landscapes in holland  

 Sandy Soils The Sandy soil is built up from a number of four landscapes:

1)stowage-wall landscape 

2)cover-sand landscape

3)river-dune landscape

4)drift-sand landscape    

You can find the stowage landscape in the middle of the Netherlands. You can find cover-sand landscape in North-Brabant, Gelderland, Overijssel and Drenthe.  The highest stowage-walls are arisen in the Glacial period. The ground is pushed up through the ice, and where the ice stopped a lump of earth is arisen, the stowage-wall. During the Wechselein the circumstances were of a polar-desert. The North Sea was dry and a hard wind could easily blow away the fine sand-particles. That’s the cover-sand landscape appeared. At the end of the wechselein the climate was getting better and the supply of the rivers were getting better. The water came together in a twisting course. That’s why the old wild beds fell dry and the fine sand could be blown away, however they were kept by small plants. That’s how the river-dune landscape arose. In the Holocene the soil was getting dry by the disappearing of the permafrost, that’s why the local drift-sand was blown away. Before 1900 the culture-landscape was built up from ashen, green soils, extent heath and drift-sand. After 1900 the drift-sand was afforested with pine forest.     Moor-land Peat-soil is the only soil that has not been made by water, wind or ice. It consists of parts of plants, which died after that they started to decay. It must not be digested by bacteria, that’s why you can find it in solid places with little oxygen.  You can find different sorts of peat-soil everywhere in Holland, in the lower parts as well in the higher parts. Peat-soil developed during the Holocene. Peat was used as fuel for heaters. Big parts of land that consisted of peat-moor have been dug off.

 1.3.5     Dunes   Dunes are sand hills overgrown with marram grass. You can find them near the coast, in the north of the Netherlands and on the islands. They stem the water, so that the land won’t overflow. There are also little wild animals, like rabbits and different sorts of birds. The sand of the dunes comes from the bottom of the North Sea. It flows especially from North to South. By low-tide it’s the other way round. The  seawater bends, that’s why the sand is replaced. Dune-forming begins if material like wood, shells and seaweed wash up. The wind blows sand against this and the sand will pile up. That’s how little dunes appear. On that marram grass is going to grow. Because of the sand is blown against it, dunes grow. Marram grass can hold out an overflow from one meter a year. The dunes are very important as sea defence, so the land won’t overflow. The Dunes are also important for recreation. 

 

Sea clay landscape  

The sea- clay landscape is dominating in our coastal area. It is young and the formation still hasn’t finished. You can still see that this process is still going on at the coast. Especially in the Waddenzee. You can distinguish the sea-landscape in old sea-clay and new sea-clay. You can especially see this old sea-clay in the Flevopolder. While you see the young sea-clay in the Southwest and the North of the Netherlands. Old sea-clay arose in the beginning of the Holocene. Because of the rising sea level, there came a bed of old sea-clay. After a period of a lower sea level the sea became more active. That was in the period ever since 5000 before Christ. By a storm surge there came more and more sea-clay, this was called the young sea-clay. This young sea-clay lies higher than the old sea-clay. The sea-clay is very good for agriculture, because it’s fertile. 

 

River-landscape

 

The river-landscape is very important to Holland. It developed during the Holocene and the people in Holland appreciate it very much. The river-landscape is very large and has two parts. One part lies very low and the other part lies higher. The river-landscape you especially see in the middle of Holland and besides the Rhine. In the beginning there were a few rivers, but when they started bringing more and more stones and other sorts of materials, the rivers started growing and there came more and more. In Holland the rivers are used very much.  1.3.6 They are very important for the harbours, because there is a lot of ship-traffic in Holland at the rivers.    Chalk/loss-landscape.

 

This part of Holland has a very exclusive landscape. There is a solid rock at the surface and there is a lot of relief. It’s also intersected by rivers. You can find flat plateaux but also deep dales.  Only in the south up the hilly part of Limburg we have this kind of landscape. The origin of the chalk/loss landscape can be found far back in the geological time. From the beginning nature worked at the construction of this landscape. A long time ago there was sea, but now there is Limburg. In that sea were a lot of dead lime parts. When the sea was gone, the lime was still there and that’s how the limestone layers arose. Quite a time later the loss came. Now there wasn’t a sea anymore, and this fine sand is a lot of lime and it isn’t very fertile The use of this landscape is quite varied, it’s because of the relief. After 1960 a lot of grassland has been changed into arable land again. There is also mineral production. This production of marl (=chalk) and gravel has a negative effect on the landscape and its nature.                                          

 
 
 

1.3.1    THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

 

Situation.

