Saxony-Anhalt
Sachsen-Anhalt
After this guide, you will know where Saxony-Anhalt is, which city is its capital, which colours its flag has, how the state is governed and from what age people may vote in local elections.
Location and capital
Germany has 16 federal states (Bundesland). Each state has its own government. Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) is a state in the east of Germany.
The city that is the state capital (Landeshauptstadt) is the seat of the state government. The capital of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg.
A state has many rural districts (Landkreis). A Landkreis is an administrative area, usually in the countryside, made up of several small municipalities. One Landkreis in Saxony-Anhalt is the Börde.
Coat of arms and flag
Saxony-Anhalt has its own coat of arms (Wappen) and its own state flag (Landesflagge). In the question, the coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt is picture 4 (Bild 4). Look at the pictures in the question to recognise it.
The flag of Saxony-Anhalt has two colours: yellow and black (gelb-schwarz).
How the state is governed
Each state has a state parliament (Landtag). The people elect the Landtag in a state parliament election (Landtagswahl). In Saxony-Anhalt, the Landtag is elected every five years.
The head of a state government is called the minister-president (Ministerpräsident). The state government has ministries, and each one is led by a minister. For example:
- Minister of Justice (Justizminister): responsible for the courts and the legal system of the state.
- Minister of Finance (Finanzminister): responsible for the state budget.
- Minister of the Interior (Innenminister): responsible for the police and public safety in the state.
Local elections and where to find information
In Saxony-Anhalt, people aged 16 and over may vote in local elections (Kommunalwahl). These elections choose the councils of the municipalities (Gemeinde) and districts (Landkreis).
Each state sets the voting age in its own law, so it can differ between states.
To learn about political topics in Saxony-Anhalt, you can go to the State Agency for Civic Education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung). It is a state agency that gives neutral information.