The West Frisian Islands ( Dutch : Waddeneilanden ; West Frisian : Waadeilannen ) are a chain of islands in the North Sea off the Dutch coast, along the edge of the Wadden Sea . They continue further east as the German East Frisian Islands and are part of the Frisian Islands .
5-428: From west to east the islands are: Noorderhaaks , Texel , Vlieland , Richel , Griend , Terschelling , Ameland , Rif , Engelsmanplaat , Schiermonnikoog , Simonszand , Rottumerplaat , Rottumeroog , and Zuiderduintjes . The islands Noorderhaaks and Texel are part of the province of North Holland . The islands Vlieland, Richel, Griend, Terschelling, Ameland, Rif, Engelsmanplaat, and Schiermonnikoog are part of
10-608: A valuable location due to its presence of several kinds of seabirds , and seals . The island is slowly moving eastward towards the Marsdiep and the Molengat , at a pace of around 100 metres a year. Noorderhaaks is probably the sixth sand bar to develop in the mouth of the Marsdiep, since it formed in the late twelfth century via a flood that occurred in 1170. The previous five have also moved towards Texel and got accreted to
15-521: The old Dutch meaning of sandbank is meant ), is an uninhabited Dutch islet in the North Sea , a few kilometres west of the Marsdiep which separates the island of Texel from the mainland of the Netherlands . The island covers an area of around 5 km , although the exact area varies due to tide and the dynamic nature of the area. Being relatively untouched by man, the island has become
20-501: The province of Friesland . The small islands Simonszand, Rottumerplaat, Rottumeroog, and Zuiderduintjes belong to the province of Groningen . The Frisian Islands are nowadays mostly famous as a holiday destination. Island hopping is possible by regular ferries from the mainland and by specialised tour operators. Cycling is the most favourable means of transport on most of the islands. On Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog cars are allowed only for regular inhabitants. The island chain represents
25-666: The remains of a glacially formed sandbank, and may have once been the former coastline of the Netherlands, before it was breached and flooded to form the Waddenzee many thousands of years ago. 53°22′N 5°20′E / 53.367°N 5.333°E / 53.367; 5.333 Noorderhaaks Noorderhaaks ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˌnoːrdərˈɦaːks] ), also called Razende Bol ( Raging sandbank in Dutch; in modern Dutch Bol means sphere, but in this context
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