The Elbe river flows through the glacially shaped Northern German Plain in a glacial valley up to 20 km in width; the whole biosphere reserve covers approximately 400 km of its length, the Brandenburg section covers about 70 km. Impounding measures, which had commenced in Medieval times, today limit the natural floodplain to a width of between one and three kilometres. In addition to the remaining alluvial plain, lowlands in which peatlands have formed, extensive areas of Talsand and dune systems can be found.

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