| Slochteren | |
| Settlement Type: | Village and former municipality |
| Map Alt: | Highlighted position of Slochteren in a municipal map of Groningen |
| Coordinates: | 53.2167°N 54°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Groningen |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Midden-Groningen |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 16.86 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | -1 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2,140 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Slochtenaar |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
| Postal Code: | 9621 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 0598 |
Slochteren (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈslɔxtərə(n)/) is a village and former municipality with a population of 15,546 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2018, Slochteren merged with Hoogezand-Sappemeer and Menterwolde, forming the municipality Midden-Groningen.
The former municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby towns like Hoogezand, Groningen and Delfzijl. The mansion Fraeylemaborg (a small 'castle', the oldest parts of which are dated in the Middle Ages) is located in Slochteren.
The population centres in the former municipality are:
Topographic map of the municipality of Slochteren, June 2015
Slochteren is in the center of the giant Groningen gas field, discovered in 1959, ensuring the position of the Netherlands as a major energy exporting country. The estimated gas reserves in 2009 was 2700km3.[3]