24. How many federal states (Länder) does the Federal Republic of Germany have?

Answer options

1. 14
2. 15
3. 16
4. 17

Explanation

Under Article 20(1) of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG), Germany is a federal state composed of 16 Länder: 13 territorial states and the three city-states Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen. This number stems from the 3 October 1990 accession of the GDR under former Article 23 GG, which re-established five eastern Länder and unified Berlin; before that, (West) Germany had ten Länder since 1957. Any alteration of the number or boundaries of Länder is constrained by Article 29 GG and typically requires popular participation, while the Länder retain their own state powers and co-govern federally through the Bundesrat (Arts. 50, 51 GG).