Rhineland-Palatinate
Rheinland-Pfalz
After this guide, you will know where Rhineland-Palatinate is, which city is its capital, what its flag and coat of arms look like, how the state is governed and where to find information about politics.
Rhineland-Palatinate and its capital
Rhineland-Palatinate is a federal state (Bundesland) in the south-west of Germany. It borders France, Luxembourg and Belgium. Germany has 16 states, and each state has its own government.
The city that is the state capital (Landeshauptstadt) is where the state government has its seat. The capital of Rhineland-Palatinate is Mainz.
Flag and coat of arms
The state has its own state flag (Landesflagge) and coat of arms (Wappen). The state flag has the three colours black, red and gold (schwarz-rot-gold).
In the test, the coat of arms is shown as a picture. Keep the name of the state in mind, then compare the pictures to choose the coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate.
How the state is governed
Each state has a state parliament (Landtag). The people elect its members, and the parliament makes the laws for the state. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Landtag is elected for a term of five years.
The head of the state government is called the minister-president (Ministerpräsident). A minister-president is not a mayor, because a mayor leads only one city or municipality.
The state government has several ministries. For example, the state has a ministry of justice and a ministry of the interior.
Districts, municipalities and local elections
The state is divided into districts (Landkreis), and each district contains several municipalities (Gemeinde). The Westerwaldkreis is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate.
In local elections (Kommunalwahl) in Rhineland-Palatinate, people aged 18 and over may vote. Each state sets this age in its own law, so it can differ between states.
If you want to learn about politics, you can contact the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung of the state. It is the state agency that provides civic and political education to the public.