Flevoland, encompassed by the IJsselmeer Lake and Markermeer Lake, is the Netherlands' youngest province. The land itself might be considered the most unique characteristic, as the whole area is man-made. Flevoland's territory was reclaimed from the water of the former Zuiderzee between the 1950s and 1960s. The province's capital city is Lelystad, yet the biggest town of Flevoland is Almere, found on the shores of the two aforementioned lakes. Flevoland comprises three polders, which are essentially low-lying tracts of land that were brought about from a body of water. The Eastern Flevoland and Southern Flevoland are separated from the mainland by a water channel, while Noordoostpolder is connected directly to the land.[1] Despite the province's land being man-made, nature eventually overtook some places. Thus, a national park called Nieuw Land, which is the "largest man-made nature reserve in the world," can be found within Flevoland's borders.[6] Another considerable nature area in the province of Flevoland is the tulip fields in Noordoostpolder, reportedly the most extensive tulip area in the Netherlands.[13] Among the predominant historical attractions of the region belongs Museum Schokland, protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, which is also found in the Noordoostpolder.[12]
The capital city of Flevoland is Lelystad, located in the province's central part. The city is only a few decades old. However, it features water sports facilities, two history museums, and an amusement park. Near the city are located the lakes Oostvaardersplassen and Natuurpark Lelystad, presenting a landscape of swamps, dunes, grasslands, and multiple types of wildlife consisting of numerous bird species and Przewalski's horses.[8] A fairly popular destination in Lelystad is Batavialand, a museum and heritage center that teaches about dike building, the history of the province, and the voyages of discovery and the sea trade. The museum showcases exhibitions about living with the sea, such as the 60-meter tapestry of 'Lost Ships,' where visitors can learn about 450 shipwrecks that were found when Flevoland was reclaimed from the water. Thus, Flevoland is also the world's largest ship graveyard.[9]
The largest city within Flevoland's borders is Almere. The city lies on the shores of Gooimeer lake to the east and the lakes of IJmeer and Markermeer to the west. Thus, the city is reportedly popular among watersports enthusiasts, as boating, waterskiing, and waterboarding are some of the water activities available in Almere.[10] Almere also offers a variety of beaches, woodlands, and parks. Outside the city's borders, the Oostvaardersplassen extends, a reserve reclaimed by nature.[11]
Concerning local historical heritage, Museum Schokland in the Noordoostpolder of Flevoland is one of the predominant destinations. The museum is housed in a collection of buildings surrounding the historic church of Middelbuurt. Schokland showcases the geology and archaeology of the Noordoostpolder as well as the life of the Schokker people and the process of draining the Noordoostpolder. During excavation works that took place in the 20th century, a considerable number of prehistoric artifacts, such as tools, skeletons, and outlines of houses, were found in the local soil. However, a notable discovery was the human footprints of ancient people, dating back approximately 4,000 years ago. The excavation of human footprints is now on display in the Museum Schokland, which was ultimately placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1995.[12]
Noordoostpolder, one of the reclaimed lands of Flevoland, is also known for housing the largest tulip area in the Netherlands. The 2,000 hectares of tulips bloom every spring, coloring the local landscape. Since the year 2000, the province has organized the local Tulip Festival. People can enjoy the views of blooming tulips by taking the free car or bike route across the fields.[13]
Flevoland is an artificially created island with bridges extending from it that connect to the mainland of the Netherlands. The polders on which the province is located are found in the artificially created IJsselmeer Lake, separated from the sea by the Afsluitdijk dike, and in the Markermeer Lake. Eastern and Southern Flevoland, unlike the Noordoostpolder, are separated from the mainland by a broad channel, the Veluwemeer and Gooimeer, respectively. Thus, together, the Eastern and Southern Flevoland are reported to be the world's largest artificial island.[1] The province of Flevoland comprises three polders that, when combined, form the most extensive piece of man-made land in the world. Thus, everything on the polders—the cities, roads, canals, agricultural land, and even nature—was planned and designed by humans. However, the nature-designated areas eventually started to develop and grow independently, creating wild landscapes, such as the wetland areas in the Nieuw Land National Park or the Netherlands' most extensive continuous deciduous woods. Reportedly, a creation of the Marker Wadden artificial island group is currently taking place, with an objective to attract more fish and birds to the Markermeer Lake.[4]
Despite the whole province being artificially created, Flevoland owns one of the most unspoiled nature reserves in Europe. Initially, Oostvaardersplassen, which is now protected as a nature reserve, was designed to become an industrial zone. Nonetheless, due to the land being relatively wet, Oostvaardersplassen was turned into a marsh area with reed plains, grasslands, and ponds, becoming a home for a number of plant and animal species. Oostvaardersplassen is nowadays part of the Nieuw Land National Park.[5] Oostvaardersplassen is only one of four protected areas that are part of the national park Nieuw Land. Other areas include Lepelaarplassen, Marker Wadden, and Markermeer. In general, Nieuw Land National Park is the "largest man-made nature reserve in the world," encompassing 29,000 hectares of land. The park is home to numerous bird species, including the white-tailed eagle. Herds of Heck cattle and Konik horses can also be spotted in the marshes of the national park.[6]
Regarding the average temperatures in Flevoland province's capital, Lelystad, the warmest month is August, with an average daily temperature of 21°C. Reportedly, January is the coldest month, with 4°C being the average temperature. April tends to be the driest month in Lelystad due to having 46 mm of rainfall on average. The most precipitation falls during January, receiving about 82 mm on average.[7]
Flevoland, established in 1986, is the twelfth and youngest province in the Netherlands. The province was created by merging the southern and eastern Flevopolders together with the Noordoostpolder.[1] In the 17th century, waterworks engineers from the Netherlands started considering Zuiderzee for reclamation. Hendrik Stevin was the author of an idea to create a dike connecting the top of Northern Holland to the Islands of the Wadden Sea and the sea dykes of Groningen. Before the 19th century, engineering plans were presented, and the Zuiderzee Association did revisions. After a water catastrophe in 1916, which devastated the land and local civilization. Following this event, a Zuiderzee law came into effect, regulating drainage and closure of Zuiderzee. In 1924, the construction began. A dyke between Northern Holland and the Frisian mainland was created. The dyke was built in the middle of the sea, creating a new lake, IJsselmeer.[2]
The first polder reclaimed from the water was the Noordoostpolder in 1942, taking in the former smaller islands of Urk and Schokland. Initially, the Noordoostpolder belonged to the Overijssel province. Later, Flevopolder, larger than the Noordoostpolder, was reclaimed in the southwest. Its southeast part was reclaimed in 1957, while the rest was in 1968. A reportedly notable feature of Flevopolder is a narrow body of water along the old coastline, stabilizing the water table and preventing coastal towns from losing their waterfront and access to the sea. Due to the narrow body of water between Flevopolder and the mainland, Flevopolder became an artificial island connected to the mainland by bridges. Eventually, municipalities in all three parts voted to become one of the Netherlands' provinces and became one in 1986.[1]
In today's time, Flevoland produces apples, cereals, and flowers and also functions as a residential area. Additionally, the province is used for light industrial and recreational purposes. The provincial capital city is Lelystad on Lake IJssel in East Flevoland Polder. The province's total area is 2,412 square kilometers, which approximately 383,449 people inhabit.[3]
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