Satellite image of Amsterdam and surroundings showing what's left of the IJ, its polders, and the North Sea Canal.

The IJ (sometimes shown on old maps as "Y" or "Ye") is a lake, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam's waterfront. The name derives from the generic Germanic term for "water" and is similar to other Aa/Ee names for bodies of water. Satellite image of Amsterdam and surroundings showing the IJ (bay) lake/bay. ... Satellite image of Amsterdam and surroundings showing the IJ (bay) lake/bay. ... A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... For images in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Images. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates Website www. ... The North Sea Canal or Noordzeekanaal is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. ... A map is a simplified depiction of a space, a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ... In geography, a bay or gulf is a collection of water that is surrounded by land on three sides. ... This article is about political regions. ... Capital Haarlem Queens Commissioner Mr. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates Website www. ... Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ... Wikisource has original 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica text related to: Aa Aa River may refer to: The Aa river (Netherlands) The Aa River (France), in the north of France The Aabach (Greifensee) river in Switzerland The Aabach (Afte) river in Germany, a tributary of the Afte River The Lielupe river...

In historic times, the IJ (not "Ij") was a long and narrow brackish bay that connected to the Zuiderzee (itself a bay of the North Sea) and stretched from Amsterdam in the east to Velsen in the west. At its west end, only the natural dune ridge across the Dutch North Sea coast prevented the IJ, which grew ever larger through the centuries, from directly connecting to the North Sea and so making the North Holland peninsula into an island. This isthmus was known as "Holland op zijn smalst" ("Holland at Its Thinnest"). Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... Landsat photo The Zuider Zee (Dutch: Zuiderzee, pronounced ZIGH-der-zee) was a former shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 meters and a coastline... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Velsen (population: 67,642 in 2004) is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, on both sides of the North Sea Canal. ... Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... A coastal beach in the Philippines. ... The word waterwolf is a Dutch word for the tendency of lakes in low-lying peaty land to enlarge by flooding and eroding their shores, aided sometimes by men digging peat for fuel. ... Peninsula A peninsula (from Latin paene insula, almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. ...

The IJ bay provided Amsterdam, situated on the mouth of the bay where the Amstel stream flows into it, with access to the sea through the Zuiderzee. By the seventeenth century, however, access to the IJ became troublesome due to sand bars across its mouth, and ships becoming bigger, and it was nearly impossible for seafaring vessels to reach the city. At the same time, the bay gnawed away at the surrounding farmlands, almost connecting with the Haarlemmermeer (Lake Haarlem) and seriously threatening the cities of Haarlem and Amsterdam. The Amstel Length 12  km Elevation of the source -  m Average discharge -  m³/s Area watershed -  km² Origin  Amsterdam Mouth  Bullewijk Basin countries Noord-Holland Amstel is the river in the Netherlands from which Amsterdam took its name. ... Sunset at sea Look up Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Sand bars in the Mississippi River at Arkansas and Mississippi A bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ... The word waterwolf is a Dutch word for the tendency of lakes in low-lying peaty land to enlarge by flooding and eroding their shores, aided sometimes by men digging peat for fuel. ... Farmland can have several meanings: See: Farm for a general discussion of farming Farmland, Indiana, a town in the United States Farmland (cooperative), an agricultural cooperative This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Haarlemmermeer (population: 127,750 in 2004) is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ... Night view of Taipei City. ... ...

Plans were put forth to close off both the Haarlemmermeer and the IJ and turn them into polders. The Haarlemmermeer was first, falling dry in 1852, and the largest part of the IJ followed suit between 1865 and 1876, with only a small lake remaining at Amsterdam that was closed off from the Zuiderzee by the Oranje locks. At the same time, the North Sea Canal was constructed in the former IJ basin to provide Amsterdam with access to the sea again and revive its ailing port. It cut through the isthmus to connect to the North Sea near the town of Velsen; a new port, IJmuiden ("Y-mouth") (not "Ijmuiden") was built at its west end. The east end of the IJ polders near Amsterdam was given over to industry, and a large new seaport area was constructed. Satellite image of Noordoostpolder, Netherlands (595. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Canal locks in England. ... The North Sea Canal or Noordzeekanaal is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... Velsen (population: 67,642 in 2004) is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, on both sides of the North Sea Canal. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates Website www. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ...