Saxony-Anhalt
German Sachsen-anhalt,
Land (state), east-central Germany. Saxony-Anhalt had its origins in the principality of Anhalt, which was a duchy from 1863 to 1918 and a Land of Germany from 1918 until 1945, when it became part of Saxony-Anhalt. The latter was a newly created Land of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1949 until 1952, at which time it was broken up into the Bezirke (districts) of Magdeburg and Halle. Upon the reunification of East with West Germany in 1990, the post-World War II Land of Saxony-Anhalt was reconstituted to include former Magdeburg and most of Halle Bezirke, as well as a small part of Cottbus Bezirk. It has an area of 7,894 square miles (20,445 square km). The capital is Magdeburg.
The Elbe River flows through the eastern and northern portions of Saxony-Anhalt, while the Land's southern portion is drained by two of the Elbe's tributaries, the Saale and Mulde rivers. The sandy plains of the valley of the Elbe are interspersed with farmlands, pastures, pine forests, and bog lands. The southwest portion of the Land merges with the foothills of the Harz Mountains. The central portion of Saxony-Anhalt is occupied by the Fläming Heide (heath) and the fertile Börde region, which extends from the Harz foothills in the southwest to the Elbe at Magdeburg. Apart from the valley of the northward-flowing Elbe, the northernmost segment of the Land mostly consists of the Altmark heathland.
The fertile lowlands of the Börde region and of the Saale and Mulde river valleys support the cultivation of wheat, alfalfa, and sugar beets. This productive agriculture has given rise to important local food-processing industries, especially sugar-refining and flour-milling. Cattle are also raised. The heathlands are only thinly populated by comparison, producing some rye, potatoes, and cattle. Significant quantities of lignite (brown coal), rock salt, iron ore, and potash are mined in the Land.
The densely populated Börde region has an excellent rail and road network, and commerce in the Land in general is furthered by its navigable rivers. The city of Magdeburg, along the Elbe, is an important inland port that is connected to western Germany's inland navigation system by the Mittelland Canal. Magdeburg has food-processing and metalworking industries. The city of Halle, in the south, is an important rail junction and has varied food-processing industries, as well as chemical and metallurgical plants. Among the other cities in Saxony-Anhalt are Dessau, Halberstadt, Wittenberg, Stendal, and Merseburg. Pop. (1989 est.) 3,004,456.
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Sources
- Encylopedia Britannica 2002, Expanded Edition DVD
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