Editing Harz (section)

==Geography==

=== Location and extent ===
[[File:Harz_map.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Map of the Harz mountains]]
[[File:BrockenTopFromWest.jpg|thumb|[[Sender Brocken]] at the summit in winter]]
The Harz has a length of {{Convert|110|km|mi}}, stretching from the town of [[Seesen]] in the northwest to [[Eisleben]] in the east, and a width of {{Convert|35|km|mi}}. It occupies an area of {{Convert|2226|sqkm|sqmi}}, and is divided into the '''[[Upper Harz]]''' (''Oberharz'') in the northwest, which is up to 800 m high, apart from the 1,100 m high Brocken massif, and the '''Lower Harz''' (''Unterharz'') in the east which is up to around 400 m high and whose plateaus are capable of supporting arable farming.

The following districts (''Kreise'') fall wholly or partly within the Harz: [[Landkreis Goslar|Goslar]] and [[Landkreis Göttingen|Göttingen]] in the west, [[Landkreis Harz|Harz]] and [[Landkreis Mansfeld-Südharz|Mansfeld-Südharz]] in the north and east, and [[Landkreis Nordhausen|Nordhausen]] in the south. The districts of the Upper Harz are Goslar and Göttingen (both in Lower Saxony), whilst the Lower Harz is on the territory of  Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz districts (both in Saxony-Anhalt). The Upper Harz is generally higher and features [[fir]] forests, whilst the Lower Harz gradually descends into the surrounding area and has deciduous forests interspersed with meadows.

The dividing line between Upper and Lower Harz follows approximately a line from [[Ilsenburg]] to [[Bad Lauterberg im Harz|Bad Lauterberg]], which roughly separates the catchment areas for the [[Weser]] (Upper Harz) and [[Elbe]] (Lower Harz). Only on the southeastern perimeter of the Upper Harz, which is also called the '''High Harz''' (''Hochharz'') (Goslar, Göttingen and Harz districts), does the mountain range exceed {{Höhe|1000|DE-NN}} on the Brocken massif. Its highest peak is the Brocken (1,141&nbsp;m), its subsidiary peaks are the [[Heinrichshöhe]] (1,044&nbsp;m) to the southeast and the [[Königsberg (Brocken)|Königsberg]] (1,023&nbsp;m) to the southwest. Other prominent hills in the Harz are the Acker-[[Bruchberg]] ridge (927&nbsp;m), the [[Achtermannshöhe]] (925&nbsp;m) and the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]] (971&nbsp;m) near [[Braunlage]]. In the far east, the mountains merge into the East Harz foothills (Harz district, Saxony-Anhalt), which are dominated by the Selke Valley. Part of the south Harz lies in the Thuringian district of Nordhausen.

The [[Harz National Park]] is located in the Harz; the [[protected area]] covers the Brocken and surrounding wilderness area.
Approximately 600,000 people live in towns and villages of the Harz Mountains.

=== Rivers and lakes ===
[[File:Rappbode3.jpeg|thumb|Reservoir behind the [[Wendefurth Dam]]]]
[[File:Bodetal2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bode Gorge]]]]

Because of the heavy rainfall in the region the rivers of the Harz Mountains were dammed from an early date. Examples of such masonry dams are the two largest: the [[Oker Dam]] and the [[Rappbode Dam]]. The clear, cool water of the mountain streams was also dammed by early mountain folk to form the various mountain ponds of the Upper Harz waterways, such as the [[Oderteich]].

The 17 dams in the Harz block a total of twelve rivers. Because the Harz is one of the regions of Germany that experiences the most rainfall, its water power was used from early times. Today the dams are primarily used to [[Electricity generation|generate electricity]], to provide [[drinking water]], to [[Flood control|prevent flooding]] and to supply water in times of scarcity. Modern dam-building began in the Harz with the construction of the [[Söse Valley Dam]], which was built between 1928 and 1931. The dams of the Upper Harz lakes are some of the oldest dams in Germany that are still in operation.

→ ''See [[List of dams in the Harz]]''

The largest rivers in the Harz are the [[Innerste]], the [[Oker]] and the [[Bode (river)|Bode]] in the north; the [[Wipper (Harz)|Wipper]] in the east; and the [[Oder (Harz)|Oder]] in the south. The Innerste merges into the [[Leine]] and its tributaries are the [[Nette (Innerste)|Nette]] and the [[Grane (river)|Grane]]. The rivers [[Radau (river)|Radau]], [[Ecker]] and [[Ilse (Oker)|Ilse]] all discharge into the Oker. The [[Hassel (river)|Hassel]], the [[Selke (river)|Selke]] and the [[Holtemme]] (whose main tributary is the [[Zillierbach]]) flow into the Bode. The Wipper is fed by the [[Eine (river)|Eine]]. The Rhume is joined by the [[Söse]] and the Oder; the latter being fed by the [[Sieber (river)|Sieber]]. The [[Zorge (river)|Zorge]], the [[Wieda (river)|Wieda]] and the [[Uffe (Wieda)|Uffe]] all flow into the Helme.
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=== Hills===
→ ''See [[List of mountains in the Harz|List of hills in the Harz]]''
→ ''See [[Harzklippen|List of rock formations (crags, tors, etc.) in the Harz]]''
{{Wide image|AchtermannBrockenWurmbergPanorama.jpg|1800px|Panorama in the Harz Mountains. From left to right: the peaks of the Rehberg, the Achtermannshöhe, the Brocken and the Wurmberg.}}

=== Climate ===
Climatically a hill range has lower temperatures and higher levels of precipitation than the surrounding land. The Harz is characterised by regular precipitation throughout the year. Exposed to westerly winds from the Atlantic, heavy with rain, the windward side of the mountains has up to 1,600&nbsp;mm of rain annually (West Harz, Upper Harz, High Harz); in contrast, the leeward side only receives an average of 600&nbsp;mm of precipitation per annum (East Harz, Lower Harz, Eastern Harz foothills).

<gallery>
File:Klimadiagramm-Brocken (Harz)-Deutschland-metrisch-deutsch.png|Brocken (windward)
File:Klimadiagramm-Braunlage-Deutschland-metrisch-deutsch.png|Braunlage (windward)
File:Klimadiagramm-deutsch-Vatterode-Graefenstuhl (ST)-Deutschland.png|Mansfeld (leeward)
</gallery>