East Munsterland Sands
According to the handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany, the Ostmünsterländer sands are a natural spatial sub-unit of the Ems sand plain in the main unit group Westphalian Bight in North Rhine-Westphalia . With the exception of the Delbrücker Ridge, a gentle 15 kilometer long ridge , the valley sand landscape is almost level and is divided by numerous small, mostly moist lowlands and the valley floodplain of the Ems .
The approximately 400 km² large natural area is mostly within the Gütersloh district , where it includes the cities of Gütersloh, Verl, Rietberg, the eastern urban areas of Harsewinkel (Marienfeld) and Rheda-Wiedenbrück ( Rhedaer Forst ) and most of Langenberg. In the east and south, in the Paderborn district , it has a share in the areas west of Hövelhof and north of Delbrück, and in the southwest in the Warendorf district of the Wadersloh municipality.
In the west there are several small forests, otherwise the landscape is largely free of forests except for small islands. It is used heavily for agriculture, with arable land predominating in the south, while more grassland is found in the north.
The Ostmünsterländer Sands are structured as follows according to the manual of the natural spatial structure of Germany:
- 540.20 Upper Lippe Valley
- 540.21 Benteler lowlands
- 540.22 Grubebach lowland
- 540.23 Delbrücker Ridge (see Delbrücker Land )
- 540.24 Rietberger Ems valley
- 540.25 Neuenkirchen sand plain
- 540.26 Gütersloh sand plain