Click each of the 16 German Bundesländer on the map.
Germany's sixteen Bundesländer are the pillars of a federal system that gives each state its own constitution, parliament, government and even education policy — which is why a student in Bavaria studies a different curriculum from one in Hamburg. The structure traces back to Germany's long history as a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies and free cities, and the current map was finalised in 1990 when five eastern states were re-established after reunification.
The diversity is striking. Bavaria, the largest state, leans conservative and Catholic, proud of its beer gardens, lederhosen and Alpine scenery. North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous, centres on the industrial Ruhr valley and the Rhineland cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn. Three of the sixteen states are city-states: Berlin pulses with its Cold War history and nightlife; Hamburg is Germany's gateway to the sea; and Bremen — the smallest — packs centuries of Hanseatic trading heritage into two tiny enclaves.
Mastering the Bundesländer map is the key to understanding German politics (each state sends representatives to the Bundesrat), football culture (local derbies are sacred), regional cuisine (currywurst vs. Weißwurst) and the lingering east-west divide that still shapes the country three decades after the Wall came down.
