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Baden-Württemberg
| Baden Wuerttemberg Baden-Württemberg | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Germany | |||
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| Coordinates: 48°39′42″N 9°0′13″E / 48.66167°N 9.00361°ECoordinates: 48°39′42″N 9°0′13″E / 48.66167°N 9.00361°E | |||
| Country | Germany | ||
| Capital | Stuttgart | ||
| Government | |||
| • Minister President | Winfried Kretschmann (B'90/Die Grünen) | ||
| • Governing parties | B'90/Die Grünen / SPD | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 35,751.65 km2 (13,803.79 sq mi) | ||
| Population (July 31, 2006) | |||
| • Total | 10,739,000 | ||
| • Density | 300.378/km2 (777.97/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Baden-Württemberg is a federal state in Germany. It has an area of 35 752 km² and nearly 11 million people. The capital is Stuttgart. The Minister President is Winfried Kretschmann of the (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen).
It is the third biggest state in Germany. Only Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia have more people living there.
The federal state is in the southwest of Germany. It shares borders to the east with the state of Bavaria, to the north with the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, to the west with the country of France (along the River Rhine) and to the south with the countries Switzerland and Austria.
History
In 1952, the three states of Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern joined together to found Baden-Württemberg.
Politics
The Minister President is the chief of the government of Baden-Württemberg. The government is made up of ministers and state secretaries.
The CDU was the main political party in the state between 1953-2011, the Ministers President have all been members of the CDU. Between the years 1972 and 1992, the members of the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg were mostly members of the CDU. But the state is also a stronghold of the "Grünen" which were founded in the early 1980s in Karlsruhe. The election results of the Grünen in Baden-Württemberg have always been above the election average for the party in Germany.
Today there are 4 parties represented in the Landtag of Baden Württemberg:
- Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
- Social Democratic Party (SPD)
- Free Democratic Party (FDP/DVP)
- Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
List of Ministers President since 1952:
| Term | Minister President | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 - 1953 | Reinhold Maier | DVP |
| 1953 - 1958 | Gebhard Müller | CDU |
| 1958 - 1966 | Kurt Georg Kiesinger | CDU |
| 1966 - 1978 | Hans Filbinger | CDU |
| 1978 - 1991 | Lothar Späth | CDU |
| 1991 - 2005 | Erwin Teufel | CDU |
| 2005 - 2010 | Günther Oettinger | CDU |
| 2010 - 2011 | Stefan Mappus | CDU |
| present | Winfried Kretschmann | Greens |
Tourism
The Black forest, the Swabian Alb and the Lake Constance are world famous holiday regions. The highest mountain is the Feldberg (1492m).
Other important cities in Baden-Württemberg besides the capital city of Stuttgart are: Freiburg, Heidelberg, Rastatt, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Ulm, Ravensburg and Heilbronn.
The Danube, the Neckar and the Rhine are important rivers which are in the state.
Religion
In the northern part of Württemberg and the Kurpfalz the majority are Protestants. But the other parts of the state, especially the south, the majority are Roman Catholics.
Number of Members in Baden-Württemberg:
| confession | percentage | number |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 38,3 % | 4,1 Mio. |
| Protestants | 34,6 % | 3,7 Mio. |
| Muslim | ca. 5,6% | ca. 600.000 |
| Buddhists | ca. 0,23% | ca. 25.000 |
| Hindus | ca. 0,14% | ca. 15.000 |
| Jews | ca. 0,08% | ca. 9.000 |
| Other faiths or none | 21,4 % | 2,25 Mio. |
Sports
Football is the most popular sport in Baden-Württemberg. The best clubs are the VfB Stuttgart and the Karlsruher SC (Karlsruher SC or KSC). Another popular sport is handball.
Other websites
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