The Netherlands is that part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is situated in Europe. It is flanked to the north and the west by the North Sea, to the east by Germany and to the south by Belgium. The furthest distance from north to south is 300 kilometres, and from west to east 200 kilometres. The Netherlands is an area of 41,526 square kilometres.

 

The landscape is mainly flat with hilly areas in the south and east. The name " the Netherlands" refers to the low-lying nature of the country ("nether" means low). The highest point is where the Dutch, German and Belgian borders meet, which is 321 metres above sea level. Many areas in the north and west, constituting more than 25% of the total area of the country, are below sea level. The lowest point, near Rotterdam< is some 6.7 metres below sea level.

 

The name Holland is frequently used instead of the Netherlands ,although, strictly speaking, this refers to the two western coastal provinces, which have played an important role in the country’s history.

 

The fact that the Netherlands lies on the coast and is situated on the estuaries of three major Western European rivers- Rhine, Maas and Schelde – has always been a major factor in the development of the economy.

 

POPULATION

The Netherlands has a population of about 15.5 million. Each square kilometre accommodates an average of 456 people, making the Netherlands one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The highest concentration of population is in the Randstad conurbation in the west of the country, which centres around the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

 

DUTCH LANGUAGE.

Dutch is the first language of more 21 million Dutch and Flemish people. Dutch is also spoken in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, where it is the language of government and education.

Frisian is spoken as a second language in the province of Friesland in the north of the country. This official minority language is the first language of around 400,000 Frisians and has much in common with English and Scandinavian language.

 

1.3.2 CLIMATE

The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate, thanks to the proximity of the sea and the warm North Atlantic Gulf Stream. The temperature therefore 

does not fluctuate greatly in the course of the day or the year. The average temperature fluctuates between around 16 degrees Celsius in summer and 3 degrees Celsius in winter. This does not say that extremes of temperature never occur. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands was minus 27.8 C and the highest temperature was 38.6 C.

Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed over the year, although spring is usually drier than autumn. About 760 mm of rain falls each year.

Variations in climate between the regions are small. The distance of more than 300 kilometers from north to south have some influence on temperature, and the influence of the sea decreases towards the east. The average number of summer days ( maximum temperature reaching at least 25 C) varies from below five on the Frisian Islands in the north to around twenty-five in the south.

 

LANDSCAPE

The soil of the upper Netherlands (east and south) was formed during the Pleistocene era. This soil consists of sand and gravel. The soil of the lower Netherlands (west and north) is more recent. This came to being during the Holocene period and largely consists of clay and peat. These differences are readily apparent from the landscape. The upper Netherlands is more hilly and alternates between woods and heaths. The lower Netherlands consists largely of flat polders, areas surrounded by dikes where the water table is regulated artificially. In the past this was done by windmills, but now pumping-stations are used. This part of the country is criss-crossed by countless rivers and canals, important for both shipping water management. Although the Netherlands is very small, its landscape varies widely. Human intervention has played a part in this, firstly in various measures to make and keep the land habitable, including the building of dikes, land reclamation and the draining of bogs, and as a result of farming.

 

WATER CONTROL AND LAND RECLAMATION.

Because of the low-lying nature of the country, the Dutch have to fight a constant battle against the sea. One half of the area of the Netherlands has to be protected against flooding and a quarter is below sea level. An effective system of water control is therefore needed, all the more so because 60% of the population live in these low-lying areas. Sea-water can, however, flood the land via estuaries and inlets, and an excess of melt and rain water in Central Europe can cause the major rivers to burst their banks. Modern pumping station work day and night to drain excess water. A major sea and river defense projects have been carried out, such as the Zuyder Zee and Delta projects and

 the Major River Project.

1.3.3 WATER BOARDS

The whole of the Netherlands is divided onto water board districts. The water boards are responsible for water management in their district. Generally speaking, this means that they are responsible for protecting the land against flooding. Their tasks include irrigation, drainage, water purification and the maintenance of canals and rivers.

The most important boards are those near the major rivers, the sea and the Ysselmeer. The water boards are one of the oldest democratic institutions in the Netherlands. Indeed , some have existed since the Middle Ages. The general management of water boards has traditionally been elected by house and property owners of the district. The executive committee are appointed by government.
 
 
1.3.1 THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

 

Situation.

The Netherlands is that part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is situated in Europe. It is flanked to the north and the west by the North Sea, to the east by Germany and to the south by Belgium. The furthest distance from north to south is 300 kilometres, and from west to east 200 kilometres. The Netherlands is an area of 41,526 square kilometres.

