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With an area of 70,553 km² and 12.4 million inhabitants, the Free State of Bavaria (German Bayern or Freistaat Bayern) forms the southernmost of the 16 Bundesländer of Germany. Its capital is Munich (München).
GeographyBavaria shares international borders with Austria and the Czech Republic. Neighbouring states within Germany are Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Thuringia and Saxony. Two major rivers flow through the state, the Danube (Donau) and the Main. The major cities in Bavaria are Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Würzburg, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Fürth and Erlangen. See also: List of places in Bavaria. PoliticsBavaria has a unicameral Landtag, or state parliament, elected by universal suffrage. Until December 1999, there was also a Senat, or Senate, whose members were chosen by social and economic groups in Bavaria, but following a referendum in 1998, this institution was abolished. The head of government is the Minister-president (Ministerpräsident). AdministrationBavaria is divided into 7 administrative regions called Regierungsbezirke Missing image
These administrative regions consist of 71 districts (called Kreise) and 25 independent towns:
Districts:
DialectsSeveral German dialects are spoken in Bavaria. In the administrative regions to the north the Frankonian dialect is prevalent, in Swabia the local dialect is Swabian, a thread of the Alemannic dialect family. In the Upper Palatinate people speak the Northern Bavarian dialect that can vary regionally. In Upper and Lower Bavaria (Middle) Austro-Bavarian is the predominant dialect. HistoryMain article: History of Bavaria The Wittelsbach family ruled Bavaria from 1180 to 1918. Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806. In 1815 the Rhenish Palatinate became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845 - 1886) reigned as King of Bavaria from 1864 to 1886. See also: List of rulers of Bavaria, List of Premiers of Bavaria MiscellaneousThe many famous Bavarians include:
The motorcycle and automobile makers BMW (the name stands for Bayerische Motoren-Werke, or "Bavarian Motor Works") and Audi have a Bavarian industrial base. A famous annual festival is called Oktoberfest or October Festival. It is the largest public beer festival in the world, celebrated since 1811 during the last two weeks of September. Population and areaPopulation and areaRegierungsbezirk population(2002) area/km² communities Lower Franconia .. 1,344,300 10.9% 8,532 12.1% 308 15.0% Upper Franconia .. 1,112,655 9.0% 7,231 10.2% 214 10.4% Middle Franconia . 1,703,869 13.8% 7,246 10.3% 210 10.2% Upper Palatinate . 1,088,929 8.8% 9,690 13.7% 226 11.0% Swabia ........... 1,776,465 14.3% 9,992 14.2% 340 16.5% Upper Bavaria .... 4,169,657 33.7% 17,530 24.8% 500 24.3% Lower Bavaria .... 1,191,476 9.6% 10,330 14.6% 258 12.5% Sum 12,387,351 100.0% 70,551 100.0% 2,056 100.0% Historical PopulationHistorical Population of Bavaria: 1939: 7,084,086 1950: 9,184,466 1961: 9,515,479 1970: 10,479,386 1987: 10,902,643 2002: 12,387,351 Missing image Lo_buchstein.jpeg hiking in the Bavarian Alps TourismSouthern Bavaria is one of the most important tourist regions in Germany. Lakes for sailing and swimming, various health resorts, mountains for hiking and skiing, nature reserves, rich Baroque churches and the castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria attract guests from around the world. External links
Bavaria is also a Dutch beer brand.  Bavaria is also the name of the statue standing at the Theresienwiese in Munich.
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