"take effect as of 2018. Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many"
"in some 3,000 ""polders"" nationwide. By 1961 , about half of the country's land, was reclaimed from the sea. About half the total surface area of ""polders"" in north-west Europe is in the Netherlands. The first embankments in Europe were constructed in Roman times. The first polders were constructed in the 11th century. As a result of flooding disasters, water boards called ""waterschap"" (when situated more inland) or ""hoogheemraadschap"" (near the sea, mainly used in the Holland region) were set up to maintain the integrity of the water defences around polders, maintain the waterways inside a polder, and control the"
"Beemster Beemster is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Also, the Beemster is the first so-called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake, the water being extracted out of the lake by windmills. The Beemster Polder was dried during the period 1609 through 1612. It has preserved intact its well-ordered landscape of fields, roads, canals, dykes and settlements, laid out in accordance with classical and Renaissance planning principles. A grid of canals parallels the grid of roads in the Beemster. The grids are offset: the larger feeder canals are offset by approximately"
"one in natural mudflats and (freshwater) tidal marshes along the Schelde. In this way, the Lippenbroek combines a safety function (protection against extreme spring tide) with a nature development function. In the framework of the Belgian Sigmaplan, aimed at protecting the whole river basin against floods, more areas along the Schelde will be designed similarly. The area has also been seen as a model for flood prevention internationally. The controlled reduced tide procedure has made the area an improved habitat for eels. Lippenbroek The Lippenbroek is a former polder in the Belgian freshwater part of the Schelde-estuary, currently functioning as"
"Lippenbroek The Lippenbroek is a former polder in the Belgian freshwater part of the Schelde-estuary, currently functioning as a pilot project for the restoration of intertidal habitat in a densely populated estuary. The area of 10 ha, situated on the territory of the Belgian community of Hamme, started functioning as a flood control area (FCA) in March 2006. Through a construction of sluices, the area is in close contact with the river Schelde: water is flowing in at high tide, and out at low tide. The sluices are designed to obtain a water regime in the area, comparable to the"
"primarily used as agricultural land and it has retained a strong rural character. Four villages eventually were formed in the polder: Slootdorp (1931), Middenmeer (1933), Wieringerwerf (1936), and Kreileroord (1957). Local governance presented a new problem. The area was divided among the mainland municipalities according to the boundaries used when it was water-covered. This configuration was not always practical on the ground and unnecessarily split responsibilities among several bodies. The first solution was a form of government called an ""openbaar lichaam"" or ""public body"", a complicated arrangement which incorporated both the government body in charge of the actual development and"
"into an inaccessible swamp which allowed the Allied armies to stop the German army. From Dutch ""polder"" (""polder""), from Middle Dutch ""polre"", from Old Dutch ""polra"", ultimately from ""pol-"" ""part of land, elevated above its surroundings""; with augmentative suffix ""-er"" and epenthetical "" -d-"". The Netherlands is frequently associated with polders, as its engineers became noted for developing techniques to drain wetlands and make them usable for agriculture and other development. This is illustrated by the saying: ""God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands"". The Dutch have a long history of reclamation of marshes and fenland, resulting"
"Anna Paulownapolder The Anna Paulownapolder () is a polder in the municipality of Hollands Kroon in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. The area of the polder is 50 square kilometres and it forms an important horticulture area, with among other things flower bulb cultivation. The Anna Paulownapolder was from the 7th century to the 12th centuries, the habitat of both the Frisian and Gelderlandish emigrants. The latter lived in the area where now the places Westeinde and Gelderse Buurt are. Afterwards the area became uninhabitable because of several storms and floods. After impoldering of the Zijpe in"
"are open to the public for recreation. Alblasserwaard The Alblasserwaard () is a polder in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is mainly known for the windmills of Kinderdijk, located near the village of Kinderdijk in the polder's northwestern part. The first human inhabitants of the Alblasserwaard settled there after the last Ice Age, around 10.000 years ago. The ice had not reached the area itself, but eolian deposits created high points in the wet environment. These high points were places where hunter-gatherers settled, as archaeological investigations in the area have shown. During the Middle Ages several canals and"
"Sint-Truiden, Borgloon and Tongeren. The northern ""Humid"" (Dutch ""Vochtig"") part has a high water table and many springs; it is by far the main fruit growing area of Belgium, as well as home to some of the most northerly vineyards in Belgium. The southern ""Dry"" division is somewhat more fertile and the ground water sinks more easily; in this region sugar beet, chicory, flax, rapeseed and grains (90% of which is wheat and barley) are cultivated. In the oldest Latin documents the name of the ""pagus"" (country or territory) was typically ""Hasbania"", and sometimes this was given in an adjectival"
"Lopikerwaard The Lopikerwaard is a polder landscape, located in the Dutch province of Utrecht. Originally an area of swampland, the polder was developed from the eleventh century CE. Many canals were dug in order to drain the land, dividing the land into equally sized plots which still define the landscape. The polder area is bounded by the Hollandse IJssel river to the north and north east, the Lek river to the south and the Krimpenerwaard polder to the west. Several larger drainage canals cross the polder from east to west. The area largely coincides with the municipality of Lopik, whence"
"in area. The Netherlands has had regular periods with unincorporated land when newly reclaimed land polders fall dry. Unincorporated land is since medieval times administered by an appointed officer with the name ""Landdrost"" or ""Drossaart"". Also, Elten and Tudderen, both annexed from Germany after World War II, were governed by a Landdrost until they were ceded to Germany in 1963. The most recent period with unincorporated land started in 1967 when the dyke around Southern Flevoland was closed. It however requires several years before the polder is genuinely accessible for cultivation and construction of roads and homes can start, as"
"polders: the Polder Westbroek, the Kerkeindse Polder, and the Polder Achttienhoven in the north, and the Molenpolder and Polder de Kooi in the south. The Molenpolder is a nature reserve. Westbroek used to be a separate municipality. It merged into Maartensdijk in 1957, and has been a part of the De Bilt municipality since 2001. The church dates from 1467. On 26 December 1481, Westbroek was the site of a major battle, known as the Battle of Westbroek, between the armies of the prince-bishopric of Utrecht and Holland, with Holland winning a decisive victory. Westbroek Westbroek is a village in"
"dunes consists of polder landscape lying well below sea level. At present the lowest point in Holland is a polder near Rotterdam, which is about below sea level. Continuous drainage is necessary to keep Holland from flooding. In earlier centuries windmills were used for this task. The landscape was (and in places still is) dotted with windmills, which have become a symbol of Holland. Holland is (land and water included), making it roughly 13% of the area of the Netherlands. Looking at land alone, it is in area. The combined population is 6.1 million. The main cities in Holland are"
"follows: In addition in the Beemster Polder there are five fortresses as part of the Stelling van Amsterdam, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Beemster Polder combines two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The municipal council of Beemster consists of 13 seats, which are divided as follows since 2014: Mayor is Joyce van Beek (CDA). Beemster Beemster is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Also, the Beemster is the first so-called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake, the water being extracted out of the lake by windmills. The Beemster Polder was dried"
"Bordering lakes In the Netherlands, the bordering lakes (in Dutch: ""Randmeren"") are a chain of lakes which separate the Flevopolder from the ancient lands of the provinces of Gelderland and Utrecht and the Noordoostpolder. Strictly speaking, these 'lakes' are not separated from each other, but are a continuous narrow body of water between the old and the new ""polder"" lands, divided in name only into different lakes. Physically the dividing point may be a bridge, a lock or nothing material. The purpose of these lakes is to isolate the management of water of the polder land from that of the"
"of the Beemster polder, the first polder in the world created from a lake by draining the water using wind mills. The reclamation of the Beemster was started in 1607 and Leeghwater supervised the milling. Between 1607 and 1635, the polders Purmer, Schermer and Heerhugowaard were also created under his supervision. He was also known for bell casting and clock making in the church towers in Amsterdam. Leeghwater was among the first to advocate reclamation of the Haarlemmermeer, a lake whose growth presented a danger to the surrounding towns (several villages were swallowed and even Amsterdam and Leiden were eventually"
"area at Belgium's southernmost tip, Belgian Lorraine. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of the Campine (""Kempen""). The thickly forested hills and plateaux of the Ardennes are more rugged and rocky with caves and small gorges. Extending westward into France, this area is eastwardly connected to the Eifel in Germany by the High Fens plateau, on which the Signal de Botrange forms the country's highest point at . The climate is maritime temperate with significant precipitation"
"as a reserve for rare marsh plant species. Sophia Polder, Zeelandic Flanders The Sophia Polder is a polder to the south of Oostburg. It is one of a group of polders in the . A refuge for water birds, it has been a designated nature reserve since 2006. The Sophia Polder originated as an area of marshes in the , blocked off by the (1788) as part of works to improve navigability of the Western Scheldt. Naturally occurring silting was here accelerated by the Bakkerdam's construction. Around 1800 the land was gifted to Dominique Vandamme as a reward for his"
"turned the area into a nature park, of such importance that the new railway-line was diverted. The recent decline in agricultural land use will in time make it possible to expand ""natural"" land use, and connect the Oostvaardersplassen to the Veluwe. The centre of the polder most closely resembles the pre-war polders in that it is almost exclusively agricultural. In contrast, the southeastern part is dominated by extensive forests. Here is also found the only other settlement of the polder, Zeewolde (1984), again a more conventional town acting as the local centre. Zeewolde became a municipality at the same time"
"are the tip of a long strip of almost uninterrupted greenery reaching all the way from the Sonian Forest deep into the urban tissue of Brussels. The ponds are an extremely popular recreation area for local residents, pertaining to the Belgian upper-crust. However, in the late 1990s the water was polluted with cyanobacteria. This is still the case with the boating lake in the nearby Bois de la Cambre (forest of Cambre Abbey) where signs are posted at regular intervals, warning of a risk of botulism. Fishing is allowed in the ponds on Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays. Ixelles Ponds"
"Sophia Polder, Zeelandic Flanders The Sophia Polder is a polder to the south of Oostburg. It is one of a group of polders in the . A refuge for water birds, it has been a designated nature reserve since 2006. The Sophia Polder originated as an area of marshes in the , blocked off by the (1788) as part of works to improve navigability of the Western Scheldt. Naturally occurring silting was here accelerated by the Bakkerdam's construction. Around 1800 the land was gifted to Dominique Vandamme as a reward for his military exploits on behalf of the empire. In"
"Ixelles Ponds The Ixelles Ponds (in French: Étangs d'Ixelles, in Dutch: Vijvers van Elsene) are two freshwater ponds in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles. The ponds we can see today are those spared by a 19th-century campaign of drying the wetlands of the Maalbeek valley between the Abbey of La Cambre and Flagey Square. The two long and narrow ponds, whose total lengths are approximately 700 metres (2,200 feet), and widths are approximately 50 metres (170 feet), are aligned on a roughly North-South axis and are separated by a narrow strip of land. With the surrounding park, the Ixelles Ponds"
"Wieringermeer Wieringermeer () is a former municipality and a polder in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since 2012 Wieringermeer has been a part of the new municipality of Hollands Kroon. The former municipality of Wieringermeer consisted of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Kreileroord, Middenmeer, Slootdorp, Wieringerwerf. Around the year 1000 AD, this area was land. However, several storms after 1100 flooded the land, turning it into a flood plain. Wieringmeer means ""Wieringen Lake"", the name of an inland lake that filled the area in the early medieval period. The Wieringmeerpolder is a polder, newly created"
"side towards the northeast is mainly polder of the marsh type because Assenede and Boekhoute bordered the sea during the Middle Ages. The harbor in Assenede disappeared around 1500 but a small canal called the ""Vliet"" maintained some access to the Boekhouter 's harbor that existed much longer, and was present to around 1946. The last polder dyke was closed after that year. The creeks are nature reserves. Assenede Assenede () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Assenede proper, Bassevelde, Boekhoute and Oosteeklo. On 1 January 2006 Assenede had"
"Zaan, Kaag). From the Dithmarschen word ""koch"" (15th and 16th centuries), it went into Danish as ""kog"". In North Frisian it is ""kuch"". The spelling ""koog"" was used by the poet Michael Richey in 1755 and around 1700, what is now the port of Cuxhaven was still called ""Koogshaven"". In the Netherlands and in the adjacent regions of East Frisia the word polder (Low German: ""Poller"") is used for land enclosed by embankments from where the water is artificially drained. The etymology of the word polder/poller is unclear but it is probably related to English ""pool"". The term ""groden"" (c.f."
