Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Open Countryside
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Wenige Menschen, viel Natur (deutsche Version)
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (in German: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is one of 16 existing federal states and is located in the north-east of Germany. Back when Germany was divided into two different parts, it belonged to the DDR (former German Democratic Republic). Today only about 1,6 million people live there, making it the least populated federal state in Germany.
While the Baltic Sea works as a natural border to the north, Poland is the neighbouring country to the east. The largest city is Rostock, which lies by the sea-side. Although smaller, the city of Schwerin is Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's capital.
Beautiful landscapes of the north-east
The countryside is defined by open landscapes. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to three different national parks and hundreds of nature reserves, which is more than in any other German state. The Baltic Sea as well as the Mecklenburg Lakes are especially well known. The lakeland covers an area of about 230 Kilometers in length and consists of more than 1.000 big and small lakes. In total, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern even counts more than 2.000 lakes.
The sea buckthorn - a culinary specialty
Most of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's population lives close to the Baltic Sea. This is partly due to the fact that many people work in tourism or the maritime business. A plant by the name of sea buckthorn (in German: Sanddorn) is a specialty of the regional cuisine. It is also referred to as "lemon of the north", and its small, orange berries are made into jam, juice, and liqueur.
