States of the German Empire (1871) (Central Victory)

The consisted originally of 27, and later (as of 1876) 26 constituent states, the largest of which was Prussia. These states, or Staaten (or Bundesstaaten, i.e. s a naming deriving from the previous ; they became known as Länder after the ). Each government of the federal states had votes in the Bundesrat, which gave them representation at a national level.

Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the. Others were created as sovereign states after the in 1815. Territories were not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria, or Oldenburg—many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.