Editing Lower Saxony (section)

== Geography ==
{{See also|List of cities in Lower Saxony by population}}
{{further interlanguage link|List of cities and municipalities in Lower Saxony|de|Liste der Städte und Gemeinden in Niedersachsen}}
{{further interlanguage link|List of regions and regional associations in Lower Saxony|de|Landschaften und Landschaftsverbände in Niedersachsen}}

=== Location ===
Lower Saxony has a natural boundary in the north in the North Sea and the [[Unterelbe|lower]] and middle reaches of the [[River Elbe]], although parts of the city of Hamburg lie south of the Elbe. The state and city of Bremen is an [[enclave]] entirely surrounded by Lower Saxony. The [[Bremen/Oldenburg Metropolitan Region]] is a cooperative body for the enclave area. To the southeast, the state border runs through the Harz, low mountains that are part of the German [[Central Uplands]]. The northeast and west of the state, which form roughly three-quarters of its land area, belong to the North German Plain, while the south is in the [[Lower Saxon Hills]], including the [[Weser Uplands]], [[Leine Uplands]], [[Schaumburg Land]], [[Brunswick Land]], [[Untereichsfeld]], [[Elm (ridge)|Elm]], and [[Lappwald]]. In the northeast of Lower Saxony is the Lüneburg Heath. The heath is dominated by the poor, sandy soils of the [[geest (topography)|geest]], while in the central-east and southeast in the [[Hildesheimer Börde|loess ''börde'' zone]], productive soils with high natural fertility occur. Under these conditions—with [[loam]] and [[sand]]-containing soils—the land is well-developed [[agricultural]]ly. In the west lie the [[Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim|County of Bentheim]], [[Osnabrück Land]], [[Emsland]], [[Oldenburg Land]], [[Landkreis Ammerland|Ammerland]], [[Oldenburg Münsterland]], and on the coast [[East Frisia]].

[[File:Luftaufnahmen Nordseekueste 2012-05-by-RaBoe-D50 105.jpg|thumb|[[Wangerooge]]]]
The state is dominated by several large northwards-flowing rivers, including the [[Ems (river)|Ems]], [[Weser]], [[Aller (Germany)|Aller]], and the Elbe.

The highest point in Lower Saxony is the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]] ({{convert|971|m|disp=or}}) in the Harz. Most of the [[List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony|significant hills and mountains]] are found in the southeastern part of the state. The lowest point in the state, at about {{convert|2.5|m|disp=or}} below sea level, is a depression near [[Freepsum]] in East Frisia.

The state's economy, population, and infrastructure are centred on the cities and towns of Hanover, Stadthagen, Celle, Braunschweig, {{Lang|de|Wolfsburg|italic=no}}, Hildesheim, and Salzgitter. Together with Göttingen in southern Lower Saxony, they form the core of the [[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region]].

=== Regions ===

==== General ====
Lower Saxony has clear regional divisions that manifest themselves geographically, as well as historically and culturally. In the regions that used to be independent, especially the heartlands of the former states of [[Free State of Brunswick|Brunswick]], [[Land Hannover|Hanover]], [[Oldenburg (state)|Oldenburg]] and [[Schaumburg-Lippe]], a marked local regional awareness exists. By contrast, the areas surrounding the Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Hamburg are much more oriented towards those centres.

==== List of regions ====

Sometimes, overlaps and transition areas happen between the various regions of Lower Saxony. Several of the regions listed here are part of other, larger regions, that are also included in the list.

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Altes Land]]
* [[Landkreis Ammerland|Ammerland]]
* [[Artland (landscape)|Artland]]
* [[Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim|County of Bentheim]]
* [[Bramgau]]
* [[Brunswick Land]]
* [[Calenberg Land]]
* [[Eastphalia]]
* [[East Frisia]]
* [[Eichsfeld]]
* [[Elbe-Weser Triangle]]
* [[Emsland]]
* [[Grönegau]]
* [[Land Hadeln]]
* [[Land Wursten]]
* [[Hannover]]
* [[Harz Mountains]]
* [[Hildesheim Börde]]
* [[Hümmling]]
* [[Innerste Uplands]]
* [[Kehdingen]]
* [[Leine Uplands]]
* [[Lüneburg Heath]]
* [[Middle Weser Region]]
* [[Oldenburg Land]]
* [[Oldenburg Münsterland]]
* [[Osnabrück Land]]
* [[Schaumburg Land]]
* [[Solling]]
* [[South Lower Saxony]]
* [[Stade Geest]]
* [[Hanoverian Wendland|Wendland]]
* [[Weser Uplands]]
* [[Wesermarsch]]
* [[Wümme Depression]]
{{div col end}}

Just under 20% of the land area of Lower Saxony is designated as nature parks, i.e.: [[Dümmer Nature Park|Dümmer]], [[Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park|Elbhöhen-Wendland]], [[Elm-Lappwald Nature Park|Elm-Lappwald]], [[Harz]], [[Lüneburg Heath Nature Park|Lüneburger Heide]], [[Münden Nature Park|Münden]], [[TERRA.vita Nature Park|Terra.vita]], [[Solling-Vogler Nature Park|Solling-Vogler]], [[Steinhuder Meer Nature Park|Lake Steinhude]], [[Südheide Nature Park|Südheide]], [[Weser Uplands Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park|Weser Uplands]], [[Wildeshausen Geest]], [[Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park|Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen]].<ref>[http://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=8360&article_id=46163&_psmand=26 Naturparks in Niedersachsen, as at 31 December 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719065917/http://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=8360&article_id=46163&_psmand=26 |date=19 July 2011 }}. Retrieved 26 August 2010.</ref>

=== Climate ===

Lower Saxony falls climatically into the [[Temperateness|north temperate zone]] of central Europe that is affected by prevailing [[Westerlies]] and is located in a transition zone between the [[maritime climate]] of [[Western Europe]] and the [[continental climate]] of [[Eastern Europe]]. This transition is clearly noticeable within the state: while the northwest experiences an Atlantic (North Sea coastal) to Sub-Atlantic climate, with comparatively low variations in temperature during the course of the year and a surplus water budget, the climate towards the southeast is increasingly affected by the Continent. This is clearly shown by greater temperature variations between the summer and winter halves of the year and in lower and more variable amounts of precipitation across the year. This sub-continental effect is most sharply seen in the Wendland, in the Weser Uplands (Hamelin to Göttingen) and in the area of Helmstedt. The highest levels of precipitation are experienced in the Harz because the Lower Saxon part forms the [[Windward and leeward|windward side]] of this mountain range against which [[orographic rain]] falls. The average annual temperature is {{convert|8|°C}}; {{convert|7.5|°C}} in the {{Lang|de|[[Altes Land]]|italic=no}} and {{convert|8.5|°C}} in the [[Kreis Cloppenburg#Climate|district of Cloppenburg]].