Dutch wadden region
The Dutch wadden region is bordered by a row of five inhabited and two uninhabited islands. The Afsluit dike forms the solid border with the freshwater IJsselmeer. The sea dikes along the Dutch, Frisian and Groningen coast protects the sea clay regions which formed when the marshes were reclaimed into polders. The Ems-Dollard estuary lies in the east. The difference between high and low tide on the Dutch tidal flats is not much (one to two meters), whereby lots of sand and mud can precipitate. This means lots of exposed banks, which is good for seals and tidal flat birds.
- Facts Dutch Wadden Islands:
- Formation of the present coastline
- North-Netherlands around 1200, Texel 3200 years ago
Around 1200, the Dutch wadden region began by the dunes of Schoorl. Callantsoog ('t Oghe) was the first wadden island. The Zuiderzee, the Frisian Middle Sea and the Lauwersmeer were inseparably bonded with the region and the Dollard did not exist. The coastline of the present-day wadden region is the result of a long history of land reclamation, other water works and flood disasters whereby the sea won back the land.
