The Netherlands

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The Netherlands

■ Area: 16,033 sq m (41,526 sq km) / World Rank: 134
■ Location: Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
■ Coordinates: 52°30′N, 5°45′E
■ Borders: 638 mi (1,027 km) / Germany, 359 mi (577 km); Belgium, 280 mi (450 km)
■ Coastline: 280 mi (451 km)
■ Territorial Seas: 12 NM
■ Highest Point: Vaalserberg, 1,053 ft (321 m)
■ Lowest Point: Prins Alexanderpolder, 23 ft (7 m) below sea level
■ Longest Distances: 194 mi (312 km) N-S / 164 mi (264 km) E-W
■ Longest River: Rhine, 820 mi (1320 km)
■ Largest Lake: IJsselmeer, 467 sq mi (1,210 sq km)
■ Natural Hazards: Flooding
■ Population: 15,981,472 (July 2001 est.) / World Rank: 59
■ Capital City: Amsterdam, on the north-central coast (note that The Hague, on the west coast, is the seat of government)
■ Largest City: Amsterdam, 1,150,000 (2000 est.)

OVERVIEW

The Netherlands (also known as Holland) is a low-lying country on the shores of the North Sea in Europe. It is famous for its dams and dikes, some of which date back many centuries, constructed to reclaim large swaths of land from the sea and stabilize its coastlines. Nearly a quarter of The Netherlands is below sea level. The country's many large rivers, including the Rhine and its distributaries, have also been dammed and canalized to control flooding.

The Netherlands may be divided into two main regions, one comprising areas below sea level (Low Netherlands) and the other those above sea level (High Netherlands). Although primarily based on elevation, this classification coincides with the broad division of the country according to its geological formation. The High Netherlands was formed mainly in the Pleistocene Age (which began about 2 million years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago) and is composed chiefly of sand and gravel. The Low Netherlands is relatively younger, having been formed in the Holocene Age (less than 10,000 years ago) and consists mainly of clay and peat. There are other differences: the High Netherlands is undulating and even hilly in places, with farms alternating with woodland and heath. The Low Netherlands is predominantly flat, and is intersected by natural and man-made waterways. Dunes and dikes protect the Low Netherlands against flooding. The western and northern regions of the country consist of about 5,000 polders (plots of land reclaimed from the sea), representing over 950 sq mi (2,500 sq km).

MOUNTAINS AND HILLS

Plateaus

The South Limburg Plateau is the only part of the country not classed as lowland. The hills, which rise to over 1,000 ft (300 m), are the foothills of the Central European Plateau. This is also virtually the only area of the country where rocks can be found at or near surface levels.

Hills and Badlands

The highest point is Vaalserberg (1,053 ft / 321 m) in the hills of the South Limburg Plateau on the German border. Low hills (up to 328 ft / 100 m) can be found in the eastern part of the country, the result of ancient glacial activity.

INLAND WATERWAYS

Rivers and Canals

The Rhine River and the Meuse (Maas) River dominate the western and central part of the country. The Rhine enters The Netherlands from Germany around the middle of their border. It soon branches out into two major arms, the Neder Rijn (called Lek in its lower course) and the Waal. They flow west, roughly parallel to each other, and never more than about 19 mi (30 km) apart. Both branches have many tributaries entering them and distributaries branching off from them before they reach the North Sea, some of which connect the two branches to each other.

The Meuse River is the largest tributary of the Rhine in the Netherlands. It enters the country in the far southeast and flows north to the middle of the country before curving to the west. In this part of its course it is only a few miles south of the Waal, and eventually the two rivers meet, then flow into the North Sea.

The IJssel River is a major distributary of the Neder Rijn, which it branches off from shortly after that river's beginning. The IJssel flows north, receives a number of small tributaries, and then empties into the IJsselmeer.

The Schelde (Scheldt; Escaut) River enters The Netherlands from Belgium in the southwest. It almost immediately widens into a broad estuary and flows into the North Sea.

