Editing Flevoland (section)

== Geography ==
=== Zuiderzee Works ===
{{main|Zuiderzee Works}}

Eastern Flevoland (''Oostelijk Flevoland'' or ''Oost-Flevoland'') and Southern Flevoland (''Zuidelijk Flevoland'' or ''Zuid-Flevoland''), unlike the [[Noordoostpolder]], have broad channel between them and the mainland: the [[Veluwemeer]] and [[Gooimeer]], respectively, making them, together, the world's largest [[artificial island]].

They are two polders with a joint hydrological infrastructure, with a dividing dike in the middle, the ''Knardijk'', that will keep one polder safe if the other is flooded. The two main drainage canals that traverse the dike can be closed by [[floodgates]] in such an event. The pumping stations are the ''Wortman'' ([[Diesel engine|diesel]] powered) at Lelystad-Haven, the ''Lovink'' near [[Harderwijk]] on the eastern dike and the ''Colijn'' (both [[electric]]ally powered) along the northern dike beside the [[Ketelmeer]].

A new element in the design of Eastern Flevoland is the larger city [[Lelystad]] (1966), named after [[Cornelis Lely]], the man who had played a crucial role in designing and realising the Zuiderzee Works. Other more conventional settlements already existed by then; [[Dronten]], the major local town, was founded in 1962, followed by two smaller satellite villages, [[Swifterbant]] and [[Biddinghuizen]], in 1963. These three were incorporated in the new municipality of [[Dronten]] on 1 January 1972.

Southern Flevoland has only one pumping station, the diesel-powered ''De Blocq van Kuffeler''. Because of the hydrological union of the two Flevolands, it simply joins the other three in maintaining the water level of both polders. Almere relieves the housing shortage and increasing overcrowding on the old land. Its name is derived from the early medieval name for [[Almere (lake)|Lake Almere]]. Almere was to be divided into three major settlements initially; the first, ''Almere-Haven'' (1976) situated along the coast of the Gooimeer (one of the peripheral lakes), the second and largest was to fulfill the role of city centre as ''Almere-Stad'' (1980), and the third was ''Almere-Buiten'' (1984) to the northwest towards Lelystad. In 2003, the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] made a new ''Structuurplan'' which started development of three new settlements: ''Overgooi'' in the southeast, ''Almere-Hout'' in the east, and ''Almere-Poort'' in the West. In time, ''Almere-Pampus'' could be developed in the northwest, with possibly a new bridge over the [[IJmeer]] towards [[Amsterdam]].

The [[Oostvaardersplassen]] is a landscape of shallow pools, islets, and swamps. Originally, this low part of the new polder was destined to become an industrial area. Spontaneous settlement of interesting flora and fauna turned the area into a nature park, of such importance that the new railway line was diverted. The recent decline in agricultural land use will in time make expanding ''natural'' land use possible, and connect the Oostvaardersplassen to the [[Veluwe]].

The centre of the polder most closely resembles the prewar polders in that it is almost exclusively agricultural. In contrast, the southeastern part is dominated by extensive forests. Here is also found the only other settlement of the polder, [[Zeewolde]] (1984), again a more conventional town acting as the local centre. Zeewolde became a municipality at the same time as Almere, on 1 January 1984, which in the case of Zeewolde meant that the municipality existed before the town itself, with only farms in the surrounding land to be governed until the town started to grow.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="165px">
File:Noordoostpolder by Sentinel-2, 2018-06-30.jpg|alt=|Northeastern Flevoland: [[Noordoostpolder]]
File:Flevopolder by Sentinel-2, 2018-06-30.jpg|alt=|Eastern and Southern Flevoland: [[Flevopolder]]
</gallery>

=== Municipalities ===
{|
|
# [[Almere]] – far west of southern island
# [[Dronten]] – far east of southern island
# [[Lelystad]] – middle of northern edge of southern island
# [[Noordoostpolder]] – most of north-eastern polder
# [[Urk]] – small area on west of north-eastern polder
# [[Zeewolde]] – southern part of southern island
|<imagemap>
File:GemeentenFlevolandNrs.png|right|Gemeenten in Flevoland

circle 67 36 4 [[Urk]]
poly 70 32 63 28 62 19 68 3 79 -1 90 10 100 15 108 29 105 34 111 39 92 47 69 47 69 39 [[Noordoostpolder]]
poly 66 48 72 53 90 57 95 67 88 88 64 101 67 94 61 93 62 86 58 80 63 76 60 72 63 65 59 55 [[Dronten]]
poly 18 85 40 72 42 62 51 60 56 53 60 70 63 76 59 79 59 86 61 93 54 97 41 87 27 94 [[Lelystad]]
poly 23 97 41 87 55 100 61 94 65 94 66 103 57 103 53 108 55 114 52 122 38 124 26 116 35 114 [[Zeewolde]]
poly -1 99 15 87 30 93 24 97 33 113 27 117 13 108 2 110 0 102 [[Almere]]

desc bottom-right
</imagemap>
|}