Vlieland
| Vlieland Flylân |
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| Coordinates: 53°16′28″N 4°58′47″E / 53.27444°N 4.97972°ECoordinates: 53°16′28″N 4°58′47″E / 53.27444°N 4.97972°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Friesland | ||
| Area(2006) | |||
| • Total | 315.79 km2 (121.93 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 40.01 km2 (15.45 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 275.78 km2 (106.48 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2007) | |||
| • Total | 1,135 | ||
| • Density | 28/km2 (70/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Vlieland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvli.lɑnt] (
listen); West Frisian: Flylân) is a municipality and island in the northern Netherlands. The municipality of Vlieland has only one major town: Oost-Vlieland (West Frisian: East-Flylân). It is the second-least densely populated municipality in the Netherlands (after Schiermonnikoog).
Vlieland is one of the West Frisian Islands, lying in the Wadden Sea. It is the second island from the west in the chain, lying between Texel and Terschelling. Vlieland was named after the Vlie.
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Travel [edit]
Vlieland can be reached by ferry from the Frisian town of Harlingen. The ferry ride takes about 1.5 hours and crosses the Wadden Sea and part of the North Sea. Tourists are not allowed to bring cars with them on the ferry. Another ferry runs between De Cocksdorp on Texel and the westernmost point of Vlieland. The most common form of transport on the island is the bicycle; a network of cycle paths criss-crosses the island. A bus service runs from the ferry terminal to the village and campgrounds after the arrival of a ferry, and some time before departure. There is a very small heliport near the village, but it is only used for SAR flights.
Climate [edit]
Vlieland, being the outermost of the Frisian barrier islands, sees it's climate the most moderated by the North- and Wadden Sea. As is the case with the other West Frisian islands, sunshine hours are among the highest in the Netherlands, and quite possibly among the highest in the North Sea basin. Temperature extremes are rare; on average only 6 times a year does the daytime high exceed 25 degrees, and a high above thirty happens on average only once every three years. This also counts for extreme cold; only on five days a year does the temperature stay below zero for a whole 24-hour period, and nighttime frost happens on less than 40 nights a year. Nights below -10 celsius only happen on average once every 2 years. Wind is abundant however, the average wind speed on Vlieland is almost 8 metres per second, or 28 kilometres per hour. Gale-force winds occur on average nine days per year.
| Climate data for Vlieland | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.1 (52) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17.2 (63) |
19.8 (67.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
10.0 (50) |
6.7 (44.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
3.5 (38.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
8.1 (46.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
14.3 (57.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
4.8 (40.6) |
10.2 (50.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
1.6 (34.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
5.0 (41) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.7 (56.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.5 (36.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 72 (2.83) |
49 (1.93) |
55 (2.17) |
32 (1.26) |
45 (1.77) |
50 (1.97) |
68 (2.68) |
72 (2.83) |
89 (3.5) |
105 (4.13) |
98 (3.86) |
82 (3.23) |
919 (36.18) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 12 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 135 |
| % humidity | 86 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 75 | 79 | 83 | 86 | 78 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 68 | 99 | 142 | 204 | 247 | 228 | 239 | 213 | 156 | 118 | 70 | 61 | 1,835 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Landscape [edit]
The majority of the landscape of the island consists of dunes, but there are some wooded areas and small meadows. A large part of the island, the western part, consists mainly of sand and is referred to as the 'Sahara of the north'.
Towns [edit]
There is only one village on the island, Oost-Vlieland. A second village, West-Vlieland, was lost to the sea in 1736.
Tourism [edit]
Tourism is the main source of income on Vlieland. There are approximately 15 hotels, and several hundred apartments and holiday homes. Vlieland has two campgrounds.
Gallery [edit]
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Beach at dusk
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St. Nicolas church (Nicolaas Kerk) in Oost-Vlieland
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Satellite image
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vlieland |
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North Sea | Terschelling | |
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| Texel (NH) | Wadden Sea |
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