Flevoland is the world's largest artificial island.

 

Flevoland is one of the most extraordinary engineering achievements in human history.

Here’s what makes it special:

It Was Once the Sea

Flevoland used to be part of the Zuiderzee, a large inland sea. Over centuries, storms regularly flooded nearby land, causing massive damage and loss of life.

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The Afsluitdijk Made It Possible

In 1932, the Dutch built the Afsluitdijk, a 32 km long dam that closed off the Zuiderzee from the North Sea. This turned saltwater into the freshwater lake IJsselmeer, making land reclamation possible.

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Land Reclaimed by Pumping

Huge pumping stations removed water from sections of the lake. As water was drained, new land appeared, called polders.

The soil is extremely fertile because it used to be seabed.

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It’s Younger Than Most People

Flevoland officially became a province in 1986, making it the youngest province in the Netherlands.

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Almere – A Planned City

Almere, now one of the largest Dutch cities, didn’t exist before the 1970s. It was entirely planned and built to relieve housing pressure from Amsterdam. Today it has over 200,000 residents.

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It Lies Below Sea Level

Much of Flevoland sits several meters below sea level and depends completely on:

• Dikes

• Pumping stations

• Constant water-level monitoring

Without active water management, it would flood.

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Symbol of Dutch Water Mastery

Flevoland represents the Dutch philosophy:

“God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.”

Inside Dutch Culture