa Umaru Tanko Al-Makura Niger Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu Ogun Ibikunle Amosun Ondo Olusegun Mimiko Osun Rauf Aregbesola Oyo Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi Plateau Jonah Jang Rivers Chibuike Amaechi Sokoto Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko Taraba Danbaba Suntai Yobe Ibrahim Geidam Zamfara Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari See also Nigerian state governors 2007-2011 term

Alex Jones
Jones at Ottawa Bilderberg, 2006
Born	Alexander Emerick Jones (1974-02-11) February 11, 1974 (age 38) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Residence	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Alexander Jones Emerick Jones
Occupation	Film producer Radio host
Known for	Advocacy of national sovereignty; New World Order theories; anti-world government; and various conspiracy theories.
Political party	Republican (2000)[1]
Religion	Christianity
Spouse	Kelly Rebecca Nichols aka Violet Jones
Website
InfoWars.com, PrisonPlanet.TV

Alexander Emerick "Alex" Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American talk radio host, actor and filmmaker. His syndicated news/talk show The Alex Jones Show, based in Austin, Texas, airs via the Genesis Communication Network over 60 AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations across the United States and on the Internet.^[2] His websites include Infowars.com and PrisonPlanet.com.^[3]

Mainstream sources have described Jones as a conservative^[4][5][6][7] and as a right-wing conspiracy theorist.^{[8][9][10][11]} Jones sees himself as a libertarian, and rejects being described as a right-winger.^[12] He has also called himself a paleoconservative^[13] and an "aggressive constitutionalist".^[14][15] Alex Jones has been the center of many controversies. Jones has accused the US government of being involved in the Oklahoma City bombing^[16] and September 11 attacks.^[17]

Biography[link]

Jones was born on February 11, 1974 in Dallas, Texas,^[18] and grew up in the suburb of Rockwall. His father is a dentist.^[19] He attended Anderson High School in northwest Austin, Texas. Jones was a linemen on his high school's football team.^[19] After graduating high school he briefly attended Austin Community College.

He began his career in Austin with a live, call-in format Public-access television cable TV program. In 1996, Jones switched format to KJFK, hosting a show named The Final Edition.^[20] In 1998, he released his first film, America Destroyed By Design.

In 1998, Jones organized a successful effort to build a new Branch Davidian church as a memorial to those who died during the 1993 fire that ended the government's siege of the original Branch Davidian complex near Waco, Texas.^[21] He often featured the project on his Public-access television program and claimed that Koresh and his followers were peaceful people who were murdered by Attorney General Janet Reno and the ATF during the siege.^[20]

In 1999, he tied with Shannon Burke for that year's "Best Austin Talk Radio Host" poll as voted by The Austin Chronicle readers.^[22] Later that year, he was fired from KJFK-FM. According to the station's operations manager, Jones was fired because his viewpoints made the show hard to sell to advertisers and he refused to broaden his topics.^[20] Jones argued: "It was purely political, and it came down from on high," and, "I was told 11 weeks ago to lay off Clinton, to lay off all these politicians, to not talk about rebuilding the church, to stop bashing the Marines, A to Z."^[20]

In early 2000, Jones was one of seven Republican candidates for state representative in Texas House District 48, an open seat swing district based in Austin, Texas. Jones stated that he was running, "to be a watchdog on the inside."^[1] He aborted his campaign and withdrew before the March primary when polls indicated he had little chance of winning.

Legal issues[link]

In July 2000, a group of Austin Community Access Center (ACAC) programmers claimed that Jones used legal proceedings and ACAC policy to intimidate them or get their shows thrown off the air.^[23] Also in 2000, Jones and assistant Mike Hanson infiltrated Bohemian Grove and filmed the opening weekend ceremony, known as the Cremation of Care, claiming it to be mock child sacrifice in front of a 40-foot-tall (12 m) stone owl of Moloch.

On June 8, 2006, while on his way to cover a meeting of the Bilderberg group in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Jones was stopped and detained at the Ottawa airport by Canadian authorities who confiscated his passport, camera equipment, and most of his belongings. He was later allowed to enter Canada lawfully. Jones said regarding the reason for his immigration hold, "I want to say, on the record, it takes two to tango. I could have handled it better."^[24]

On September 8, 2007, he was arrested while protesting at 6th Avenue and 48th Street in New York City. He was charged with operating a bullhorn without a permit. Two others were also cited for disorderly conduct when his group crashed a live television show featuring Geraldo Rivera. In an article, one of Jones's fellow protesters said "It was ... guerilla information warfare."^[25]

Media[link]

The Alex Jones Show syndicated radio program is broadcast nationally by Genesis Communications Network to more than 60 AM and FM radio stations in the United States, and to WWCR Radio shortwave. Live-broadcast times are weekdays 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST and Sundays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. CST. The Sunday broadcast is also broadcast by Emmis Communications' KLBJ Radio.

Alex Jones is also the operator of several web sites centered on news and information about civil liberties issues, global government, and a wide variety of current events topics. Several of these sites are www.infowars.com, www.prisonplanet.tv, www.prisonplanet.com, and www.jonesreport.com.

Works[link]

Jones has directed and produced a number of videos detailing his theories of a "New World Order" and his concerns that U.S. national sovereignty and constitutional rights have both been eroded as a result. They also address his views concerning the misuse of government power, corporate deception and collusion between disparate power structures.

Films[link]

Alex Jones and fans at the Première of A Scanner Darkly