BAVARIA
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Society
Governance
The 'Maximilianeum', in this building has been the seat of the Bavarian Parliament since 1949Photo: Guido Radig CC 3.0 Unported no changes made
The Federal Republic of Germany has been a parliamentary democracy since 23 May 1949, but with a remarkably strong federalist character. The Bundestag or Bundestag, elected for a period of four through universal direct suffrage, is responsible for the legislative power. The Federal Council, consists of representatives of the Bundesländer or federal states, including Bavaria.
The government of the Federal Republic consists of the Reich Chancellor or Prime Minister and the Federal Ministers. The Chancellor is appointed on the recommendation of the Federal President, in a more ceremonial position. The current political situation in Germany is described in the chapter history.
Coat of arms of BavariaPhoto: Public domain
Analogous to the federal state, the federal states also have their own parliament, the 'Landstag', for Bavaria this is the Bayerischen Landtag. The Landstag elects a Prime Minister who then elects the other members of his or her government. The state parliaments, like the federal parliament, are elected by direct elections, every five years since 1998. The Bavarian Parliament has 180 members. Until 1998, there was also a senate in Bavaria, but after a referendum this layer of government was abolished.
The federal states are even allowed to pass laws in a number of areas, they have a great deal of autonomy in the field of culture and education, but are constitutionally limited in their independence.
Schematic overview of administrative layers in GermanyPhoto: Public domain
Administrative division
Germany is divided into 16 Bundesländer or federal states, each with its own constitution and a directly elected parliament and government. The federal states are allowed to determine their own policy in the areas of education, nature conservation, water management and health care, provided they remain within the framework of the laws drawn up by the Federal Government.
The states have no influence on foreign policy, defense, railways and part of the taxes. In the areas of criminal law, immigration policy, housing and environmental legislation, the federal government and the governments of the federal states are jointly responsible.
Conflicts between the federal states and the federal government are often resolved by the Bundesverfassungsgericht.
German states with Bavaria as the largest Photo: Patricia Fidi in the public domain
| name | capital | inhabitants | surface |
| Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | 10.716.000 | 35.751 km2 |
| BavariaMunich | 12.692.000 | 70.553 km2 | |
| Berlin | n.v.t. | 3.500.000 | 889 km2 |
| Brandenburg | Potsdam | 2.500.000 | 29.053 km2 |
| Bremen | n.v.t. | 661.000 | 326 km2 |
| Hamburg | n.v.t. | 1.774.000 | 755 km2 |
| Hesse | Wiesbaden | 6.094.000 | 21.114 km2 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin | 1.600.000 | 23.170 km2 |
| Niedersachsen | Hannover | 7.860.000 | 47.343 km2 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Düsseldorf | 17.685.000 | 34.070 km2 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Mainz | 4.012.000 | 19.486 km2 |
| Saarland | Saarbrücken | 990.000 | 2.570 km2 |
| Sachsen | Dresden | 4.056.000 | 18.338 km2 |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | Magdeburg | 2.232.000 | 20.443 km2 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | 2.831.000 | 15.731 km2 |
| Thuringia | Erfurt | 2.155.000 | 16.251 km2 |
The state of Bavaria is divided into seven regions or 'Regierungsbezirke': Oberbayern with the seat of government in the state capital of Munich, Niederbayern with Landshut, Oberpfalz with Regensburg, the three Franconian regions of Oberfranken with Bayreuth, Mittelfranken with Ansbach, Unterfranken with Würzburg and Swabia with Augsburg.
Regierungsbezirke of BavariaPhoto: Public domain
| name | sutgace | inhabitants | population density |
| Oberbayern | 17.529 km2 | 4.470.000 | 255 |
| Niederbayern | 10.330 km2 | 1.190.000 | 115 |
| Oberpfalz | 9.691 km2 | 1.078.000 | 111 |
| Oberfranken | 7.231 km2 | 1.057.000 | 146 |
| Mittelfranken | 7.245 km2 | 1.708.000 | 236 |
| Unterfranken | 8.531 km2 | 1.298.000 | 152 |
| Schwaben | 9.992 km2 | 1.807.000 | 181 |
The Regierungsbezirke are divided into 71 Landkreise and 25 kreisfreie Städte, which are large municipalities that do not belong to a Landkreis. A Landkreis is a regional administrative unit that is one administrative level above the municipality. All Landkreisen in total consist of more than 2000 politically independent municipalities. Below an overview and a map of the 25 kreisfreie Städte and the 71 Landkreise in Bavaria:
