Ameland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ameland | |||
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| Country | Netherlands | ||
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| 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) | ||
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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 mayor 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 has been 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. On 31 December 2008, therefore also counted the ford island, and the municipality, 3,466 inhabitants (source: CBS). The civilians are called as the Amelanders.
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[edit] Postcode & Area code
The postcode of the island is between 9161-9164. The area code is 0519.
[edit] Places
The island has four villages, including one small part-village.
In former days, there were two other villages: Oerd and Sier, but these were drowned and lie now in the sea. The name of these villages lives on in M Oerd and M Sier, which looks after the ferry service to the rampart.
- Ballum, this is a small village underneath Hollum. It is the location of the Airport (Ameland Airport).
- Buren (also called as Bueren), this is the hotel location, close to Nes. t'Oerd is also close to this village.
- Hollum, the most populated village, it is the capital of the island. This town has all the main things on the island.
- 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.
- t'Oerd (also called as Oerd), this is normally not a place, but a small part, this is located in the far East, this area is mostly beaches and dunes. There is only one footpath here, there are no trails for cycles or cars. There are a lot of animals including birds that live in the area. There are no homes, buildings or public places there in Oerd, it is just the nature.
(West Frisian names)
[edit] Population
The population of each village of the island as of 2004:
| NAME | POPULATION |
| Hollum | 1330 |
| Nes | 1110 |
| Buren | 670 |
| Ballum | 310 |
Source: CBS
[edit] 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.
From 1871 up to 1872 at the Wantij, a dike was built between Ameland and the mainland by a society for country to extraction of the Frisian islands. By alluvium want one agriculture ground create. The province and the Dutch realm paid everyone 200,000 guilders. It was no success: the dike did not prove to be storm-durable and in 1882, after heavy storms in the winter 1881/1882 became the repairing activities decided stop. The dam is see with ebb still partly. The feather dam at Holwerd is the beginning of this dike.
In 1940 the 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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
[edit] 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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