States of Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) has 16 states (German: Bundesländer singular: Bundesland). The biggest is Bavaria and the smallest is Bremen. Most of them were created after the Second World War. Some states have historical roots from the early Middle Ages.
State creation since 1949:
- 1952: Three small states (Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern, part of Germany since 1949) joined to form Baden-Württemberg.
- 1957: The Saar, which was put under French administration after World War II, joined the Federal Republic of Germany as the Saarland.
- 1990: On German reunification, the reunited city of Berlin and the territory of the former German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic as six new states.
Population and area in km² as of November 2014:
| Flag and Bundesland | German name | Capital | Population | Area (km²) | Part of FRG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Baden-Württemberg |
Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | 10,880,000 | 35,751 | 1952 |
 Bavaria |
Bayern | Munich (München) | 12,844,000 | 70,550 | 1949 |
 Berlin |
Berlin | Berlin | 3,520,000 | 892 | 1990 |
 Brandenburg |
Brandenburg | Potsdam | 2,485,000 | 29,654 | 1990 |
 Bremen |
Bremen | Bremen | 671,000 | 420 | 1949 |
 Hamburg |
Hamburg | Hamburg | 1,787,000 | 755 | 1949 |
 Hesse |
Hessen | Wiesbaden | 6,176,000 | 21,115 | 1949 |
 Lower Saxony |
Niedersachsen | Hanover (Hannover) | 7,927,000 | 47,593 | 1949 |
 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania |
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin | 1,612,000 | 23,212 | 1990 |
 North Rhine-Westphalia |
Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) | Düsseldorf | 17,865,000 | 34,113 | 1949 |
 Rhineland-Palatinate |
Rheinland-Pfalz | Mainz | 4,053,000 | 19,854 | 1949 |
 Saarland |
Saarland | Saarbrücken | 996,000 | 2,567 | 1957 |
 Saxony |
Sachsen | Dresden | 4,085,000 | 18,449 | 1990 |
 Saxony-Anhalt |
Sachsen-Anhalt | Magdeburg | 2,245,000 | 20,452 | 1990 |
 Schleswig-Holstein |
Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | 2,859,000 | 15,802 | 1949 |
 Thuringia |
Thüringen | Erfurt | 2,171,000 | 16,202 | 1990 |
