See posted comments (2) Post a Comment IJsselmeer

Netherlands

The Zuiderzee is a large body of water along Holland's northeastern coast. Between 1927 and 1932, a 30-km (19 miles) dam, known as the Afsluitdijk, was built across the Zuiderzee, separating it into the outer Waddenzee, which is open to the North Sea, and the inner IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel) where areas of reclaimed land - called polders - are used for agriculture and as villages. Dikes built since that time created additional polders that were drained using pumps and, at one time, wind mills. These images, from 1973, and 2004, show the transformation of polders into useable farming land. The 1973 image shows a partially completed dike that, when completed allowed for the creation of the southernmost polder visible in the 1973 image. At that time, draining of the land had been completed and soil cultivation began. By 2004, this area of reclaimed land was covered with farms. The area of lighter blue water visible in the left of the 1973 and 2004 images is the Markermeer - a polder that was created but not drained. It forms a freshwater reservoir that acts as a buffer against floodwaters. View detailed information