Lower Austria

Lower Austria
Lower Austria; Niederösterreich
	— State of Austria —
; Flag	; Coat of arms
Country	Austria
Capital	Sankt Pölten
	Government
- Governor	Erwin Pröll (ÖVP)
	Area
- Total	19,174 km2 (7,403.1 sq mi)
	Population
- Total	1,588,545
- Density	82.8/km2 (214.6/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code	AT-3
NUTS Region	AT1
Votes in Bundesrat	12 (of 62)
Website	www.noe.gv.at

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Lower Austria (German: Niederösterreich) is the northeast state of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten (most recent capital town in Austria), but formerly, the capital of Lower Austria was Vienna, even though Vienna is not properly part of Lower Austria. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of 1.6 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).

[edit] Geography

Located east of Upper Austria, Lower Austria derives its name from where it is situated on the Danube River, which flows from west to east. The state borders on Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and on the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Styria and Burgenland. The state surrounds Vienna.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Austria

The history of Lower Austria is very similar to the History of Austria. Many castles are located in Lower Austria. Klosterneuburg Abbey, located here, is one of the oldest abbeys in Austria. Also, before World War II, Lower Austria had the largest number of Jews.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Lower Austria is divided into four regions: Waldviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel, and Weinviertel. The Wachau valley, situated between Melk and Krems in the Mostviertel region, is famous for its landscape, culture, and wine.

Administratively, the state is divided into 21 districts (Bezirke), and four Statutarstädte. In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria.

Map of Lower Austria showing districts and the four quarters (Waldviertel in green, Weinviertel in red, Mostviertel in yellow and Industrieviertel in blue)