Try it for yourself
176Reading the map correctly

On the map: 1 Great Britain, 2 Soviet Union, 3 USA, 4 France.

Every answer names the same four powers. What matters is whether each power is matched to the correct number on the supplied map.

About 4 min readReviewed: 20 October 2026
AI-generated modern compass beside a folded blank sheet.
House of HistoryThe four occupation zones
Symbolic orientation aid, not a historical map.
The short answer

1 = Great Britain, 2 = Soviet Union, 3 = USA, 4 = France.

In the exam illustration, 1 marks the British zone in the northwest, 2 the Soviet zone in the east, 3 the American zone in the south and 4 the French zone in the southwest.

Try it for yourselfExam question · No. 176
How were Germany's occupation zones distributed after 1945?
Schematic map with four areas in different shades of grey: 1 at the upper left, 2 on the right, 3 at the lower centre and right, 4 at the lower left.
Unchanged illustration from the existing question bank, question 176. The numbers correspond to the answer options.

Choose one answer. Your result stays on this page only.

Recognise the location, then match the number.

Start at the upper left with number 1. That is the British zone. To its right lies the large area marked 2: the Soviet zone. Below are the American zone with 3 and the French zone with 4.

The task tests a mapping, not just the names of the victorious powers. It therefore helps to check every number individually. Two correct assignments at the beginning do not make the entire answer correct.

Two fictional adults with short silver curls and long copper hair discuss a learning task.
AI-generated present-day learning scene; the original exam map appears separately beside the question.

The other three answers

Each incorrect answer swaps exactly one pair.

1=Great Britain, 2=Soviet Union, 3=France, 4=USA

Here, 1 and 2 are correct, but 3 and 4 are swapped. Number 3 marks the American zone; number 4 belongs to the French zone.

1=Soviet Union, 2=Great Britain, 3=USA, 4=France

Here, 1 and 2 are swapped. Great Britain belongs to 1 in the northwest and the Soviet Union to 2 in the east. Correctly assigning 3 and 4 alone is not enough.

1=Great Britain, 2=USA, 3=Soviet Union, 4=France

Here, 2 and 3 are swapped. The Soviet zone carries number 2, and the American zone number 3. Great Britain and France are correct in this option, but the whole pattern is not.

The numbers apply to this illustration.

The numbers are a learning device in the exam task, not general official names for the zones. Another map may use different colours, labels or numbers. Remember the geographic positions as well.

The map is schematic. The broad directional descriptions do not replace a detailed depiction of every territorial boundary. Berlin also had its separate four-sector arrangement; its eastern location does not mean the entire city simply belonged to the Soviet zone.

The four occupation zones · House of History ↗
Your memory cue

1 British · 2 Soviet · 3 American · 4 French.

Check the full sequence. The two lower numbers, 3 and 4, are particularly easy to confuse.

Three words for this question

zuordnento match / assign
To connect two pieces of information that belong together.
vertauschento swap
To place two items in each other’s positions.
schematischschematic
Simplified to the features important for an explanation.
Haus der Geschichte · Karte Besatzungszonen 1945–1949 ↗

The number and names of the occupation powers help with reading the map.

175How many occupation zones were there in Germany after World War II?
Catalogue answer

4

There were four occupation zones in total.

167Which countries were called 'Allied Occupation Powers' in Germany after World War II?
Catalogue answer

USA, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France

The USA, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France were the four powers.

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Sources & context

An independently written study guide, not an official BAMF publication or advice for an individual case. The sources below were reviewed on 20 October 2026 for the claims explained here; the test question comes from the existing question bank.

The two editorial pictures are AI-generated illustrations. They do not document real events or official proceedings.The separate image beside the exam question is the unchanged file from the existing question bank, not an AI illustration.