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German States I: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and BrandenburgThe current German Federal Republic comprises sixteen smaller states, known as, Länder (singular Land) in German. Of these German states, three are considered Stadtstaaten, or city states, because they encompass only one or two cities each, and the rest are called Flächenländer, or area states, because they encompass large sections of the country. These states were created after the Second World War based on the boundaries that had previously divided the German nation states before the Unification in 1871. Today, each state elects representatives to the federal government and is responsible for self-government. These states are each unique in terms of history, traditions, and geography. Baden-Württemberg is a German state that occupies 13,804 square miles (35,752 sq. km.) in southwestern Germany, which makes it the third largest of the German states in terms of area. Its major cities include Stuttgart, the state capital, Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Tübingen. The population of Baden-Württemberg stands at 10.7 million inhabitants, which also makes it the third largest German state in terms of population. This state was formed by the merger of three prior German states, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, South Baden, and Württemberg-Baden, all three of which unified in April of 1952. Baden-Württemberg has a very prosperous economy, and is home to some of the most prominent companies in Europe, such as Porsche, Carl Zeiss AG, and Daimler AG. Baden-Württemberg also draws many tourists each year, with popular destinations including Stuttgart, Heidelberg, the Black Forest, and Lake Constance. Bavaria, another of the German states, occupies 27,239 square miles (70,549 sq. km.) directly to the east of Baden-Württemberg, and is the largest German state by area. Bavaria has a population of around 12.5 million people, of which 6.4 million are Bavarian, 4.1 million are Franconian and 1.8 million are Swabian. The inhabitants of Bavaria are the descendants of Celts, Romans, Marcomanni, Allemanni, Thurigians, Goths, Rugians, and Heruli who coalesced into one group following the withdrawal of the Roman Empire from the area in the fifth century of the Common Era. Following World War II, Bavaria was reconstructed into a modern industrial production center. The most prominent cities in Bavaria are Munich, the state capitol, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg, Fürth and Erlangen. Brandenburg is one of the northern German states, occupying 11,382 square miles (29,479 sq. km.) in the northeastern part of Germany. As a former East German territory, Brandenburg was recreated as a German state after East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. Brandenburg surrounds the national capital of Berlin, which exists on its own as an independent city-state. Major cities in Brandenburg include Potsdam, the state capital, Brandenburg an der Havel, and Frankfurt (Oder). Many adjustments had to be made to the economy of Brandenburg in the late 1990s in order to combat the economic difficulties brought about by reunification. Although it was proposed that the stat of Brandenburg unite with the state of Berlin, Brandenburg residents and East Berliners voted against it. |