The Netherlands has a very extensive system of canals that run throughout almost the entire country. The North Sea Canal connects Amsterdam and the Markermeer (Marker Lake) to that body of water. The Amsterdam-Rhine River Canal is just one of several that connect the city and that river. A network of canals including the Wilhelmina, Zuid-Willems, and Juliana Canals connects the southern part of the country to the Rhine River and to other canals in Belgium. In addition, many of The Netherlands' natural rivers, including all of its largest rivers, have had their shores reinforced (canalized) to prevent them from flooding or shifting their courses.

Lakes

There are many small lakes located in the northern and western portions of The Netherlands. In the northeast there is a network of more than 30 lakes that are all interconnected by canals. Some of the largest of these are Lake Fluessen, Lake Sloter, and Sneek Lake. Southwest of these is the IJsselmeer, a freshwater lake that was formed by the construction of the Barrier Dam (completed in 1932). Prior to construction of the dam, this body of water was a shallow, salty, arm of the North Sea known as the Zuider Zee. South of the IJsselmeer is the Markermeer (Marker Lake), another freshwater body enclosed by a dam.

Wetlands

In the transitional region between the High and Low Netherlands marshy conditions conducive to peat formation exist, especially in the center of the country.

THE COAST, ISLANDS, AND THE OCEAN

Oceans and Seas

To the west, the North Sea borders the coast of The Netherlands. Lying along the coast as it curves eastward at the northernmost end of the country is a shallow protected body of water, the Waddenzee, a popular nesting area for birds.

Major Islands

The West Frisian Islands were formed when the North Sea broke through a series of dunes along The Netherlands' ancient northern coastline. The area behind the dunes became the Waddenzee, while the tallest of the dunes remained intact as islands. From west to east, the largest of the islands are Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, and Schiermonnikoog. Vlieland is the site of a national park.

The Coast and Beaches

The North Sea coastline of The Netherlands consists mostly of dunes. North of about the midpoint of the country, the northwestern coastline is characterized by low-lying sandy dunes. The dunes, about one-half mile (several kilometers) wide in places, were created by the action of wind and water; in some areas, the dunes may reach nearly 100 ft (30 m) high.

Further south, the delta region is formed where the major rivers flow into the North Sea. The delta region is characterized by a series of islands, some connected by dikes or dams, and waterways, many of which have been connected by canals. The largest inlets are the Westerschelde and Oosterschelde in the south of the country; the most of the Oosterschelde is blocked by a dam of the same name.

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

Climate

The Netherlands shares the temperate maritime climate common to much of northern and western Europe. The average temperature ranges from 34°F to 41°F (1°C to 5°C) in January and from 55°F to 72°F (13°C to 22°C) in July. Because The Netherlands has few natural barriers, such as high mountains, the climate varies little from region to region.

Rainfall

Annual precipitation averages 30 in (765 mm).

Grasslands

The western and northern regions of the country consist of polders (land reclaimed from the sea) where the water level is mechanically controlled at about 3 ft (1 m) below ground level, thus permitting cultivation. However, there are polders that were reclaimed by earthen dikes in the late nineteenth century. These soils of these polders is marshy, and is too wet to be used for cultivation, but may be used for grazing livestock. Polders do not necessarily lie below sea level, although this is the case with the IJsselmeer polders, which are 11.5 ft (3.5 m) below sea level and with polders created by draining lakes, which can lie below 22.0 ft (6.7 m). In areas of young marine clay and along the rivers, many polders lie above the average sea level, which means that it is not always necessary to pump the water out. Almost half of the land area of The Netherlands is made up of polders.

Vegetation

The country is known for its flowers, especially cultivated varieties such as Dutch tulips, and wild flowers such as daisies, buttercups, and heather blooms. While the mild climate is ideal for these varieties, the lack of sunshine restricts the growing of crop foods.

HUMAN POPULATION

The majority of inhabitants of The Netherlands are Dutch descended from Franks, Frisians, and Saxons. Most residents of Friesland Province are Frisian, a distinct cultural group with its own language.

NATURAL RESOURCES

The Slochteren reserve in the northeast is one of the world's largest fields of natural gas. There are also significant offshore deposits of oil in the North Sea in The Netherlands' waters. Besides this, the country has a diverse modern economy, with significant agriculture, industry, commerce, and shipping.