Why
Dutch dikes
are special

For at least a thousand years they have helped hold back the North Sea from flooding the country's land.

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Dutch dikes
tips & insights

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Major disasters

There have been many. The earliest known one occurred in 1287. The North Sea surged in, destroying villages, farmland, and untold lives. What was once dry land became what is known today as the Zuiderzee (South Sea).

More recent disasters happened in 1916 and 1953. Both encouraged massive dike building programs.

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Today

The country has more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) of dikes.

The largest is the 30-kilometer (19-mile) long Afsluitdijk ("Barrier Dike"). It's wide enough to easily accommodate a four-lane motorway (see photo above).

The creation of that dike transformed the Zuiderzee into a freshwater lake, from which land is still being reclaimed

The Delta Works in the nation's southwest is the other massive dike-building project worth exploring.

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Interesting facts & tidbits

Over a quarter of The Netherlands is below sea level, including the city of Amsterdam.

Over 50% of the population live below sea level.

"Netherland" aptly means "low land".

A popular local saying goes, "God created the world, the Dutch created The Netherlands".

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Related web pages

Dikes are one of the three major flood management components. Click Dutch Canals and Dutch Windmills to read my pages on those two wonders.

Holland wonders - Top 3 rankings

World's Top 100 Wonders

World's Top 1000 Wonders

Site map

My credentials
About my website and criteria
Reader testimonials

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Netherlands Board of Tourism

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Dike photo by Benthewikiman

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