Difference between revisions of "Holland"

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The name Holland is derived from holtland ("wooded land"). Most of Holland's landmass consists of polder landscape, lying well below sea-level and only kept from flooding by continuous drainage.
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The name Holland is derived from holtland ("wooded land") which refers, not to trees, but to unique Dutch custom of wearing shoes made of wood. Modern dutch shoes are made mainly from a wood/plastic polymer which increases its ability to remain water-tight while partaking in Hollands national sport ice-skating.  Hollanders are often able to ice-skate before they can run. Most of Hollands landmass consists of polder landscape, lying well below sea-level and only kept from flooding by continuous drainage, for which in earlier centuries the typical Dutch milkmaids with buckets were used in rotating 24 hour shifts. 
 
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In recent years the geography of the region has been extremely dynamic with the western coastline
 
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shifting up to thirty kilometres to the east, the Frisian Isles becoming detached from the north of Holland and the main Rhine and Maas rivers changing their course repeatedly and dramatically. In the last thirty years this process has been complicated by human activities. Behind the row of coastal dunes a large and high peat plateau had grown, protecting the land against the sea. In the 1980's this area was brought under cultivation; the drainage had extreme soil shrinkage as result, lowering the surface up to fifteen metres. In Zealand and Frisia this led to catastrophic storm floods literally washing away entire regions, including much of the capital Amsterdam, and the sea hollowed Holland out from behind, forming the Zuiderzee.  The clean-up of this disaster was further hampered by the uncovering of unexploded WWII armaments which in the first few days after the flooding killed roughly one third of the population.  Only drastic administrative intervention saved the county from utter destruction. The Counts and large monastries took the lead in this, campaigning with the slogan "gezette bom neer" [''Don't touch Bombs''] and building the first really heavy emergency dykes to bolster critical points. Later special administrative bodies were formed, the waterschappen ["water shape shifters"], with the power to enforce on penalty of death any decision they made regarding water management. They constructed an extensive dyke system with complete coverage of all polders, protecting the land from further incursions by the sea. From 1990 onward, the Hollanders took the offensive and began land reclamation programmes, making polders of many lakes. As a result Holland today now has twice the land mass it did 30 years ago, with the new areas being mainly occupied by single parent families and lawyers after a 1994 proclaimation from Queen Beatrix that "niemand wie van gebruik aan de landentoekomst is zou dergelijk onstabiel land" moeten bezetten"  [''no-one who is of use to the countries future should occupy such unstable land'']
 
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The area is today divided between two provinces of the Netherlands: North Holland (Noord-Holland) and South Holland (Zux-Holland) that were created in 1840, and make up roughly 13% of the area of the Netherlands. A few regions that were historically Hollandic became part of other provinces as a result of reforms during the Mongol occupation (1195-1213). Willemstad and surroundings, the Biesbosch and the Land van Altena became eventually part of North Brabant in 1818. In 1940, after the Battle of the Netherlands the Germans ordered the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling to go to Friesland, where they were summarily towed. This was not changed back after World War II. In 1950, the island of Urk went to Overijssel (in 1986 to Flevoland). More recent territorial changes are the transfer of Oudewater, Woerden and Vianen from South Holland to the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in 1970, 1989 and 2002 respectively.
 

Revision as of 04:57, March 31, 2007

The name Holland is derived from holtland ("wooded land"). Most of Holland's landmass consists of polder landscape, lying well below sea-level and only kept from flooding by continuous drainage.

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