"land, and part of the Zuiderzee Works developed in the 20th century. The creation of this polder started in 1927. Originally the polder was planned to have been created after the completion of the Afsluitdijk. As there was a severe lack of agricultural ground, the dikes for the polder had to be built in the Zuiderzee, a sea. The dikes had to be tougher and ready to withstand the force of the sea. Draining of the polder was finished on 21 August 1930. After the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, the lake IJsselmeer was formed from the waters. After"
"Beveren Beveren () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders which comprises the towns of Beveren, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene. The port of the Waasland (Dutch: ""Waaslandhaven"") is in Beveren, on the left bank of the Schelde, facing the port of Antwerp on the other side of the river. In Roman times, the Beveren area was at the edge of the sea and heavily influenced by the tides. The earliest inhabitants erected primitive dams, which were later reinforced and heightened by the religious communities that sprung up in the region. The invasions of"
"does not belong to the Flemish Region. Flanders has two main geographical regions: the coastal Yser basin plain in the north-west and a central plain. The first consists mainly of sand dunes and clayey alluvial soils in the polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, a little further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. With similar soils along the lowermost Scheldt basin starts the central plain, a smooth, slowly rising fertile area irrigated by many waterways that"
"hot, whereas winters usually remain above freezing. Beveren Beveren () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders which comprises the towns of Beveren, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene. The port of the Waasland (Dutch: ""Waaslandhaven"") is in Beveren, on the left bank of the Schelde, facing the port of Antwerp on the other side of the river. In Roman times, the Beveren area was at the edge of the sea and heavily influenced by the tides. The earliest inhabitants erected primitive dams, which were later reinforced and heightened by the religious communities that sprung"
"the surrounding land, in Dutch called Polder, dry from flooding and heavy rainfall. The Mill is still in use till present day. Groenveld is located on the edge of the medieval land in the north-east that surrounds Schagen and the modern land in the southwest, which was created by polders since the early 17th century. In the nearby area, archaeological finds have been dated back till the 12th century and show human domestic activity of over 800 years old. The southwestern part of Groenveld has been marked as a ""Territory with high archaeological values"" and is protected by law. Groenveld"
"for polders. In 1603 the city Middelburg buys part of the salt marsh, to sell it in 1644 to the mayor. In 1631 the 'Oud-Sint Jooslandpolder' arises, followed by the 'Middelburgse polder' in 1644. A small core arises in the 'Oud-Sint Jooslandpolder', the actual 'Sint Joosland', but it didn't get any bigger; this hamlet is now called 'Oudedorp'. On this new land are, besides some farms, eight sawmills. These helped a lot with the blooming trade. People called the 'Middelburgse polder' usually ""'Nieuw land' ""(New Land). Multiple polders followed: in 1661 the 'Nieuwerkerkepolder' (Newchurchpolder), in 1671 the 'Nieuw-Sint Jooslandpolder' and"
"3,125 km² which is divided into eight administrative districts (""arrondissementen"") containing 64 municipalities. The North Sea coast of Belgium, an important tourism destination, lies in West Flanders. A tram line runs the length of the coast, from De Panne on the French border to Knokke-Heist on the Dutch border. West Flanders consists of the North Sea coast, followed by a very flat polder landscape. Only in the south are some small hills, with the Kemmelberg (159 m) being the highest point in the province. The Leie and IJzer are the main rivers. West Flanders is both the only Belgian province"