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Munich is the third biggest city of Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg), and the capital of Bavaria. It has a population of 1,305,000. The metropolitan area of Munich includes the city itself, and all the suburbs around it, and has about 2.6 million people in it. It is one of the most important center for economy in Germany.
The city's motto was "Die Weltstadt mit Herz" (The world city with a heart) for a long time and has been recently replaced by "München mag dich" (Munich likes you). The figure on Munich's coat-of-arms is a monk referred to as the Münchner Kindl, the child of Munich. Black and gold - the colours of the Holy Roman Empire - have been the city's official colours since the time of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Munich's current mayor is Christian Ude of the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany). Munich has a nearly unbroken history of SPD governments since World War II, which is remarkable because the rest of Bavaria is a conservative stronghold, with the CSU (Christian Social Union) winning absolute majorities among the Bavarian electorate in nearly all elections at the communal, state, and federal levels.
As capital of Bavaria Munich is an important political center in Germany and the seat of the Bavarian Landtag (the state parliament), the Staatskanzlei (the state chancellery) and of all state departments.
Several national and international authorities are located in Munich, including the Bundesfinanzhof (the highest German tax court) and the European Patent Office.
Munich is a popular tourist destination and has been described as Germany's "secret capital".
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