FRIESLAND - Geography and history
Situated in the north of the country, Friesland is one of the Netherlands' largest provinces and has a large number of lakes and waterways. The Prinses Margriet canal, which is the shipping link between Amsterdam, Lemmer in Friesland, Groningen and the seaport of Delfzijl, is part of this water system. The waterways, which are a paradise for water-sports enthusiasts, form a diagonal line from south-west to north-east through the Frisian countryside. Above this diagonal the soil is clayish and the land flat, the wide expanses punctuated by the contours of small villages and towns. Many of these places lie on terpen (mounds) which were built up in days gone by to keep back the surrounding water. This threat from rising water levels has since disappeared as most of these areas were drained between 1500 and 1900 and turned into fertile polders. It is here that the 'eleven towns' of Friesland are found, home of the famous ice-skating marathon, the Elfstedentocht. The south-eastern part of Friesland is characterized by woods and raised banks which were originally constructed to protect the pasture from blowing sand. The hillocks of sand or loam which rise at intervals above the flat countryside are a reminder of the time when the land was shaped by glacial flows.
A scattered network of towns
Almost 30% of Friesland's population live in the four largest provincial centres: the capital Leeuwarden, Sneek, Drachten and Heerenveen. The rest live in the seven other towns and over 300 smaller localities scattered throughout Friesland. The population density is low compared to Netherlands standards, being more than 60% below the country average in 2002. There are divergent economic trends within Friesland, with a slowly growing economy in parts of the north-east and the south-west. This is mainly due to the one-sided nature of the employment structure in these rural areas, where the small agricultural sector is over-represented. These areas have faced a net migration loss over the last few years.
The largest towns have developed successfully, thanks to their convenient location, good infrastructure and relatively healthy employment structure (with a well-developed services sector in particular). The result is that Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital, plays a particularly important role in regional employment, generating a considerable flow of inward commuter traffic. In addition, there is a concentration of industry in Drachten, Heerenveen and Sneek, and shipbuilding in the seaport of Harlingen and in the north-east along the Prinses Margriet canal.
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