Lower Saxony lies in north-western Germany and is the country's second largest federal state. It is named after a historical province that emerged during the Middle Ages; its capital is Hanover.

Much of northern Lower Saxony is a vast lowland of heath and bog, part of the North German Plain. It includes the Lüneburg Heath - an expanse of heather, bracken, pine, bog and fields interspersed with small towns and villages - that gained its wealth, historically, from the salt trade centred on Lüneburg, but was also the site of the surrender of North Germany at the end of the Second World War. Today, much of the area is a nature park, but retains its military connexions, being home to the largest military training area in Europe. To the northwest were once great marshes by the North Sea, but these have largely been reclaimed and are famous for cattle and horse rearing. Off the North Sea coast is a string of islands, popular with holidaymakers, known as the East Frisians.

In the south are some of the most fertile plains in Europe: the Börde around Hanover and the north Harz Foreland. Away to the southwest the Weser Uplands form a series of knife-edge ridges, and whaleback hills sliced by the River Weser. And in the far southeast, the Harz has Lower Saxony's only mountains. Formerly the greatest silver mining area in Europe, the area is now a popular tourist destination.

The River Elbe marks Lower Saxony's eastern boundary, once part of the Inner German Border where West faced East across the Iron Curtain. More...

Geography and nature

Rural districts (Landkreise): Ammerland - Aurich - Grafschaft Bentheim - Celle - Cloppenburg - Cuxhaven - Diepholz - Emsland - Friesland - Gifhorn - Goslar - Göttingen - Hameln-Pyrmont - Region Hanover - Harburg - Helmstedt - Hildesheim - Holzminden - Leer - Lüchow-Dannenberg - Lüneburg - Nienburg/Weser - Northeim - Oldenburg - Osnabrück - Osterholz - Osterode am Harz - Peine - Rotenburg - Schaumburg - Soltau-Fallingbostel - Stade - Uelzen - Vechta - Verden - Wesermarsch - Wittmund - Wolfenbüttel

Self-governing towns and cities (Kreisfreie Städte): Brunswick - Delmenhorst - Emden - Oldenburg (Oldb) - Osnabrück - Salzgitter - Wilhelmshaven - Wolfsburg

Important towns and cities : Aurich - Brunswick - Bückeburg - Celle - Cloppenburg - Cuxhaven - Delmenhorst - Duderstadt - Emden - Gifhorn - Goslar - Göttingen - Hameln - Hanover - Hann. Münden - Hildesheim - Jever - Leer - Lehrte - Lingen - Lüneburg - Meppen - Nienburg (Weser) - Norden - Nordhorn - Norderney - Northeim - Oldenburg - Osnabrück - Osterholz-Scharmbeck - Peine - Rinteln - Rotenburg (Wümme) - Salzgitter - Soltau - Stade - Stadthagen - Vechta - Verden (Aller) - Wilhelmshaven - Wolfenbüttel - Wunstorf - Wolfsburg

Rivers: Aller - Böhme - Elbe - Ems - Großer Aue - Hamme - Hase - Hunte - Ilmenau - Jade - Jeetzel - Jümme - Leda - Leine - Luhe - Ochtum - Oker - Örtze - Oste - Rhume - Schunter - Vechte - Weser - Wietze (tributary of the Aller) - Wietze (tributary of the Örtze) - Wümme

Coastal waters: Dollart - Jadebusen - Leybucht - Lower Weser - Wadden Sea

Lakes: Dümmer - Großes Meer - Steinhuder Meer - Zwischenahner Meer

Reservoirs: Alfsee - Grane - Innerste - Maschsee - Oder - Oker - Salzgittersee - Söse

Mountains and hills: (List) - Achtermannshöhe - Bocksberg - Bruchberg - Damme Hills - Deister - Die Gleichen - Haferberg - Hasselkopf - Große Blöße - Großer Knollen - Köterberg - Ravensberg - Rehberg - Schalke - Sonnenberg - Stöberhai - Süntel - Wurmberg

Landscapes and regions: Altes Land - Ammerland - Brunswick Land - Butjadingen - Drawehn - East Frisia - Eastphalia - Eichsfeld - Elbe-Weser Triangle - Elm - Emsland - Friesland - Geest - Harz - Hildesheim Börde - Hümmling - Jeverland - Land Hadeln - Leine Uplands - Lüneburg Heath - Middle Weser region - Oldenburg Land - Oldenburg Münsterland - Osnabrück Land - Osterholz Geest - Rheiderland - Saterland - Schaumburg Land - Stadland - Stedingen - Teufelsmoor - Wendland - Weser Uplands Weser Valley - Wesermarsch - Wildeshausen Geest - Wingst - Weser Depression - Wümme Depression - Land Wursten

