Braunschweig (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁaʊnʃvaɪk]) or Brunswick (/ˈbrʌnzwɪk/ BRUNZ-wik, from Low German Brunswiek [ˈbrɔˑnsviːk], Braunschweig dialect: Bronswiek) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser. In 2016, it had a population of 250,704. Today, Brunswick is the second-largest city in Lower Saxony and a major centre of scientific research and development.