The (; ) or ; "Area below the " is located in the northeast of Lower Austria.
In the east, the borders Slovakia at the March River. In the south, it borders and , its limits being the , the Danube and the . Its western neighbor is , the traditional border being the . In the north, the is adjacent to the Czech Republic, more specifically Moravia. The river Thaya runs back and forth across the border.
The name is derived from viticulture; it is Austria's largest wine growing area. The most important grape varieties are:
Other important rivers are , , , , , , and .
Beside viticulture and agriculture, other industries contribute to the economy. Most notably, there are some oil fields in its eastern part, which are exploited by OMV and located in the "oil communities" of , , , and .
Important rail connections are Franz Josef Railway, the North railway and the East railway.
The following administrative districts of Lower Austria are considered to be parts of the