Berlin is subdivided into 12 boroughs (Bezirke in German), which are administrative units with political rights comparable to incorporated communities in the rest of Germany (although they are not separate legal entities from the city).

Effective January 1, 2001, the Berlin borough reform reduced the number of Berlin's boroughs from 23 to 12 in order to cut down administrative costs. This was achieved by combining several of the old boroughs.

See also this list of all current boroughs and their component parts.

In detail, the old and the new boroughs relate as follows:

(all data as of 10/2005) For further information see: Berlin * [1]