Hanover, known in German as Hannover, serves as the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Situated at the confluence of the River Leine and its tributary the Ihme within the south of the North German Plain, it functions as a major administrative hub. The city lies northwest of the Harz mountains and acts as a critical crossing point for railway lines and motorways, connecting European main lines in both east-west and north-south directions across the region.