Editing Neder-Betuwe

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- Name and transliteration -->
| name                    = Neder-Betuwe
| settlement_type         = [[List of municipalities of the Netherlands|Municipality]]
<!-- Images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = Sunset at the river Waal near Ochten - the Netherlands.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = [[Waal (river)]] near [[Ochten]]
| image_flag              = Neder-Betuwe vlag 2014.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Coat of arms of Neder Betuwe.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = 
<!-- Maps, coordinates -->
| image_map               = Map - NL - Municipality code 1740 (2009).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Neder-Betuwe in a municipal map of Gelderland
| map_caption             = Location in Gelderland
| coordinates             = {{coord|51|56|N|5|38|E|region:NL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Gelderland]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.nederbetuwe.nl/Politiek_en_organisatie/College_van_B_W/Samenstelling
 |title       = College van B&W
 |trans-title = Board of mayor and aldermen
 |language    = nl
 |publisher   = Gemeente Neder-Betuwe
 |access-date  = 10 July 2014
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714185532/http://www.nederbetuwe.nl/Politiek_en_organisatie/College_van_B_W/Samenstelling
 |archive-date = 14 July 2014
}}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgemeester|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = [[Jan Kottelenberg]]
<!-- Geographic information -->
| unit_pref               = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref}}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Neder-Betuwe}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Neder-Betuwe}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Neder-Betuwe}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web 
 |url = http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool
 |title = Postcodetool for 4043KL
 |language = nl
 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> 
 |work = Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland
 |publisher = Het Waterschapshuis
 |access-date = 10 July 2014}}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 7
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m         =
| elevation_min_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m         =
<!-- Population, demographics -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Dutch municipality population|dataref}}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Neder-Betuwe}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Neder-Betuwe}} <!-- For automatic calculation: auto-->
| population_demonym      = 
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset              = +1
| timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST          = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 4040–4054, 6669
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 0344, 0488
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.nederbetuwe.nl}}
| footnotes               =
}}

'''Neder-Betuwe''' ({{IPA|nl|ˌneːdər ˈbeːtyu.ə|pron|Nl-Neder-Betuwe.ogg}}) is a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] in the province of [[Gelderland]], in the east of the [[Netherlands]]. On 1 April 2003, it was established as the new name of the redivided municipality of [[Kesteren]]. Neder-Betuwe counted 25,042 inhabitants on 1 January 2022.

==History==
[[Archaeology|Archaeological]] excavations have found remains dating back to the [[Stone Age]] and [[Iron Age]], although it is not known if the area was permanently inhabited. The Neder-Betuwe area is along the northernmost border or [[Limes (Roman Empire)|limes]] of the [[Roman Empire]]. Evidence suggests that a Roman fort ([[Castra]]) was maintained where the town of Kesteren now is.

Around 1300 the first dikes were put up to protect the inhabitants and agricultural lands from flooding.

Most churches are [[Reformed churches|reformed]]; there are no Catholic churches in the Neder-Betuwe area. The eastern municipal border also marks an invisible religious border: to the east a considerable part of the population is Catholic. This can be explained by the presence of a dike called the Spanjaardsdijk or Spaniards Dike which was built before or during the [[Eighty Years' War]]. The local ruler was Protestant, the rulers to the east were Catholic.

During [[World War II]] the area saw a lot of fighting. During the [[Nazi-Germany|German]] invasion in May 1940 the area was attacked since it was on the southern flank of the attack towards the [[Grebbeberg]]. In September 1944 the area again came under fire during and after [[operation Market Garden]]. The narrowest part of the [[Betuwe]] became the western front of the [[Allies of World War II|allied]] [[bridgehead]] in the area. [[Opheusden]] was ruined because of the constant fighting between the Germans and the [[101st Airborne Division]] and later British forces and the [[1st Belgian Infantry Brigade]]. [[Ochten]] was flattened by British forces using [[artillery]] and [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]] from south of the Waal.

In February 1995, [[Ochten]] received international media attention because of a weakened dike after a prolonged period of high waterlevels in the rivers. This situation and the state of other dikes forced 250,000 people in this region to evacuate. The river levels had been unusually high for almost two months, reaching record heights during the first days of February. Although the dike started to shift, a huge rescue operation managed to stabilize the dike. Several months later the already planned strengthening of the dike started with almost no opposition. Some people who opposed the strengthening before the evacuation, mainly because of [[NIMBY]]ism, were harassed by some locals.

