| Ameland It Amelân |
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 53°26′N 5°43′E / 53.433°N 5.717°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Friesland | ||
| Area (2006) | |||
| - Total | 273.50 km2 (105.6 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 60.02 km2 (23.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 208.48 km2 (80.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2007) | |||
| - Total | 3,452 | ||
| - Density | 58/km2 (150.2/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Ameland (
pronunciation (help·info), West Frisian: It Amelân) is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the West and Schiermonnikoog to the East. This includes the small Engelsmanplaat and Rif islands to the East.
Ameland is, counted from the west, the fourth inhabited Dutch ford island and belongs to the Friesland/Fryslan province. The whole island falls under one municipality, which carries the same name. The ford islands form the border between the North sea and the ford sea which lies on the south side of the island file. As of 31 December 2008, the municipality of Ameland had 3,466 inhabitants (source: CBS). The inhabitants are called Amelanders.
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Postcode & Area code
The postcode of the island is between 9161-9164. The area code is 0519.
Places
The island has four villages, and one small part-village.
In former days, there were two other villages: Oerd and Sier, but these were drowned and now lie in the sea. The name of these villages live on in MS Oerd and MS Sier, which are the names of the ferries to the island. From East to West:
- Hollum, the most populated village, and home of the lighthouse. This town has all the main things on the island.
- Ballum, the smallest village on Ameland, but also the capital. It is the location of the airport (Ameland Airport).
- Nes, this is the second largest village on the island. Nes is now a vibrant tourist-village with many little shops and restaurants. As it is the place where the ferry from the mainland arrives, a lot of tourists stay here and enjoy the sights.
- Buren (also known as Bueren), close to Nes. t'Oerd is also close to this village.
- t'Oerd (also known as Oerd), located on the east of the island, this area is mostly beaches and dunes. There is only one footpath here, and no trails for bicycles or cars. There are many animals including birds that live in the area. There are no homes, buildings or public places there in Oerd.
(West Frisian names)
Population
The population of each village of the island as of 2004:
| NAME | POPULATION |
| Hollum | 1330 |
| Nes | 1110 |
| Buren | 670 |
| Ballum | 310 |
Source: CBS
History
First mentioned as Ambla in the 8th century, it paid tribute to the county of Holland until in 1424 its lord Ritske Jelmera declared it a 'free lordship' (vrijheerschap).
Although Holland, Friesland and the Holy Roman Emperor contested this quasi-independent status, it remained a free lordship until the ruling family, Cammingha, died out in 1708. After that, the Frisian stadtholder Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau became lord of Ameland and after him, his son the stadtholder of all the Netherlands William IV of Orange and his grandson William V of Orange.
Only in the constitution of 1813 was the island finally integrated into the Netherlands (into the province of Friesland). The kings and queens of the Netherlands still maintain the title Vrijheer van Ameland today.
In 1871 and 1872, a dike was built between Ameland and the mainland by a society for the reclamation of Frisian land from the sea. The dike ran from Holwerd to Bueren and was 8.7 km. long. The province and the Dutch realm paid the each worker 200,000 guilders. In the end, it was unsuccessful; the dike did not prove to be durable and in 1882, after heavy storms in the winter, repair and maintenance of the dam were stopped. The dike can still be partially seen at low tide. The dam at Holwerd is the beginning of this dike.
In 1940 German troops were ferried to the island and within hours Ameland was under the control of the German Army. Because of its limited military value the Allies never invaded Ameland. The German forces on the island did not surrender until June 2, 1945, almost a full month after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Nature
Like all West and East Frisian Islands, Ameland is a unique piece of nature. The profusion of different plants on the island is caused by the immense variety of landscapes. One of the scenic areas is the Oerd, a large complex of dunes which is still expanding by the year. Because of the differing landscapes and types of flora, over 60 different species of birds are sitting there every year. At the eastern part of the Oerd lays a beach plain called the Hon. Besides dunes and beaches, Ameland has some woods, like the 'Nesser bos' (Wood of Nes). This wood belongs to Nes, but a local legend tells a different story about the owner of this property. Every now and then, the owner according to the legend is pointed out in mysterious ways.
Transport
Most travelers reach the island by ferry from Holwerd, but there is also an Airport near Ballum (Ameland Airport). A bus service connects the ferries from Hollum/Ballum (route 130) and Buren/Nes (route 132).
Notable people
The following people were born on Ameland:
- Hannes de Boer (1899-1982), long jumper
- Jan Bruin (1969), footballer
- Willem Cornelis de Groot (1853-1939), architect
- Johannes cardinal de Jong (1885-1955), archbishop of Utrecht
- Renate Ruijgh (1987 - Nowadays) Important member of Red Faction; Ogame
- Jan Spoelstra (1956 - Nowadays) photographer and artist
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ameland |
Coordinates: 53°26′53″N 5°43′48″E / 53.448°N 5.73°E
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