The district is located at the border of
Saxony-Anhalt and extends from the southern edge of the
Lüneburg Heath () in the north to the suburbs of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg in the south. The
Aller River enters the district in the southeast, runs through the town of
Gifhorn, is joined by the
Ise and
Oker river and leaves the district in the west. The southern terminus of the
Elbe Lateral Canal at the
Mittellandkanal is at Edesbüttel in the district. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the district of
Helmstedt, the cities of
Wolfsburg and
Braunschweig, the districts of
Peine,
Hanover,
Celle and
Uelzen, and by the state of
Saxony-Anhalt (districts of
Altmarkkreis Salzwedel and
Börde). The lowest point of the administrative district Gifhorn lies at the
Aller near
Müden ( above sea level). The highest point lies in the north of the district near
Sprakensehl ( above sea level). ==History==