knowledge Overview
Saxony-Anhalt lies in the centre of eastern Germany, stretching from the Altmark to the Harz. The state capital is Magdeburg, which is also the largest city alongside Halle (Saale). The state covers around 20,460 km² and has about 2.18 million inhabitants (2022 census). Its ISO-3166-2 code is DE-ST. Saxony-Anhalt joined the Federal Republic in 1990 in the course of reunification.
Administrative divisions
The three government regions re-established after 1990 – Dessau, Halle and Magdeburg – were dissolved on 1 January 2004. Below the state level, since the 2007 district reform there have been eleven rural districts and 3 urban districts (Dessau-Roßlau, Halle (Saale), Magdeburg).
Major cities
- Magdeburg (around 240,000 inhabitants)
- Halle (Saale) (around 215,000 inhabitants)
- Dessau-Roßlau (around 76,000 inhabitants)
Transport
Magdeburg and Halle (Saale) lie on the important east–west and north–south rail and motorway axes (A 2, A 4, A 9, A 14); Halle is connected to Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Economy
Important are the chemical industry in the Central German Chemical Triangle (Dow in Schkopau), mechanical engineering, agriculture and a growing photovoltaic and battery industry.