The single most-repeated fact in this topic is also the simplest: Germany has 16 Bundesländer (federal states), and this number anchors several other question types, so it is worth knowing cold before anything else. Each Bundesland has its own elected parliament (Landtag) and its own head of government, called the Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident in almost every state (the city-states Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen use different titles, but the "most states" version is the tested answer). States hold real, specific powers under the constitution — schooling policy (Schulpolitik) is chiefly a state matter, not a federal one, which is why school systems differ noticeably if you move between states. States also participate directly in federal lawmaking through the Bundesrat, the second legislative chamber made up of state government representatives, which must approve many federal laws before they take effect. The topic also covers Germany's external geography: it borders nine countries — Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland — more neighbours than almost any other country in Europe, a fact the exam sometimes tests by asking you to identify one from a list.
Germany's 16 federal states
A schematic map of the Bundesländer. Each region is labeled with its official abbreviation.
- Baden-Württemberg
- Bavaria
- Berlin
- Brandenburg
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Hesse
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Lower Saxony
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Saarland
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Thuringia
What you'll learn
- The number 16 — Germany's federal states — and why several other questions depend on knowing it
- What a Landtag and a Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident are, and why the three city-states are the exception
- That schooling is chiefly a state matter, not a federal one — a common "which level governs this" question
- What the Bundesrat is and why it represents the states, not the voters directly
- Germany's nine neighbouring countries, so you can recognise one on a list-style question
A real Einbürgerungstest question on this topic
Q: "Wie viele Bundesländer hat die Bundesrepublik Deutschland?" (How many federal states does the Federal Republic of Germany have?) — A: "16" — one number, worth knowing perfectly since it recurs across multiple questions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to name all 16 Bundesländer and their capitals?
Not exhaustively — the exam tests the number (16), the structure (each has a Landtag and a head of government), and a few well-known specifics like the city-states, more than a full list-and-capitals memory test.
Is your own state (Bundesland) tested separately from this general topic?
Yes — the real exam adds 3 questions specific to the Bundesland where you live, on top of the 30 general questions covered here; Asagno's Einbürgerungstest learning mode lets you study your own state's 10 official questions separately.
Where can I practise every official question on this topic?
Asagno's Einbürgerungstest learning mode loads the full official question bank — nationwide plus your own Bundesland's questions — with the answer shown.