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 and Noordoostpolder 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, 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 Noordoostpolder,

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. Historically, this technique was not applied to the Noordoostpolder or the Wieringermeer. For the Noordoostpolder, the plan was abandoned because it was too expensive. The Wieringerrandmeer project between the Wieringermeer and Wieringen is still under discussion with the province of

. The bordering lakes surrounding the Flevopolder 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.

List of the bordering lakes along the Flevopolder

From south-west to north: * IJmeer * Gooimeer * Eemmeer * ''(straight)'' * ''(straight)'' * Wolderwijd * Veluwemeer *{{ill, Drontermeer, nl * Vossemeer * Ketelmeer (separates the Flevopolder from the Noordoostpolder)

List of bordering lakes along the Noordoostpolder

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)