In the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the bordering lakes (in Dutch: ''Randmeren'') are a chain of lakes which separate the

Flevopolder The Flevopolder is an island polder forming the bulk of Flevoland, a province of the Netherlands. Created by land reclamation, its northeastern part was drained in 1955 and the remainder—the southwest—in 1968. Unlike other major polders, ...

and

Noordoostpolder Noordoostpolder (; ) is a polder and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called ''Urk, Urker Land''. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the hea ...

from the ancient lands of the provinces of

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...

and

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

.''Wateralmanak 2009: Vaargegevens'',

ANWB The Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB (), known simply as ANWB (), is a travelers' association in the Netherlands, supporting all modes of travel. It provides test reports, travel services and roadside assistance and is comparable to the German ''Al ...

, 2009
p. 329
/ref> Strictly speaking, these 'lakes' are not separated from each other, but are a continuous body of water between the old land and the new ''

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

'' lands, consisting of lakes divided by straits, dams, locks, or in some cases just a bridge over narrow water. The purpose of these lakes is to isolate the water management of the polder land from that of the neighbouring old land. When a polder is created, the ground level within it is below that of the surrounding area. If the polder is connected directly to the old land, the groundwater level in the old land falls, which causes the soil to dry out.Tijdshrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, 1964
p. 24
/ref> This was observed in the

and

to the east and between the

Wieringermeerpolder Wieringermeer () is a polder and former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since 2012 Wieringermeer has been a part of the new municipality of Hollands Kroon. Population centres ...

and

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. In addition, water flows to the new polder lands, creating a very wet area, especially at the edges of the polder. Drainage may be a solution, but this only increases the problem in the old land. If a large enough bordering lake is created between polder and old land, the water pressure and level remain the same. Water in the polder will be managed independently by a different

water authority A water board is a regional or national organisation that has very different functions from one country to another. The functions range from flood control and water resources management at the regional or local level (the Netherlands, Germany), ...

. Historically, this technique was not applied to the

or the

Wieringermeer Wieringermeer () is a polder and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since 2012 Wieringermeer has been a part of the new municipality of Hollands Kroon. Population centres The former municipality of Wier ...

. For the

, the plan was abandoned because it was too expensive. The

Wieringerrandmeer The Wieringerrandmeer or bordering lake of Wieringen was a project in the Dutch province of North Holland and the (former) municipalities of Wieringen and Wieringermeer. It planned to create islands and a bordering lake. The project was canceled in ...

project between the

and

Wieringen Wieringen () is located in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. Now a part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, it was a separate municipality before 2012. Its name first appeared in 8th and 9th century records. By 1200 it was an i ...

is still under discussion with the province of

. The bordering lakes surrounding the

offer opportunities for

water sport Water sports or aquatic sports are sport, sports activities conducted on waterbodies and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * ...

s and the creation of

nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

List of the bordering lakes along the
Flevopolder The Flevopolder is an island polder forming the bulk of Flevoland, a province of the Netherlands. Created by land reclamation, its northeastern part was drained in 1955 and the remainder—the southwest—in 1968. Unlike other major polders, ...

From south-west to north: *

IJmeer The IJmeer is a ' bordering lake' (''Randmeer'') in the Netherlands straddling the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland. Namely, it is the southeastern section of the Markermeer. It is an important habitat for birds such as the tufted duck an ...

Gooimeer The Gooimeer (Gooi Lake) is a bordering lake in the Netherlands between the southeastern part of North Holland (the Gooi) and Flevoland. There is a railroad bridge over the narrow west side, between Weesp and Almere Poort, with a parallel highw ...

Eemmeer The Eemmeer () is a lake situated in the middle of the Netherlands between the provinces of Flevoland, Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and North Holland. It measures and contains one small island, the Dode Hond (''Dead Dog''). The Eemmeer is one ...

* ''(straight)'' * ''(straight)'' *

Wolderwijd The Wolderwijd is a bordering lake situated in the Netherlands, created in 1967 by the gaining of land in Southern Flevoland. It is one of four Veluwe bordering lakes. On the northern and western bank it is encompassed by the municipality of Zeew ...

Veluwemeer The Veluwemeer (Dutch) or Lake Veluwe is a bordering lake in the Netherlands, between the provinces of Flevoland on the west side and Gelderland on the east side. It is a narrow lake that stretches from south-west to north-east. South of Harderwijk ...

*{{ill, Drontermeer, nl * Vossemeer *

Ketelmeer The Ketelmeer is the tongue of the IJsselmeer into which the River IJssel drains, it is situated between the polders Noordoostpolder (North-east Polder) and Oostelijk Flevoland (East Flevoland), and connects the river IJssel to the IJsselmeer. ...

(separates the Flevopolder from the Noordoostpolder)

List of bordering lakes along the
Noordoostpolder Noordoostpolder (; ) is a polder and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called ''Urk, Urker Land''. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the hea ...

From south-west to north * Zwarte Meer * Vollenhovermeer * Kadoelermeer

References

Artificial lakes of the Netherlands Polders of the Netherlands Landforms of Flevoland Landforms of Gelderland Landforms of Utrecht (province)

List of the bordering lakes along the Flevopolder The Flevopolder is an island polder forming the bulk of Flevoland, a province of the Netherlands. Created by land reclamation, its northeastern part was drained in 1955 and the remainder—the southwest—in 1968. Unlike other major polders, ...

References

List of the bordering lakes along the
Flevopolder The Flevopolder is an island polder forming the bulk of Flevoland, a province of the Netherlands. Created by land reclamation, its northeastern part was drained in 1955 and the remainder—the southwest—in 1968. Unlike other major polders, ...