Einbürgerungstest Schleswig-Holstein: the 10 state questions

The coat of arms shows two blue lions and the silver nettle leaf.

The state coat of arms is an official state emblem. The official state flag carries it in the middle, with the blue lions and the silver nettle leaf.

Two lions and the nettle leaf: that is how you recognise the coat of arms of Schleswig-Holstein.

Schleswig-Holstein is divided into eleven districts (Kreise) and four independent cities. Nordfriesland is one of the districts. The independent cities are Flensburg, Kiel, Lübeck and Neumünster.

The other districts are Dithmarschen, Herzogtum Lauenburg, Ostholstein, Pinneberg, Plön, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Flensburg, Segeberg, Steinburg and Stormarn.

The state parliament (Landtag) is the supreme body of political decision-making, elected by the people. It elects the Minister-President (Ministerpräsident/in), as set out in Article 16(1) of the state constitution.

The state parliament is elected for five years. Its legislative term ends with the first sitting of a new state parliament. The new election takes place no earlier than the 58th and no later than the 60th month after the start of the legislative term (Article 19(1)).

If the legislative term ends early, the new election must take place within 70 days (Article 19(3)).

In municipal and district elections, Germans and EU citizens may vote if they are 16 years old on election day and have had a home in the electoral area for at least six weeks. This refers to the municipal council and the district council (Kreistag).

You can only be elected to the municipal council or the district council from the age of 18.

The state colours of Schleswig-Holstein are blue, white and red. The state flag combines the blue of the Schleswig part of the state with the red and white of Holstein.

The official state flag, used by state authorities, also carries the state coat of arms in the middle.