Harz

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Harz
Highest point
Peak	Brocken
Elevation	1,141.2 m (3,744 ft)
Dimensions
Length	110 km (68 mi)
Area	2,226 km2 (859 sq mi)
Geography
Topographic map of the Harz Mountains
State	Germany Lower Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Thuringia
Range coordinates	51°45′N 10°38′E / 51.750°N 10.633°E / 51.750; 10.633
Parent range	Central Uplands
Geology
Orogeny	Hercynian
Age of rock	oldest rock > 560 million years (Ecker gneiss-educt), youngest pre-quaternary rocks c. 290 million years (Brocken granite)
Type of rock	Paleozoic sedimentary, metamorphic and magmatic rocks – mainly slate, grauwacke, granite

The Harz (German: [haːɐ̯ts] ^ⓘ) is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart (hill forest). The name Hercynia derives from a Celtic name and could refer to other mountain forests, but has also been applied to the geology of the Harz. The Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz with an elevation of 1,141.1 metres (3,744 ft) above sea level. The Wurmberg (971 metres (3,186 ft)) is the highest peak located entirely within the state of Lower Saxony.