I.

Introduction

Schleswig-Holstein, state in northern Germany, bounded on the north by Denmark, on the east by the Baltic Sea and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on the south by Hamburg and Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), and on the west by the North Sea. It includes a number of islands in the Baltic and North seas. Kiel is the capital and largest city. Lübeck and Flensburg are the other main cities. The state contains the lower half of the Jutland Peninsula, which is part of the northern German plain. The low, harborless western coast is mainly reclaimed marsh. The center of the peninsula is a sandy upland, which rises to the steep, rocky eastern coast. This coast is cut by numerous long, narrow inlets. The main rivers are the Eider and the Elbe. The Nord-Ostsee-Kanal extends southwest from Kiel Bay to the Elbe River. There are a number of lakes in the northeast. Area, 15,769 sq km (6,088 sq mi); population 2,823,000 (2004 estimate).