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Frisian Islands


A chain of islands in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The West Frisian Islands belong to the Netherlands. The East Frisian Islands and most of the North Frisian Islands are part of Germany; the other North Frisians are Danish.

 

 
 

Chain of islands, North Sea. They extend 3 to 20 mi (5 to 32 km) off the northern European mainland, along the Dutch and German coasts and the southern part of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. Although they form a single physical feature, it is customary to subdivide them into the West Frisian Islands (held by The Netherlands), East Frisian Islands (Germany), and North Frisian Islands (Germany and Denmark). After the North Sea established a southwestern outlet to the Atlantic about 7,000 – 5,000 BC, its southeasterly shore probably coincided with the present curve of the Frisians. Periodic subsidence, storms, and flooding have since produced this long chain of islands separated from the mainland by a narrow belt of shallow waters and tidal mud flats. The Dutch and German governments have spent large sums to protect the islands' seaward coasts and reclaim the land for farming. The beaches and resorts attract many tourists.

For more information on Frisian Islands, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Frisian Islands
(frĭzh'ən) , chain of low-lying islands, off the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, in the North Sea. The West Frisian Islands, belonging to the Netherlands, are off the shores of North Holland, Friesland, and Groningen provs. and include the islands of Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, and Ameland. The East Frisian Islands, belonging to Germany, are east of the mouth of the Ems and include Norderney and Borkum. The North Frisian Islands, off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and S Jutland, Denmark, include Sylt, Föhr, and Rømø. Fishing and stock raising are pursued on most of the Frisian Islands. Many bathing resorts are also there.


 
Wikipedia: Frisian Islands
Frisian Islands (without the islands in the German district of Dithmarschen and in Denmark)
Enlarge
Frisian Islands (without the islands in the German district of Dithmarschen and in Denmark)

The Frisian Islands form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, and spread east–west along the coasts of two countries, The Netherlands and Germany.

The Frisian Islands, along with the mainland coast in the German Bight, form the region of Frisia, traditional homeland of the Frisian people.

Sometimes the geographical designation of Frisian Islands may also include the Danish Wadden Sea Islands slightly further to the north on the western coast of Jutland, Denmark, though these are not included in the region of Frisia.

Most of the Frisian Islands are protected areas, and an international wildlife nature reserve is being coordinated between the countries of Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Natural gas and oil drilling continue, however, and the presence of the Ems, Weser and Elbe estuaries and the ensuing ship traffic cause tension between wildlife protection and economics.

See also


nds-nl:Waddenailanden


 
Translations: Translations for: Frisian Islands

Deutsch (German)
n. - Friesische Inseln

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮איים פריזיים‬


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Frisian Islands" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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