 

The landscape is mainly flat with hilly areas in the south and east. The name " the Netherlands" refers to the low-lying nature of the country ("nether" means low). The highest point is where the Dutch, German and Belgian borders meet, which is 321 metres above sea level. Many areas in the north and west, constituting more than 25% of the total area of the country, are below sea level. The lowest point, near Rotterdam< is some 6.7 metres below sea level.

 

The name Holland is frequently used instead of the Netherlands ,although, strictly speaking, this refers to the two western coastal provinces, which have played an important role in the country’s history.

 

The fact that the Netherlands lies on the coast and is situated on the estuaries of three major Western European rivers- Rhine, Maas and Schelde – has always been a major factor in the development of the economy.

 

POPULATION

The Netherlands has a population of about 15.5 million. Each square kilometre accommodates an average of 456 people, making the Netherlands one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The highest concentration of population is in the Randstad conurbation in the west of the country, which centres around the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

 

DUTCH LANGUAGE.

Dutch is the first language of more 21 million Dutch and Flemish people. Dutch is also spoken in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, where it is the language of government and education.

Frisian is spoken as a second language in the province of Friesland in the north of the country. This official minority language is the first language of around 400,000 Frisians and has much in common with English and Scandinavian language.

 

1.3.2 CLIMATE

The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate, thanks to the proximity of the sea and the warm North Atlantic Gulf Stream. The temperature therefore 

does not fluctuate greatly in the course of the day or the year. The average temperature fluctuates between around 16 degrees Celsius in summer and 3 degrees Celsius in winter. This does not say that extremes of temperature never occur. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands was minus 27.8 C and the highest temperature was 38.6 C.

Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed over the year, although spring is usually drier than autumn. About 760 mm of rain falls each year.

Variations in climate between the regions are small. The distance of more than 300 kilometers from north to south have some influence on temperature, and the influence of the sea decreases towards the east. The average number of summer days ( maximum temperature reaching at least 25 C) varies from below five on the Frisian Islands in the north to around twenty-five in the south.

 

LANDSCAPE

The soil of the upper Netherlands (east and south) was formed during the Pleistocene era. This soil consists of sand and gravel. The soil of the lower Netherlands (west and north) is more recent. This came to being during the Holocene period and largely consists of clay and peat. These differences are readily apparent from the landscape. The upper Netherlands is more hilly and alternates between woods and heaths. The lower Netherlands consists largely of flat polders, areas surrounded by dikes where the water table is regulated artificially. In the past this was done by windmills, but now pumping-stations are used. This part of the country is criss-crossed by countless rivers and canals, important for both shipping water management. Although the Netherlands is very small, its landscape varies widely. Human intervention has played a part in this, firstly in various measures to make and keep the land habitable, including the building of dikes, land reclamation and the draining of bogs, and as a result of farming.

 

WATER CONTROL AND LAND RECLAMATION.

Because of the low-lying nature of the country, the Dutch have to fight a constant battle against the sea. One half of the area of the Netherlands has to be protected against flooding and a quarter is below sea level. An effective system of water control is therefore needed, all the more so because 60% of the population live in these low-lying areas. Sea-water can, however, flood the land via estuaries and inlets, and an excess of melt and rain water in Central Europe can cause the major rivers to burst their banks. Modern pumping station work day and night to drain excess water. A major sea and river defense projects have been carried out, such as the Zuyder Zee and Delta projects and

 the Major River Project.

1.3.3 WATER BOARDS

The whole of the Netherlands is divided onto water board districts. The water boards are responsible for water management in their district. Generally speaking, this means that they are responsible for protecting the land against flooding. Their tasks include irrigation, drainage, water purification and the maintenance of canals and rivers.

The most important boards are those near the major rivers, the sea and the Ysselmeer. The water boards are one of the oldest democratic institutions in the Netherlands. Indeed , some have existed since the Middle Ages. The general management of water boards has traditionally been elected by house and property owners of the district. The executive committee are appointed by government.

 

The Noordoostpolder

 

We live in the Noordoostpolder. One of the first polders in Holland reclaimed from the sea. It’s surrounded by dikes, and the lowest point is 4.4 meters below NAP (sea level). We are used to it, and to us, it’s nothing special. But many foreigners think it’s strange, or scary. That is why this project is about where we live, the Noordoostpolder. It’s about the history of the Zuiderzee polders, organising the towns and villages and the development of the agriculture. 

