Saarland
Saarland
After this guide, you will know where Saarland is, which city is its capital, what its coat of arms and flag look like, how the state is governed and where to find information about politics.
The state, its capital and its symbols
Saarland is a federal state (Bundesland) in the south-west of Germany, on the border with France. Germany has 16 states. Each state has its own government, and all of them belong to Germany.
The city that is the state capital (Landeshauptstadt) is where the state government has its seat. The capital of Saarland is Saarbrücken.
Each state has its own coat of arms (Wappen) and its own state flag (Landesflagge). The coat of arms is the official sign of the state. In the picture question, compare the pictures and recognise the coat of arms of Saarland.
The flag of Saarland has the colours black, red and gold (schwarz-rot-gold). These are also the three colours of the flag of Germany.
Districts, municipalities and local elections
Saarland is made up of districts (Landkreis) and municipalities (Gemeinde). A Landkreis contains several municipalities. For example, Neunkirchen is a Landkreis in Saarland.
A local election (Kommunalwahl) chooses the local council. Residents elect the municipal council (Gemeinderat) or the city council (Stadtrat), which decide matters for the area where they live.
In Saarland, people aged 18 and over may vote in local elections.
The state parliament and the state government
Saarland has a state parliament (Landtag). Its members are elected by the people for a term of five years. The state parliament makes the laws for the state, so a state parliament election (Landtagswahl) takes place every five years.
The head of the state government is called the minister-president (Ministerpräsident). This is a different office from that of a mayor, who leads only one city or municipality.
The state government has several ministries, and each ministry is led by a minister. Saarland has ministries for these areas:
- Minister of Justice (Justizminister)
- Minister of Finance (Finanzminister)
- Minister of the Interior (Innenminister)
Saarland does not have a Minister of Foreign Affairs (Außenminister). Foreign policy, meaning relations with other countries, is a task of Germany as a whole. It is handled by the federal government (Bundesregierung), not by each state.
Where to find information about politics
If you want to understand politics in the state and in Germany, you can find information at the State Agency for Civic Education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung). This state agency has the task of explaining politics and society in a neutral way.
Use official sources like this one to understand the issues, rather than hearing only one side.