Islands: Borkum - Juist - Norderney - Baltrum - Langeoog - Spiekeroog - Wangerooge (see also: East Frisian Islands) - Kachelotplate - Lütje Hörn- Mellum - Memmert

Nature conservation: Breites Wasser - Lüneburg Heath - Wildeshausen Geest - Harz - Drömling - Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park - Elm-Lappwald Nature Park - Steinhuder Meer Nature Park - Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park - Weser Uplands-Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park

Politics and politicians: Landtag of Lower Saxony - Ernst Albrecht - Gerhard Schröder - Christian Wulff - Sigmar Gabriel - German-Hanoverian Party

History: Battle of Soltau - Chauci - East Frisia - Engern - Friesen - Hildesheim Stift Feud - Lüneburg Prelates' War - Lüneburg War of Succession - Lower Saxons - Saxon steed

Historic territories: Kingdom of Hanover - Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Grand Duchy of Oldenburg - Duchy of Bremen - Duchy of Brunswick - Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Duchy of Saxony - Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel - Principality of Calenberg - Principality of Göttingen - Principality of Lüneburg - Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe - County of Hoya

Historic people: Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Duke Anthony Ulrich - George II, King of Great Britain and Ireland - the Göttingen Seven - Henry the Lion - Brunonen - Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Helmold of Bosau -Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel - The Black Duke - Widukind - William, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe - Till Eulenspiegel - Charles II, Duke of Brunswick - Dietrich Klagges - Hartmann Lauterbacher - Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony - Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor - See also: List of the rulers of Lüneburg - List of the rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Religion: Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover - Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Brunswick - Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg - Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim - Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück - Roman Catholic Diocese of Münster - Evangelical Reformed Church – Synod of Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany

Culture, business, education and science

Literature, theatre and film: Wilhelm Busch - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg - Hermann Löns - Arno Schmidt - Ricarda Huch – Wilhelm Raabe - Otto Waalkes

Art and architecture: Lower Saxon house - Brunswick Cathedral - Gospels of Henry the Lion - Conrad Wilhelm Hase - Paula Modersohn-Becker - Kurt Schwitters - Weser Renaissance - Bursfelde Abbey - Ebstorf Abbey - Riddagshausen Abbey - Osten Transporter Bridge

Museums: Cloppenburg Museum Village - Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum - Sprengel Museum - Wilhelm Busch Museum - Hanover Tramway Museum -Lower Saxony Kleinbahn Museum

Music and dance: Jazzkantine

Customs: Boßeln

Education and science: Georg August University - Brunswick University of Technology - University of Hanover - University of Osnabrück - Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg - Clausthal University of Technology - University of Lüneburg - Herzog August Library - University of Helmstedt - Carl Friedrich Gauß - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Languages: Low Saxon - Saterland Frisian - East Frisian Low Saxon - Eastphalian - Wangerooge Frisian

Food: Lower Saxon cuisine - Asparagus - Birnen, Bohnen und Speck - Braunschweiger - Bregenwurst - Brunswick Mum - Grünkohlessen - Heidschnucke - Knipp - Korn - Pinkel - Welf Pudding

Economy, technology and transport

Firms and businessmen: Bahlsen - Blaupunkt - Büssing AG - Continental - Enercon - Fürstenberg Porcelain Factory - Meyer Werft - Rollei - Sartorius - TUI - Volkswagen

Technology: Volkswagen

Transport: A 1 - A 2 - A 7 - A 22 -A 27 - A 28 - A 29 - A 30 - A 31 - A 38 - A 39 - A 250 - A 280 - A 293 - A 352 - Coastal Canal - Elbe Lateral Canal Mittelland Canal - Hamme-Oste Canal - Moor Express - Weser tunnel

Media, sport and tourism

Media

Press: Cellesche Zeitung - Göttinger Tageblatt - Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine

Radio: NDR

Sport

Basketball: Artland Dragons - BG 74 Göttingen - New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig - EWE Baskets Oldenburg

Ice hockey: Hannover Indians - Hannover Scorpions

Football: Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg - Eintracht Braunschweig - VfL Osnabrück - SV Arminia Hannover, SV Meppen, BV Cloppenburg, Eintracht Nordhorn - TSV Havelse, VfB Oldenburg

Handball: HSG Nordhorn, VfL Oldenburg

American Football: Braunschweig Lions

Tourism and places of interest: Butjadingen - Cloppenburg Museum Village - Cuxhaven - Celler Altstadt - Dümmer - East Frisian Islands - Goslar - Harz Mountains - Lüneburg Heath - Lüneburg's Altstadt - Steinhuder Meer - Teufelsmoor - Weser Uplands - Worpswede

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