Lower Austria is the largest province of the Republic of Austria in terms of area. Lower Austria borders Upper Austria in the west, Styria in the south and Burgenland in the southeast. The province of Vienna is also surrounded by Lower Austria. The neighbouring countries are the Czech Republic in the north and Slovakia in the east. The provincial capital of Lower Austria has been St. Pölten since 1986. The federal state is divided regionally into the Weinviertel in the northwest, the Waldviertel in the northeast, the Industrieviertel in the southeast and the Mostviertel in the southwest. In the field of spatial planning, which divides Lower Austria into five main regions, there is also Lower Austria-Mitte. The province consists of 573 municipalities and is rich in cultural centres such as the Melk Abbey.