Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Land reclamation in the Netherlands has a long history. As early as in the 14th century, the first reclaimed land had been settled. [ 1 ] Much of the modern land reclamation has been done as a part of the Zuiderzee Works since 1919.
The Zuiderzee Works in the Netherlands divided the dangerous Zuiderzee, a shallow inlet of the North Sea, into the tame lakes of IJsselmeer and Markermeer, and created 1650 km 2 of land. A new study, commissioned after doubts arose over the financial feasibility of the project, recommended that work should continue and be accelerated.
This is illustrated by the saying "God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands". [2] The Dutch have a long history of reclamation of marshes and fenland, resulting in some 3,000 polders [3] nationwide. By 1961, about half of the country's land, 18,000 square kilometres (6,800 sq mi), was reclaimed from the sea.
Historical map of the Netherlands (1658) with the Zuyder Zee. The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (Dutch: [ˌzœydərˈzeː] ⓘ; old spelling Zuyderzee or Zuyder Zee), historically called Lake Almere and Lake Flevo, was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands. It extended about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 ...
Netherlands literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with 26% below sea level. [15] Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 14th century. [16]
Map of the Netherlands in Europe Relief map of the Netherlands in Europe. The geography of the European Netherlands is unusual in that much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, protected by dikes. It is a small country with a total area of 41,545 km 2 (16,041 sq mi) [1] and ranked 131st.
It is a major land reclamation project and provides a road connection between the North and West of the Netherlands. The highway on the Afsluitdijk was the initial demonstration site for a 130 km/h (81 mph) speed limit in the Netherlands.
The Flevopolder is an island polder forming the bulk of Flevoland, a province of the Netherlands. Created by land reclamation, its northeastern part was drained in 1955 and the remainder—the southwest—in 1968. Unlike other major polders, it is surrounded by lakes and below-sea-level channels.