Landsat photo

The Zuider Zee (pronounced [ˈzaɪdə(r) zeɪ], Dutch: Zuiderzee, pronounced [ˈzœydɚzeː]) was a 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 of about 300 km. It covered 5,000 square km (2,000 square miles). Its name means "southern sea" in Dutch, indicating that the origin of the name can be found in Friesland to the north of the Zuiderzee (also see North Sea). In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer (IJssel-lake) after the river that drains into it. The river IJssel is an estuary branch of the river Rhine. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 389 KB)Zuider Zee - Landsat satellite photo Source: NASA, public domain https://zulu. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 389 KB)Zuider Zee - Landsat satellite photo Source: NASA, public domain https://zulu. ... The International Phonetic Alphabet. ... 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. ... Fryslân province Frisian cattle The Frisian flag (water lily leaves on water) Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands. ... 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. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Wadden Sea (Wattenmeer in German, Waddenzee in Dutch, Waadsee in Frisian, Wattensee in Low Saxon, Vadehavet in Danish) is the name for a body of water and its associated coastal wetlands lying between a section of the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the North Sea. ... IJsselmeer seen from space The IJsselmeer (or Lake IJssel) is a shallow lake of some 1250 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. ... Satellite image of the IJssel basin River IJssel, sometimes called Gelderse IJssel (Gelderland IJssel) to avoid confusion with its Holland counterpart, is a 120 km long branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel. ...

History and disasters

In classical times there was already a body of water in this location, called Lacus Flevo (= the Flevo Lake) by Roman authors. It was much smaller than its later forms and its connection to the main sea was much narrower. During the early Middle Ages this began to change as rising sea levels and storms started to eat away at the coastal areas which consisted mainly of peatlands; some part of this area of water was called the Vlie; it probably flowed into the sea through what is now the Vliestroom channel between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. In this period the inlet was referred to as the Almere, indicating it was still more of a lake, but when the mouth and size of the inlet were significantly widened in the 12th century and especially after a disastrous flood in 1282 broke through the barrier dunes near Texel, the name "Zuiderzee"' came into general usage. The disaster was the making of the little village of Amsterdam, for sea-going traffic could now make it a rendezvous for the Baltic trade. The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between de Dutch islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. ... Vlieland (Frisian: Flylân) is a municipality in the northern Netherlands. ... Terschelling (Frisian: Skylge) is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. ... Almere is a municipality in the central Netherlands, a polder reclaimed from IJsselmeer . ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... This article is about the Dutch island Texel. ... Jump to: navigation, search Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739,295 (1 January 2005) Coordinates 4°54E - 52°22N Website www. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ...

The size of this inland sea remained largely stable from the 15th century onwards due to improvements in dikes, but when a storm would push North Sea water into the inlet, the Zuiderzee would become a volatile cauldron of water, frequently resulting in flooding and the loss of ships. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... A dyke (or dike) is a stone or earthen wall constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ...

For example, on November 18, 1421 a seawall at the Zuider Zee dike broke, which flooded 72 villages and killed about 10,000 people. An even more massive flood occurred December 14, 1287 when the seawalls broke during a storm, killing approximately 50,000 people in the fifth largest flood in recorded history. The name Zuider Zee dates from this event, as the water had merely been a shallow lake when the initial sea walls were being built but rising North Sea levels created the "Southern Sea" when floods came in. Jump to: navigation, search November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... Events March 21 - Battle of Beaugé. A small French force surprises and defeats an English force under Thomas, Duke of Clarence, a brother of Henry V of England, in Normandy. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events December 14 -- Zuider Zee sea wall collapses, killing over 50,000 people End of the reign of Emperor Go-Uda of Japan Emperor Fushimi ascends to the throne of Japan The Theravada Buddhist kingdom at Pagan, Myanmar falls to the Mongols. ...

Geography and development

Around the Zuiderzee many fishing villages grew up and several developed into walled towns with extensive trade connections, at first with the Baltic Sea, England and the Hanseatic League, but later also with the rest of the world when the Netherlands established its colonial connections, in particular towns in Holland such as Amsterdam, Hoorn and Enkhuizen. When that lucrative trade diminished, most of the towns were left with fishery and some industry until the 20th century when tourism became the major source of income. Contained within the Zuiderzee were four small islands, the remains of what were once larger islands or peninsulas connected to the mainland. These were Wieringen, Urk, Schokland and Marken. The inhabitants of these islands also subsisted mainly on fishery and related industries and still do in the case of Urk and Wieringen. All islands are now part of the mainland or connected to it. Jump to: navigation, search The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... The Hanseatic League (German: die Hanse) was an alliance of trading cities that established and maintained a trade monopoly over most of Northern Europe and the Baltic for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period (ie between the 13th and 17th century). ... Jump to: navigation, search Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... Jump to: navigation, search Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739,295 (1 January 2005) Coordinates 4°54E - 52°22N Website www. ... Hoorn (population: 67,952 in 2004) is a municipality and a town in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, and was the main market-town for the region of West-Friesland. ... Enkuizen Enkhuizen (population: 17,241 in 2004) is a town in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Beaches make popular tourist resorts. ... Peninsula A peninsula is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Satellite image of the northernmost part of the Dutch province of North Holland, showing Wieringen (bottom right) and the island of Texel (center). ... Urk is a municipality and a town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. ... Schokland (mun. ... Waterland is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ...

The 20th century saw the taming of the Zuiderzee as a large closing dam (the Afsluitdijk) was constructed. Completed in 1932, the Zuiderzee became the IJsselmeer and large areas of water could be reclaimed for farming and housing. These areas were respectively the Wieringermeer, the Noordoostpolder and Flevoland. This enormous project under the direction of Cornelis Lely, called the Zuiderzeeworks, ran from 1919 to 1986, culminating in the creation of the new province of Flevoland. The creation of this dam was a response to the flood of January 1916. Plans for closing the Zuiderzee had allready been made over thirty years earlier but had not yet passed through parliament. Afsluitdijk The Afsluitdijk (Closure-dike) is a major dam in the Netherlands, constructed between 1927 and 1933 and running from Den Oever on Wieringen in North Holland province, to the village of Zurich (mun. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... IJsselmeer seen from space The IJsselmeer (or Lake IJssel) is a shallow lake of some 1250 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. ... Wieringermeer (population: 12,583 in 2004) is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ... Noordoostpolder is a municipality in the central Netherlands. ... Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. ... Cornelis Lely (1854-1929) was a Dutch civil engineer and statesman. ... The 32 km long Afsluitdijk separates the IJsselmeer from the North Sea, protecting thousands of km² of land. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The modern day Netherlands are divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch), listed below with their capital city: Map of the Netherlands, with provinces and capital cities See also the ranked list of Dutch provinces // Structure A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the... Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ...

External links

• The Zuiderzee Museum (www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl), dedicated to the history and culture of the former Zuiderzee.