The Wümme Depression is a bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

, geest

Geest (topography)

Geest is a type of slightly raised landscape that occurs in the plains of in Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils, usually mantled by a heathland vegetation, comprising glacial deposits left behind after the last ice age during the...

 and forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 landscape within the Elbe-Weser Triangle

Elbe-Weser Triangle

The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"...

 in the German state of Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

. It belongs mainly to the district of Rotenburg. It has no sharply defined boundary with the Lüneburg Heath

Lüneburg Heath

The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...

; as a result many places are seen as belonging to both regions. Typical of the gently undulating terrain are the many small rivers, streams and lakes. Those worth mentioning here include the rivers Wümme, Wieste

Wieste (river)

Wieste is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...

, Fintau

Fintau

Fintau is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany....

, Rodau

Rodau (Wümme)

The Rodau is a left-hand tributary of the River Wiedau in the north German state of Lower Saxony, that enters the Wiedau shortly before its confluence with the Wümme...

, Wiedau

Wiedau

The Wiedau is a left-hand tributary of the Wümme in the north German state of Lower Saxony. The river begins near Bellen in the vicinity of Hemslingen in the district of Rotenburg at the confluence of the Hahnenbach and the Mehlandsbach, flows through the collective municipality of Bothel, a...

 and Vissel

Vissel

The Vissel is a stream on the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany, that rises at Visselhövede and flows into the Rodau southwest of Bothel....

, as well as the twin lakes known in German as the Bullenseen. In this ancient landscape Low German

Low German

Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

 is commonly spoken.

The Wümme Depression is designated by the European Environment Agency

European Environment Agency

European Environment Agency is an agency of the European Union. Its task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. It is a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public...

 (EEA) as a Special Area of Conservation

Special Area of Conservation

A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...

 (SAC), no. DE2723331, within their Natura 2000

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...

 ecological network

Ecological network

An ecological network is a representation of the biotic interactions in an ecosystem, in which species are connected by pairwise interactions . These interactions can be trophic or symbiotic...

.
The SAC has an area of 8578.95 hectares (33.1 sq mi).

The villages and towns of the Wümme Depression are:

• Rotenburg (Wümme)
• Scheeßel
  Scheeßel
  Scheeßel is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Wümme, approx. 10 km northeast of Rotenburg, 45 km east of Bremen, and 70 km southwest of Hamburg....
  
  
• Lauenbrück
  Lauenbrück
  Lauenbrück is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Lauenbrück belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, established in 1180...
  
  
• Fintel
  Fintel
  Fintel is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Fintel is located on the Wümme, a tributary of the Weser River, and has about 3,000 inhabitants.Fintel belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, established in 1180...
  
  
• Gyhum
  Gyhum
  Gyhum is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Gyhum belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian...
  
  
• Sottrum
  Sottrum
  Sottrum is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km west of Rotenburg, and 30 km east of Bremen.Sottrum belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, established in 1180...
  
  
• Ahausen
  Ahausen
  Ahausen is a village in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Ahausen is administratively part of the collective community of Sottrum.-Attractions:The Evangelical Lutheran church is the village's landmark...
  
  
• Ottersberg
  Ottersberg
  Ottersberg is a municipality in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km north of Verden, and 28 km east of Bremen.-History:Ottersberg belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180...
  
  
• Fischerhude
• Bothel
  Bothel
  Bothel is a small town in the district of Rotenburg, Germany in the Luneburg Heath region of central Lower Saxony. It has 2,500 inhabitants. Bothel was founded by workers of the nearby Trochel Forest. The name developed from Borstel which is Old Saxon and means "little woods".Bothel belonged to the...
  
  
• Visselhövede
  Visselhövede
  Visselhövede is a town in the district of Rotenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. Nearby towns include the district capital Rotenburg, Walsrode and Verden. Larger cities within a 100 km radius are Bremen, Hanover and Hamburg....