Facts and Figures on the Realm of Water

Facts and figures on the realm of water

Around 9.2 % of the state’s area is made up of water. The largest inland water is the Steinhuder Meer, at around 30 km² in size – a paradise for sailors, windsurfers and kiteboarders. Just half this size is Lake Dümmer, near Osnabrück. The most important navigable waterways in this “land of three rivers” are the Elbe, Weser and Ems. Innumerable ditches, rivers and canals with a total length of 30,000 kilometres criss-cross the state.

Running from the Weserbergland to the Nordsee, the Weser at 379 kilometres in length is Niedersachsen’s longest river, followed by the sections of the Elbe (262 kilometres) and the Ems (241 kilometres). In addition to the natural river network, canals have been constructed for shipping - the Mittelland canal, the Dortmund-Ems canal and the Elbe-Seiten canal are important waterways for inland shipping. On the North Sea coast there is a unique conservation area, covering an area of some 2,400 km² - the natural world has absolute top priority in Niedersachsen’s Wadden Sea national park. You can take a look at the changing tides and the diverse animal life, from lugworms to seals, on a walk among the tidal flats.

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