 

 

The history of the Zuiderzee polders

Since the 17th century, there has been an enormous pressure to reclaim the Zuiderzee. Ages ago the people, who lived in marsh areas made hills of sand and stones when there was a threatening flood. Later they learnt to build primitive dikes. Pieces of land were surrounded by dikes, and when the water was pumped out, they made real polders! Areas which lay above the lowest tide of the sea, could be reclaimed. The superfluous water was taken away by many little locks.   In the 16th century, people could already reclaim lakes, which lay lower than the lowest tide. It was possible because of the use of the water- windmills.   In 1886, the Zuiderzee Union had the serious plan to reclaim the Zuiderzee. There were three ends for this plan: 1) Security against floods.  2) A fresh water basin.  3) More farming land. 

  In 1891 Mr. Ir. C. Lely made a design: 1) Build a dike of 30 km (Afsluitdijk) to hedge the Zuiderzee. 1.3.8 2) Build five polders (the Wieringermeer, the Noordoostpolder, (where we live), Eastern Flevoland, Southern Flevoland and the Markerwaard (was never built)) with an area of about 220,000 hectare. 3) The rest of the Zuiderzee would be a fresh water basin (now called the Ysselmeer).  

Because of the enclosure, the coast of Holland was nearly 300 km shorter than it was. Now it was easier to defend our coast. The polders are about 4.4 m beneath N.A.P. (sea level). The Wieringermeer became dry on 21 August 1930. The Noordoostpolder became dry on 9 September 1942. Eastern and Southern Flevoland become dry 25 years later
 

Organizing the towns and villages.

  After the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder, they could start with the organization of the land. They decided to make a strict plan for the number and size of the villages. The results? One big village in the middle of the polder, and ten small villages around it. Emmeloord became that big place. In Emmeloord they built a shopping centre, a swimming-pool, a cinema, restaurants, a hospital, etc. All facilities could be found in this place. The other ten villages were called: Tollebeek, Espel, Creil, Rutten, Bant, Luttelgeest, Marknesse, Kraggenburg, Ens and Nagele. This last village, Nagele, has something special: all the roofs are flat! This town was designed by a group of architects called ‘The Eight’ and their design won a big prize in Italy.   When they had finished organizing the Noordoostpolder, they started to make plans for Eastern Flevoland. First they wanted to organize it just like the N.O.P., but that didn’t happen. The little villages there were too small: The population didn’t grow at all. Besides, a lot of people got a car, so the distance between the towns wasn’t that important anymore. That’s the main reason why there came only four villages: Lelystad, Swifterbant, Dronten and Biddinghuizen.   The last polder was Southern Flevoland. This part of Flevoland was reclaimed on 29th May 1968. The polder only got two towns: Zeewolde and Almere. Zeewolde borders on the water and they hoped it would become a real centre of water recreation. And… It did! Zeewolde wasn’t only popular with tourists, there were also a lot of people who wanted to settle down in this village. And not only in this village. Almere, Lelystad and Emmeloord were very popular as well. 
1.3.9 Emmeloord grew from zero to 25,000 inhabitants in fifty years. Almere grew even faster: from zero in 1975 to more than 100,000 in 1999! 

 

Development of the agriculture.
 
 

In the Flevopolder most of the land is used for agriculture. A lot of farmers grow potatoes, sugar beats, grain and unions.

  The main reason for the reclamation was to get advantages from the ground. From the beginning Flevoland was planned to become a province with preponderant agriculture. Because the entire province used to be at the bottom of the Zuiderzee, the ground mostly existed of clay, a very fruitful base.

People had invested a lot of money in the reclamation, and they wanted to see the new province to bring in some money as quickly as possible. That meant the ground had to be arranged as efficiently as possible. Only where the ground wasn’t suitable for agriculture, forests were planted. Only 4% of Flevoland exists of forest. The agriculture has got a lot of influence on the landscape. Standing in the Noordoostpolder you can look around, and you can see nothing but fields, for miles and miles. 

 Except for agriculture, horticulture is also important in Flevoland. This is growing plants in big glass houses. There are quite a lot of glass-houses in the NOP. Especially around Luttelgeest and Bant. A glass-house is good to combine with a farm. In the glass-houses the farmers grow peppers, tomatoes, pot-plants, roses and other flowers, and cucumbers. The number of glass-houses still grows, and especially vegetables take more place

In the neighborhood of Espel and Creil there are a lot of bulbfields. A lot of tourists come to see them. 

 

1.3.10

In spring, when the tulips bloom, the entireNoordoostpolder seems to be colored with red, pink and white flowers.   So this twelfth province is a real Dutch province. Because aren’t tulips the first thing a foreigner thinks of when he hears ‘Holland’?