Germany is a federal republic consisting of 16 federal states. Each state has its own government, culture, traditions, and distinctive features that contribute to Germany’s diversity. Below is an overview of each state, including its capital city, population, area, and interesting facts that many people don’t know.
- Baden-Württemberg
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- Capital: Stuttgart
- Area: approximately 35,751 km²
- Population: approx. 11.2 million
- Quick facts: Known for its strong economy, renowned universities, and beautiful landscapes, such as the Black Forest.
- Special feature: Baden-Württemberg is the cradle of automobile manufacturing – both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche were founded here.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council: 6
- http://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/
- Bavaria
- Capital: Munich
- Area : approx. 70,550 km² (largest federal state in Germany)
- Population : approx. 13.4 million
- Brief info : A cultural center with Alpine scenery, traditional Bavarian festivals and strong economic growth.
- Special features : Venue of the Oktoberfest, the largest folk festival in the world, and home to Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 6
- http://www.bayern.de/
- Berlin
- Capital : Berlin
- Area : approx. 892 km²
- Population : approx. 3.7 million
- Brief info : Capital and cultural center of Germany, known for its history, nightlife and political importance.
- Special feature : Berlin has more bridges than Venice and one of the most diverse gastronomy scenes in Europe.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.berlin.de
- Brandenburg
- Capital: Potsdam
- Area : approx. 29,484 km²
- Population : approx. 2.5 million
- Brief info : A predominantly rural federal state surrounding Berlin and characterized by lakes, forests and nature reserves.
- Special feature : Famous for Sanssouci Palace, once the residence of Frederick the Great.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.brandenburg.de
- Bremen
- Capital : Bremen
- Area : approx. 419 km² (smallest federal state in Germany)
- Population : approximately 700,000
- Brief info : A city-state with a strong maritime and trading history.
- Special feature : Famous for the fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians”.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 3
- www.bremen.de
- Hamburg
- Capital : Hamburg
- Area : approx. 755 km²
- Population : approx. 1.8 million
- Short info : Federal state and second largest city in Germany with an important port.
- Special feature : Known as the “Gateway to the World” because the port of Hamburg is one of the largest in Europe.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 3
- www.hamburg.de
- Hesse
- Capital : Wiesbaden
- Area : approx. 21,115 km²
- Population : approx. 6.2 million
- Brief info : Centrally located federal state in Germany with rich culture and strong economy.
- Special feature : Frankfurt am Main, the largest city in Hesse, is Europe’s financial center and the seat of the European Central Bank.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 5
- www.hessen.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Capital : Schwerin
- Area : approx. 23,212 km²
- Population : approx. 1.6 million
- Quick info : Known for its long Baltic coastline and rich natural landscape.
- Special feature : Despite its low population density, it has more than 2,000 castles and manor houses.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 3
- www.mecklenburg-vorpommern.de
- Lower Saxony
- Capital : Hanover
- Area : approx. 47,614 km²
- Population : approx. 8 million
- Brief info : A large and diverse state with agriculture, industry and coastal regions.
- Special features : Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg and venue of the Hanover Fair, the world’s largest industrial exhibition.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 6
- www.niedersachsen.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Capital : Düsseldorf
- Area : approx. 34,110 km²
- Population : approx. 18 million (most populous federal state)
- Brief info : Germany’s economic engine with important industrial, cultural and educational centers.
- Special feature : Cologne Cathedral is one of the most visited landmarks in Germany and attracts millions of visitors every year.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 6
- www.nrw.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Capital : Mainz
- Area : approx. 19,854 km²
- Population : approx. 4.1 million
- Quick info : Known for vineyards, rivers and historic towns.
- Special feature : Birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.rlp.de
- Saarland
- Capital : Saarbrücken
- Area : approx. 2,569 km²
- Population : approx. 1 million
- Brief info: A small federal state in western Germany with a clear French influence.
- Special feature: After years of French occupation, Saarland only officially became part of West Germany in 1957.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 3
- www.saarland.de
- Saxony
- Capital : Dresden
- Area : approx. 18,420 km²
- Population : approx. 4 million
- Brief info : A region with rich culture, musical tradition and impressive architecture.
- Special feature : Dresden is also called “Florence on the Elbe” due to its baroque beauty.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.sachsen.de
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Capital : Magdeburg
- Area : approx. 20,452 km²
- Population : approx. 2.1 million
- General information : Known for historic cities and its rich Reformation heritage.
- Special feature : Martin Luther lived and worked here, making Wittenberg an important place in Protestant history.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.sachsen-anhalt.de
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Capital : Kiel
- Area : approx. 15,804 km²
- Population : approx. 3 million
- Short info : Northernmost state of Germany, borders Denmark.
- Special feature : Surrounded by two seas (North Sea and Baltic Sea) and known for the Kiel Week, the largest sailing event in the world.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.schleswig-holstein.de
- Thuringia
- Capital : Erfurt
- Area : approx. 16,202 km²
- Population : approx. 2.1 million
- Short info : Known as the “green heart of Germany” due to its forests and landscapes.
- Special feature : Home of important personalities in cultural history such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Sebastian Bach.
- Voting rights in the Federal Council : 4
- www.thueringen.de