Pekela

Pekela
Pekela
Municipality
	Bridge in Oude Pekela
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Pekela (green) in the province of Groningen (dark grey) in the Netherlands (light grey)
	Coordinates: 53°6′N 7°0′E / 53.100°N 7.000°E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Groningen
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Jaap Kuin (acting) (PvdA)
Area
• Total	50.20 km2 (19.38 sq mi)
• Land	49.04 km2 (18.93 sq mi)
• Water	1.16 km2 (0.45 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (January 2021)
• Total	12,176
• Density	248/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	9662–9669
Area code	0597
Website	www.pekela.nl

Pekela (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpeːkəlaː] ^ⓘ) is a municipality in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It was created in 1990 when Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela were merged.

History

The municipality of Pekela was created when the municipalities of Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela were merged in 1990.

Geography

*Map of the municipality of Pekela, June 2015*

Pekela is located at 53°6′N 7°0′E / 53.100°N 7.000°E / 53.100; 7.000 in the southeast of the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is bordered by the municipalities of:

Oldambt (in the north)
Bellingwedde (east)
Stadskanaal (south)
Veendam (west)
Menterwolde (northwest).

The river Pekel Aa crosses the municipality from north to south. The main population centres in the municipality are the villages of Boven Pekela (Upper Pekela), Nieuwe Pekela (New Pekela), and Oude Pekela (Old Pekela). Part of the village of Alteveer and the hamlets of Bronsveen and Hoetmansmeer are also in the municipality.

The municipality has a total area of 50.20 km² (19.38 sq mi), of which 49.04 km² (18.93 sq mi) is land and 1.16 km² (0.45 sq mi) is water.^[2]

Governance

The acting mayor (burgemeester) of Pekela is Jaap Kuin of the Labour Party.^[1] The municipal council of Pekela consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows:

Municipality seats
Party	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014
PvdA	6	6	7	3	2
GroenLinks	4	3	1	2	1
CDA	2	3	2	1	2
VVD	2	2	1	2	1
SP	-	-	3	3	4
ChristenUnie	1	1	1	-	1
Samen Voor Pekela	-	-	-	4	3
VCP	-	-	-	-	1
Total	15	15	15	15	15

Demographics

In 2021, the municipality had a total population of 12,176 and a population density of 248/km² (640/sq mi).^[4]

Notable people

Jan de Boer (1859 in Nieuwe Pekela – 1941) a Dutch gymnast who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics
Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff (born 1952 in Nieuwe Pekela) a Dutch farmer and politician
Gerard Wiekens (born 1973 in Oude Pekela) a Dutch former footballer with 518 club caps who played for SC Veendam and Manchester City F.C.

Gallery

Villa Elsa, Clockstraat, Oude Pekela
Art project "Geveltjes viadukt" in Nieuwe Pekela
Het Dokhuis, a retirement home in Oude Pekela
Pekelder Windmill "De Onrust" in Oude Pekela

References

^ ^a ^b "Burgemeester" [Mayor] (in Dutch). Gemeente Pekela. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^ "Postcodetool for 9665JD". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

External links

Official website

[mayor_now-1] "Burgemeester" [Mayor] (in Dutch). Gemeente Pekela. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.

[areadataref-2] "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

[AHN-3] "Postcodetool for 9665JD". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 3 February 2014.

[populationdataref-4] "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

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