Saxony-Anhalt

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Saxony-Anhalt

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Statistics
Capital:	Magdeburg
Area:	20,447 km²
Inhabitants:	2,580,626(2001)
pop. density:	126 inh./km²
Website:	sachsen-anhalt.de
ISO 3166-2:	DE-ST
Politics
Minister-President:	Wolfgang Böhmer (CDU)
Ruling party:	CDU/SPD coalition
Map

Saxony-Anhalt (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 km², and a population of 2.6 million. Its capital is Magdeburg.

The state's name is sometimes spelled Saxony Anhalt in English (without the hyphen).

Geography

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 consists of plains and is therefore primarily agricultural, but in the southwest lie 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.

Administrative subdivision

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 (Regierungsbezirke) - 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.

History

In prehistoric times, the Elbe-Saale area was a centre of Funnelbeaker cultures. Although some of them (like the Baalberge group) are named after archeological sites in Saxony-Anhalt, they have also existed elsewhere in the Elbe catchment.

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.

Politics

List of minister presidents of Saxony-Anhalt

1945-1952

1945 - 1949: Erhard Hübener (LDPD)
1949 - 1952: Werner Bruschke (SED)

1990 to date

March 26, 2006 state election

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.

Party	Party List votes	Vote percentage	Total Seats	Seat percentage
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	326,712	36.2%	40	41.2%
The Left Party	217,285	24.1%	26	26.8%
Social Democratic Party (SPD)	192,754	21.4%	24	24.7%
Free Democratic Party (FDP)	60,207	6.7%	7	7.2%
Alliance '90/The Greens	32,118	3.6%	0	0.0%
German People's Union (DVU)	26,894	3.0%	0	0.0%
All Others	46,235	5.0%	0	0.0%
Totals	902,205	100.0%	97	100.0%

Problems

The state is infamous for neo-nazi activities, including anti-semetism and anti-americanism. Recently it has been in the news for the public burning of The Diary of Anne Frank during a village festival.

Economy

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.

Anthem

Lied für Sachsen-Anhalt ("Song for Saxony-Anhalt")

External links

Saxony-Anhalt | States of Germany | NUTS 1 Statistical Regions of Europe

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