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Saterland

Coordinates: 53°2′N 7°43′E / 53.033°N 7.717°E / 53.033; 7.717
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saterland
Seelterlound
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Flag of Saterland
Coat of arms of Saterland
Location of Saterland within Cloppenburg district
Cloppenburg (district)Lower SaxonyGarrelBöselFriesoytheBarßelSaterlandLöningenEssenCappelnLastrupLindernCloppenburgMolbergenEmstekOsnabrück (district)EmslandLeer (district)AmmerlandOldenburg (district)Vechta (district)
Saterland is located in Germany
Saterland
Saterland
Saterland is located in Lower Saxony
Saterland
Saterland
Coordinates: 53°2′N 7°43′E / 53.033°N 7.717°E / 53.033; 7.717
CountryGermany
StateLower Saxony
DistrictCloppenburg
Subdivisions4 districts
Government
 • Mayor (2018–23) Thomas Otto[1] (Greens)
Area
 • Total123.62 km2 (47.73 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total14,294
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
26683
Dialling codes0 44 92 (Scharrel, Sedelsberg) 0 44 98 (Ramsloh, Strücklingen)
Vehicle registrationCLP
Websitewww.saterland.de

Saterland (German pronunciation: [ˈzaːtɐˌlant]; Saterland Frisian: Seelterlound, pronounced [ˈseːltɐˌloːunt]) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in addition to German.

The municipality of Saterland was formed in 1974, when the smaller municipalities Strücklingen (Strukelje in Saterland Frisian), Ramsloh (Roomelse), Sedelsberg (Seeidelsbierich) and Scharrel (Schäddel) were merged.

A bilingual road sign in German and Saterland Frisian

History

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In medieval times, the Saterland was a sandy region occupying an area of about 15 km long by 1–4 km wide surrounded by marshes. It was settled between the 10th and 13th centuries by Frisians from East Frisia. Being relatively isolated, the inhabitants developed their own form of the East Frisian language, Saterland Frisian, which survives to this day. The "Saterfriesen," as the speakers of this language are called in German, are the smallest minority recognized by the federal government.

Notable places

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On the area of the municipality of Saterland is the VLF transmitter DHO38, a large VLF transmitter of the German Navy for sending commands to submarines.

References

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  1. ^ "Verzeichnis der direkt gewählten Bürgermeister/-innen und Landräte/Landrätinnen". Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen. April 2021.
  2. ^ "LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle A100001G: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2022" (in German). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.
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