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State capital: Magdeburg
Population: 2.8 million
Area: 20,455 sq km

The western-most of those states which once formed the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or East Germany, Saxony-Anhalt and its neighbor, Saxony, share a common history.

Indeed, it was consided part of Saxony until 1947, when the Russians made it a separate state.

And then, in 1952, it was abolished, not to be set up again until the reunification of Germany. However, the history of the region is long. Catherine the Great, the queen of Russia, was descended from the former rulers of Anhalt.

The capital at Magdesburg has a medieval cathedral which contains the body of Emperor Otto I. Halle, however, is the largest city in the state. The legacy of Soviet rule remains here, as their disregard for the environment left massive amounts of pollution in the area.

Today, massive projects are being undertaken to clean up the mess they left behind. Eisleben, the birthplace of Martin Luther, and Wittenberg, where he began his preaching and posted the 95 theses, are both in Saxony - Anhalt.

1996 was a momentous year for the people of the state, as it was the 450th anniversary of Martin Luther's death.

To learn more about Germany's states, read our articles:

Baden Wurttemberg - Bavaria - Berlin - Brandenburg - Bremen - Hamburg - Hesse (Frankfurt) - Mecklenburg - Western Pomerania - Lower Saxony - North Rhine Westphalia - Rhineland Palatinate - Saarland - Saxony - Germany - Saxony - Anhalt - Schleswig Holstein - Thuringen