West Frisian Islands

The West Frisian Islands are a chain of islands in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. Among the located in the Wadden Sea barrier islands (from west to east) Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog and Rottumeroog. In Dutch, the islands as Waddeneilanden ( " Wadden islands " ) are referred to. Texel is in contrast to the other islands not in the province of Friesland, but in the province of North Holland.

Overview

The islands from west to east ( inhabited islands are in the table in green):

Geography and coastal protection

How the East Frisian Islands are also the West Frisian island of sand banks emerged and are subject to due to water and wind conditions constant migration in either west or east. The islands are protected on the seaward side by wide beaches and dunes in front of the sea, on the Watts side by dikes. Preferred means of coastal protection are beach nourishment, which are introduced mainly offshore below the water line. So spent the Dutch coast guards between 1991 and 2000 23.3 million cubic meters of sand to 95.5 of the 155 kilometers of coastline, protect the area inhabited by people. "Hard" ( concrete, wood, stone, etc. ) fasteners are found, however, only six are particularly vulnerable kilometers of the entire coastline.

It is striking that the islands are on average significantly larger than that on the German side. The smallest of the inhabited West Frisian Islands, Schiermonnikoog is, for example, greater than the largest East Frisian island of Borkum. The highest point of the island chain marks the Vuurboetsduin dune.

Formation

After the end of the Weichsel glaciation, the water from the melting ice in the north and the rivers of the South enormous quantities of sand carried with them, were deposited in the North Sea. Thus was formed in the Holocene a 10-20 meter powerful Sedimentationskörper of sand and silt in various mixing ratios, the auflagert the older Glazialsedimenten. Extensive sand and mud areas alternate.

Waves and currents brought the masses of sand near the coast, where they as sandbars above the water surface came to rest. With the help of the sun and the wind settled in time to plant, which contributed to the enlargement of the sandbanks, so they eventually coalesced into an almost continuous Spit off the Dutch and German coast. Initially detained by plant small heaps, grew to high dunes. In part, this Spit was open to the North Sea back and could be drained by several streams. The sea level changed over the centuries and has repeatedly breakthroughs. At times, the land was wet behind the sand dunes, it was partially flooded. For centuries, creating large swamps, and a lush vegetation provided for the formation of a thick peat layer, the so-called Middle peat, which is called here Hollandtorf. The bog was maintained over a long period, as the sea level rose and the coast hardly moved seaward.

Shortly before our era, the sea level began to rise and the North Sea resulted in a devastating attack on the barrier beach. The soft Hollandtorf offered no resistance to the lake, so that enormous holes could be dragged and situated behind the area was flooded. It gained its present Wadden Sea. From the battered barrier beach, the Wadden islands formed who could withstand the constant attacks of the sea.

Tourism

The West Frisian Islands are for tourism in the Netherlands of importance. To the island Schiermonnikoog are offered from the mainland and mudflat hiking.