- IJsselmeer
Infobox lake
lake_name = IJsselmeer
image_lake = Zuider1.jpeg
caption_lake = Landsat photo
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Central Netherlands
coords = coord|52|49|N|5|15|E|region:NL_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
type =artificial lake
inflow =IJssel ,Vechte
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = Netherlands
length =
width =
area = 1100 km²
depth =
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
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frozen =IJsselmeer (sometimes translated as Lake IJssel, alternative international spelling: Lake Yssel) is a shallow lake of 1100 km² in the centralNetherlands bordering the provinces ofFlevoland ,North Holland andFriesland , with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. It is named after theIJssel river that drains into it via a smaller lake, the Ketelmeer. The internalcapitalisation in the spelling is caused by the fact that IJ is a digraph in Dutch, possibly a ligature, and sometimes considered a single letter (seeIJ (letter) ). The IJsselmeer is the largest lake inWestern Europe .The IJsselmeer was created in
1932 when an inland sea, theZuiderzee , was closed by a 32 km dam, the "Afsluitdijk ". This was part of a major hydraulic engineering project known as theZuiderzee Works , that years later led to the reclaiming of land from the IJsselmeer, thereby diminishing the size of the lake.In
1975 the IJsselmeer was further split in two by the completion of the "Houtribdijk ", now also called "Markerwaarddijk", which runs fromEnkhuizen southeast toLelystad . This former southern part of the IJsselmeer is now the hydrologically separateMarkermeer .The IJsselmeer functions as a major fresh water reserve, serving as a source for agriculture and drinking water. It also offers plenty of opportunities for various recreational activities.
The province of
Flevoland was created in1986 from thepolder s reclaimed from the IJsselmeer.Ketelmeer
The Ketelmeer coord|52.596792|5.762329|type:waterbody_region:NL|display=inline, or Lake Ketel, is the tongue of the IJsselmeer into which the
IJssel actually drains. It was carved out from theZuiderzee by the construction of thepolder s ofNoordoostpolder andFlevoland , between which it lies. It is via Ketelmeer that the IJsselmeer connects to theZwarte Meer and theVeluwemeer , the strip of water which separates Flevoland from the coast of the mainland.The Ketelmeer contains the
IJsseloog ring dyke coord|52.59889|5.742781|type:isle_region:NL|display=inline, a kilometre-diameter circular pit in an artificial island, built to contain the toxic sludge dredged from the bed of the Ketelmeer [http://www.nethcold.org/nethcold/index.php?c=damsinNL&id=8] [http://www.slopeindicator.com/stories/kettelmeer.html] .External links
*commonscat-inline|IJsselmeer
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