Lower Austria (Niederösterreich, Dolní Rakousy) is one of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria (since 1986) is Sankt Pölten — the most recent capital town in Austria. Prior to 1986, the capital of Lower Austria was Vienna, even though Vienna is not properly part of Lower Austria. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of 1.6 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).