Lower Austria 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. It was Vienna before, even though Vienna is not part of proper Lower Austria. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of almost 1.5 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).