One place belongs to several political frameworks.
Someone living in a municipality also lives in a federal state and in the Federal Republic of Germany. Different institutions may therefore be responsible for different issues.
This division does not mean each level handles everything alone. Lawmaking, funding and implementation can interact. Identifying the responsible body therefore requires knowing the particular task.
The other three answers
The other answers confuse today’s structure with earlier arrangements or use the wrong term.
four occupation zones.
The four occupation zones belong to the history after the Second World War. They are not the Federal Republic’s present political structure.
an eastern state and a western state.
The former division into two German states does not describe today’s unified Germany.
16 cantons.
Germany has 16 federal states. They are not called cantons; this answer also omits the distinction between political levels.
Three administrative levels do not mean three sovereign state tiers.
Constitutionally, municipalities form part of the states. They are not a third independent state tier alongside federation and states, but have guaranteed self-government in local matters.
City-states combine state and municipal responsibilities in particular ways. The three-part description is an orientation, not a complete administrative chart for every location.
Articles 20, 28 and 30 · Basic Law ↗Germany as a whole—federal state—local community.
These correspond to federation, states and municipalities.
Three words for this question
- der Bundfederation
- Germany’s federal level.
- das Bundeslandfederal state
- A constituent state of the Federal Republic.
- die Kommunemunicipality or local authority
- The local political and administrative level.