Editing Cloppenburg (district)

{{Short description|District in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{Infobox District DE
| name=Cloppenburg
| state=Lower Saxony
| capital=[[Cloppenburg]]
| area=1418
| Kreisschlüssel    = 03453
| district_admin    = Johann Wimberg
| admin_party       = CDU
| carsign=CLP
| url= [http://www.lkclp.de lkclp.de]
| map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1197}}
|image_coa = DEU Landkreis Cloppenburg COA.svg
|image_flag = Flagge Landkreis Cloppenburg.svg
}}

'''Cloppenburg''' is a district in [[Lower Saxony]], [[Germany]]. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of [[Ammerland]], [[Oldenburg (district)|Oldenburg]], [[Vechta (district)|Vechta]], [[Osnabrück (district)|Osnabrück]], [[Emsland]] and [[Leer (district)|Leer]].

[[File:factory-farming.jpg|thumb|Factory farming near Hemmelte]]
[[File:Biogasanlage-01.jpg|thumb|Biogas production near Sevelten]]Like the neighbouring [[Vechta (district)|Vechta]] district, it is well known for [[factory farming]], especially of turkeys and pigs. These two districts are also known as the ''Schweinegürtel'' (“pig belt”). The ground is mostly of poor quality. The mass import of animal food made factory farming possible. With the help of liquid manure, corn is grown, which is also used for a growing production of [[biogas]].<ref>Wilking, Johannes und Manfred Kayser: Biogaserzeugung im Oldenburger Münsterland - Entwicklungen und Perspektiven. In: Jahrbuch für das Oldenburger Münsterland 2011. Vechta 2010, S. 196-219</ref>

== History ==
The region was part of the [[County of Tecklenburg]] in medieval times. It was then for a long time (1400-1803) property of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Münster]]. In 1803 it was annexed by [[Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]] and remained a part of Oldenburg until 1945. The district was established in 1933.

In terms of political history, both Cloppenburg and neighbouring Vechta are, as one of the few historically Catholic districts in an otherwise majority-Protestant state, some of the most conservative areas in Germany. The federal constituency [[Cloppenburg – Vechta]] is frequently the Christian Democratic Union's safest constituency, winning a majority in all but two elections since WWII.

The district, alongside neighborging Vechta, have due to their large Catholic population the highest birth rates and lowest median ages in Germany.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schröder |first=Miriam |date=2006-03-24 |title=Kinderparadies: Der Cloppenburg-Faktor |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/kinderparadies-der-cloppenburg-faktor-a-407570.html |access-date=2024-04-21 |work=Der Spiegel |language=de |issn=2195-1349}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Demografieportal - Niedersachsen - Demografisches Profil |url=https://www.demografie-portal.de/DE/Politik/Niedersachsen/laendermonate-demografisches-profil.html |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=www.demografie-portal.de}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Thuelsfelder-Talsperre-1.jpg|thumb|At the Thülsfelde Reservoir]]The district comprises the western portion of a historical region called '''[[Oldenburger Münsterland|Oldenburgisches Münsterland]]''', which means "lands of Oldenburg formerly held by Münster". It is a plain countryside, which was originally swampy and full of tiny rivers and brooks.

The [[Thülsfelde Reservoir]] is an artificial lake that was built between 1924 and 1927 in order to prevent floods in the area. Today it is a major tourist attraction with several camping sites and a youth hostel.

==Coat of arms==
The [[coat of arms]] displays:
* top left and top right: the cross as well as the red stripes are part of the arms of Oldenburg
* bottom left: three water lilly leaves made up the arms of Tecklenburg
* bottom right: red and yellow are the colours of Münster

Its [[blazon]] is: "Quarterly; I: Or, two bars Gules; II: Azure, a [[cross]] Or; III: Argent, three [[Nymphaeaceae|water lily]] [[leaf|leaves]] Gules; IV: Or, a [[fess]] Gules".

== Towns and municipalities ==
{{Imagemap Germany district CLP|Municipalities in CLP.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}left{{!}}Clickable map of municipalities in the district}}

{|
! Towns
! Municipalities
|- valign=top
|
# [[Cloppenburg]]
# [[Friesoythe]]
# [[Löningen]]
|
# [[Barßel]]
# [[Bösel]]
# [[Cappeln]]
# [[Emstek]]
# [[Essen (Oldenburg)|Essen]]
|
<ol start=6>
<li>[[Garrel]]
<li>[[Lastrup]]
<li>[[Lindern]]
<li>[[Molbergen]]
<li>[[Saterland]]
</ol>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Landkreis Cloppenburg}}
* [http://www.lkclp.de Official website] {{in lang|de}}

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|52.83|8.0|display=title|format=dms}}

[[Category:Cloppenburg (district)| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Lower Saxony]]