| name | Regierungsbezirk | name | Regierungsbezirk |
| Amberg | Oberpfalz | Landshut | Niederbayern |
| Ansbach | Mittelfranken | Memmingen | Schwaben |
| Aschaffenburg | Unterfranken | Munich | Oberbayern |
| Augsburg | Schwaben | Nürnberg | Mittelfranken |
| Bamberg | Oberfranken | Passau | Niederbayern |
| Bayreuth | Oberfranken | Regensburg | Oberpfalz |
| Coburg | Oberfranken | Rosenheim | Oberbayern |
| Erlangen | Mittelfranken | Schwabach | Mittelfranken |
| Fürth | Mittelfranken | Schweinfurt | Unterfranken |
| Hof | Oberfranken | Straubing | Niederbayern |
| Ingolstadt | Oberbayern | Weiden in der Oberpfalz | Oberpfalz |
| Kaufbeuren | Schwaben | Würzburg | Unterfranken |
| Kempten (Allgaü) | Schwaben |
Landkreise en kreisfreie Städte in BavariaPhoto: Diwas C 3.0 Unported no changes made
Mittelfranken: 7 Landkreise en 5 Kreisfreie cities
Niederbayern: 9 Landkreise en 3 Kreisfreie cities
Oberbayern: 20 Landkreise en 3 Kreisfreie cities
Oberfranken: 9 Landkreise en 4 Kreisfreie cities
Oberpfalz: 7 Landkreise en 3 Kreisfreie cities
Schwaben: 10 Landkreise en 4 Kreisfreie cities
Unterfranken: 9 Landkreise en 3 Kreisfreie cities
| Landkreis | Kreisstadt/seat board | Regierungsbezirk |
| Aichach-Friedberg | Aichach | Schwaben |
| Altötting | Altötting | Oberbayern |
| Amberg-Sulzbach | Amberg | Oberpfalz |
| Ansbach | Ansbach | Mittelfranken |
| Achaffenburg | Aschaffenburg | Unterfranken |
| Augsburg | Augsburg | Schwaben |
| Bad Kissingen | Bad Kissingen | Unterfranken |
| Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen | Bad Tölz | Oberbayern |
| Bamberg | Bamberg | Oberfranken |
| Bayreuth | Bayreuth | Oberfranken |
| Berchtesgadener Land | Bad Reichenhall | Oberbayern |
| Cham | Cham | Oberpfalz |
| Coburg | Coburg | Oberfranken |
| Dachau | Dachau | Oberbayern |
| Deggendorf | Deggendorf | Niederbayern |
| Dillingen an der Donau | Dillingen an der Donau | Schwaben |
| Dingolfing-Landau | Dingolfing | Niederbayern |
| Donau-Ries | Donauwörth | Schwaben |
| Ebersberg | Ebersberg | Oberbayern |
| Eichstätt | Eichstätt | Oberbayern |
| Erding | Erding | Oberbayern |
| Erlangen-Höchstadt | Erlangen | Mittelfranken |
| Forchheim | Forchheim | Oberfranken |
| Freising | Freising | Oberbayern |
| Freyung-Grafenau | Freyung | Niederbayern |
| Fürstenfeldbruck | Fürstenfeldbruck | Oberbayern |
| Fürth | Zirndorf | Mittelfranken |
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Oberbayern |
| Günzburg | Günzburg | Schwaben |
| Haßberge | Haßfurt | Unterfranken |
| Hof | Hof | Oberfranken |
| Kelheim | Kelheim | Niederbayern |
| Kitzingen | Kitzingen | Unterfranken |
| Kronach | Kronach | Oberfranken |
| Kulmbach | Kulmbach | Oberfranken |
| Landsberg am Lech | Landsberg am Lech | Oberbayern |
| Landshut | Landshut | Niederbayern |
| Lichtenfels | Lichtenfels | Oberfranken |
| Lindau | Lindau | Schwaben |
| Main-Spessart | Karlstadt | Unterfranken |
| Miesbach | Miesbach | Oberbayern |
| Miltenberg | Miltenberg | Unterfranken |
| Mühldorf am Inn | Mühldorf am Inn | Oberbayern |
| Munich | München | Oberbayern |
| Neuburg-Schrobenhausen | Neuburg an der Donau | Oberbayern |
| Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz | Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz | Oberpfalz |
| Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim | Neustadt an der Aisch | Mittelfranken |
| Neustadt an der Waldnaab | Neustadt an der Waldnaab | Oberpfalz |
| Neu-Ulm | Neu-Ulm | Schwaben |
| Nürnberger Land | Lauf an der Pegnitz | Mittelfranken |
| Oberallgäu | Sonthofen | Schwaben |
| Ostallgäu | Marktoberdorf | Schwaben |
| Passau | Passau | Niederbayern |
| Pfaffenhofen | Pfaffenhofen | Oberbayern |
| Regen | Regen | Niederbayern |
| Regensburg | Regensburg | Oberpfalz |
| Rhön-Grabfeld | Bad Neustadt an der Saale | Unterfranken |
| Rosenheim | Rosenheim | Oberbayern |
| Roth | Roth | Mittelfranken |
| Rottal-Inn | Pfarrkirchen | Niederbayern |
| Schwandorf | Schwandorf | Oberpfalz |
| Schweinfurt | Schweinfurt | Unterfranken |
| Starnberg | Starnberg | Oberbayern |
| Straubing-Bogen | Straubing | Niederbayern |
| Tirschenreuth | Tirschenreuth | Oberpfalz |
| Traunstein | Traunstein | Oberbayern |
| Unterallgäu | Mindelheim | Schwaben |
| Weilheim-Schongau | Weilheim in Oberbayern | Oberbayern |
| Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen | Weißenburg in Bayern | Mittelfranken |
| Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge | Wunsiedel | Oberfranken |
| Würzburg | Würzburg | Unterfranken |
Sources
BBC - Country Profiles
CIA - World Factbook
Di Duca, Marc / Munich, Bavaria & the Black Forest
Lonely Planet
Egert-Romanowska, Joanna / Duitsland
Van Reemst
Meyer, Marion / Beieren
ANWB
Oberbayern : bayerisches Alpenvorland
Baedeker
Wikipedia
Copyright: Team The World of Info