(in
German , '''''Sachsen-Anhalt''''') is one of the sixteen
''Bundesländer'' (federal states) that make up the
Federal Republic Of Germany . It has an area of 20,447
Km&2 , and a population of 2.6 million. Its capital is
Magdeburg .
The state's name is sometimes spelled in English (ie, without the hyphen).
Lying to the northeast of central Germany, it is eighth largest in area and (since
1996 ) tenth in population among the country's sixteen ''Bundesländer''. It borders on the states of
Lower Saxony to the northwest,
Brandenburg to the east,
Saxony to the southeast and
Thuringia to the southwest.
Most of the state is plain and agriculturally used, but in the southwest there is the eastern part of the
Harz mountains. The main river of Saxony-Anhalt is the
Elbe , running through the state from southeast to northwest. The second largest river, the
Saale , is a tributary of the Elbe.
See also
List Of Places In Saxony-Anhalt .
is divided into 21 (rural) counties (''Landkreise''),
and three independent cities (''Stadtkreise''),
From
1990 to
2003 Saxony-Anhalt was divided into three districts (''
Regierungsbezirk e'') -
Dessau ,
Halle and
Magdeburg . On
January 1 ,
2004 these three districts were abolished, and the 24 counties have since constituted the primary divisions of the state.
A reform to reduce the number of counties is currently planned. Becoming effective in July 2007 there are supposed to be only 11 counties and 3 independent cities.
The state was created in
1990 , shortly before German reunification, covering much the same area as an earlier unit (
1947 -
1952 ) comprising the former
Anhalt , the former
Prussian Province Of Saxony and some small exclaves of the former
Brunswick-Lüneburg . The state and its larger cities have lost population since
1989 with migration to the former
West Germany .
# (
LDPD )
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SED )
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CDU )
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SPD )
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''See also:
Saxony-Anhalt State Election, 2006 ''
Minister-president
Wolfgang Böhmer (CDU) could not continue his coalition with the FDP and negotiated a
Grand Coalition with the SPD instead.
Saxony Anhalt is famous for its good soil. The "Magdeburger Börde" contains the best soil in all of Germany and some of the best of Europe. The food industry has an important role in this state. Some of the best known products are "Baumkuchen" from Salzwedel (Altmark) or "Hallorenkugeln" from Halle.
In the industrial sector the chemical industry is quite important. One of the biggest chemical producing areas can be found around the cities of Wolfen and Bitterfeld. Because of the chemical industry Saxony Anhalt is also the largest receiver of FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) in all of eastern Germany.
