Editing Lower Saxony (section)

=== 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]].