Province of Hanover

	Hannover; Hanover
	Province of Prussia
Flag	Coat of arms
	The Province of Hanover (red), within the Kingdom of Prussia, within the German Empire
Capital	Hanover; 52°22′N 9°43′E / 52.367°N 9.717°ECoordinates: 52°22′N 9°43′E / 52.367°N 9.717°E
History
- Established	1868
- Disestablished	1946
	Area
- 1939	38,705 km² (14,944 sq mi)
	Population
- 1939	3,537,390
Density	91.4 /km² (236.7 /sq mi)
Political Subdivisions	Aurich; Hanover; Hildesheim; Lüneburg; Osnabrück; Stade;

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The Province of Hanover (German: Provinz Hannover) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.

During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation. After Hanover voted in favour of mobilising confederation troops against Prussia on 14 June 1866, Prussia saw this as a just cause for declaring war; the Kingdom of Hanover was soon dissolved and annexed by Prussia. The private wealth of the dethroned House of Hanover was then used by Otto von Bismarck to finance his continuing efforts against Ludwig II of Bavaria.

In 1946, the British military administration made the Province of Hanover the main part of the Bundesland of Lower Saxony - along with the states of Oldenburg, Brunswick, and Schaumburg-Lippe – with the city of Hanover as the capital of this new state.