==Geography==
The municipal boundaries are for a large part defined by the [[river]] [[Waal (river)|Waal]] to the south, the river [[Rhine]] to the North and the [[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]] to the west. Because of the location between the two rivers the area is as narrow as {{cvt|3|km|0}} near Opheusden.
The area is basically a [[polder]], [[Dike (construction)|dikes]] protect the former [[floodplain]] from flooding. Since it was a floodplain the area is relatively flat and the soil is mainly [[clay]] with layers of [[sand]] and [[gravel]] underneath.

===Topography===
[[File:Gem-Neder-Betuwe-OpenTopo.jpg|540px]]

''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Neder-Betuwe, June 2015''

===Population centres===
{{columns-list|colwidth=12em|
* [[Dodewaard]]
* [[Echteld]]
* [[IJzendoorn]]
* [[Kesteren]]
* [[Ochten]]
* [[Opheusden]]
}}
==Transport==
The highway A15 runs east to west through Neder-Betuwe. A provincial road crosses the Rhine near [[Kesteren]] and another provincial road crosses the Waal near [[Echteld]]. A [[railway]] line through the area was built in 1882, connecting [[Geldermalsen]] and [[Amersfoort]] to [[Nijmegen]]. A new dedicated [[freight]] railway line called the [[Betuweroute]] was opened on June 16, 2007. This line connects the [[port of Rotterdam]] to [[Germany]] and beyond.
A [[ferry]] operates a service across the Rhine between [[Opheusden]] and [[Wageningen]]. During summer months a small ferry transports people between [[Dodewaard]] and [[Druten]], mainly tourists, across the river Waal as part of several recreational [[bicycle]] routes.

==Economy==
The local economy runs mostly on agriculture (fruit plantations and tree nurseries) and some factories. The economy blossomed after the completion of the railway line through the area making it possible to transport fresh fruit. A considerable part of the local population works outside the municipal boundaries. 

===Power plant===
[[File:Dodewaardcentrale.jpg|200px|thumb|Dodewaard nuclear power plant awaiting demolition.]]
In Dodewaard, the [[Dodewaard nuclear power plant]] with a [[boiling water reactor]] has been decommissioned. It was operational in the period 1968-1997. It had a capacity of 58 MW.

In 2003 the last fissionable material was removed. Parts of the plant were demolished, the main building is in a 40-year waiting period of "safe enclosure" from 2005-2045, before being demolished. The main source of [[radioactivity]] is [[cobalt]]-60 with a [[half-life]] of 5.27 years, hence it is reduced by a factor 193 in 40 years. Waiting longer is not as effective, since at that time the main source of radioactivity will become [[nickel]]-63 with a half-life of 100.1 years.

The spent uranium and the uranium left when operation was discontinued were transported to [[BNFL]] in [[Sellafield]] for [[nuclear reprocessing]].

See also [[List of nuclear reactors#Netherlands|nuclear reactors in the Netherlands]].
== Notable people ==
* [[Arie van Lent]] (born 1970 in Opheusden) a Dutch former footballer with 436 club caps
* [[Renger van der Zande]] (born 1986 in Dodewaard) a Dutch race-car driver
* [[Navarone Foor]] (born 1992 in Opheusden) a Dutch footballer with over 230 club caps

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:2007-03-08 09.58 Opheusden, kerk foto1.JPG|Opheusden, kerk
File:Dodewaard, voormalig gemeentehuis.JPG|Dodewaard, voormalig gemeentehuis
File:Vliegers-in-het-vuur overzicht.jpg|Vliegers-in-het-vuur overzicht
File:Bij Eldik, de Linge 2010-08-01 16.16.JPG|Bij Eldik, de Linge
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061013094651/http://www.nederbetuwe.nl/ Official website]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre    = Neder-Betuwe
 | North     = [[Rhenen]] ([[Utrecht (province)|UT]]), [[Wageningen]]<br>''[[Nederrijn]]''
 | East      = [[Overbetuwe]]
 | Southeast = ''[[Waal (river)|Waal]]''<br>[[Beuningen]]
 | South     = ''[[Waal (river)|Waal]]''<br>[[West Maas en Waal]], [[Druten]]
 | West      = [[Tiel]]
 | Northwest = [[Buren]]
}}
{{Dutch municipality Neder-Betuwe}}
{{Gelderland Province}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Neder-Betuwe| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Gelderland]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2003]]