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- This article is about Friesland province in the Netherlands. For other uses, see Friesland (disambiguation).
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the bigger region known as Frisia. Its name in the Frisian language is Fryslân, which has also been its official name since 1997, and is therefore also used in official Dutch language publications. Friesland has 643,000 inhabitants (2005) and its capital is Leeuwarden (Ljouwert), with 91,000 inhabitants, in the centre of the province.
Distinguishing features
Friesland distinguishes itself from the other eleven Dutch provinces through having its own language, which is also spoken in a minor part of the province of Groningen, to the east. Closely related languages, East Frisian ("Seeltersk", which is different from "East Frisian (Ostfriesisch)", a collection of Low German dialects of East Frisia) and North Frisian, are spoken in the Saterland and in North Friesland areas in Germany, respectively.
The English language is also closely related to Frisian. There is a saying about it: "As milk is to cheese, are English and Frise."
Another version of this saying reads (in Frisian): "Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis; wa't dat net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries", which in English reads: "Butter, bread and green cheese, whoever can't say that is no real Frise". The saying plays on the sound differences between the Dutch and Frisian words for "butter, bread and green cheese", which in Frisian are pronounced almost identically to their English counterparts (showing the original closeness between the two languages), while in Dutch ("Boter, brood en groene kaas"), these words sound quite different.
Friesland is mainly an agricultural province. The famous black and white Friesian cattle and the well known black Friesian horse originated here. Tourism, mainly on the lakes in the south west of the province, and on the islands in the Wadden Sea in the north, is an important source of income, too.
The province is also famous for its speed skaters, and also for the Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour), a 200 kilometres ice skating tour.
Another interesting feature are the many windmills. There are 195 windmills in the province of Friesland, from a total of about 1200 in the entire country.
Friesland was the first to acknowledge the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from the United Kingdom.
Cities
- Leeuwarden (Ljouwert)
- Sneek (Snits)
- IJlst (Drylts)
- Sloten (Sleat)
- Stavoren (Starum)
- Hindeloopen (Hylpen)
- Workum (Warkum)
- Bolsward (Boalsert)
- Harlingen (Harns)
- Franeker (Frjentsjer)
- Dokkum (Dokkum)
Major towns
- Heerenveen (It Hearrenfean)
- Drachten (mun. Smallingerland)
Municipalities
- Achtkarspelen
- Ameland
- Boarnsterhim
- Bolsward
- Dantumadeel
- Dongeradeel
- Ferwerderadiel
- Franekeradeel
- Gaasterlân-Sleat
- Harlingen
- Heerenveen
- Het Bildt
- Kollumerland c.a.
- Leeuwarden
- Leeuwarderadeel
- Lemsterland
- Littenseradiel
- Menaldumadeel
- Nijefurd
- Ooststellingwerf
- Opsterland
- Schiermonnikoog
- Skarsterlân
- Smallingerland
- Sneek
- Terschelling
- Tytsjerksteradiel
- Vlieland
- Weststellingwerf
- Wûnseradiel
- Wymbritseradiel
See also
- De âlde Friezen (Friesland's anthem)
- Frisia
- Frisian Islands
- Frisians
- Frisian language
- Frise
External links
- Website of the province
- Frisian Film Archive
- Ancient History of Friesland
- province map showing subdivision in municipalities, link for each municipality to basic data page
- Bus maps:
Provinces of the Netherlands | Friesland | NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe | Seventeen Provinces
Friesland | Província de Frísia | Frisland (Nederland) | Friesland (Provinz) | Friisimaa provints | Frisia | Frislando | فریسلاند | Frise (province) | Fryslân | 프리슬란트 주 | Friesland | Frisia | Friesland | Friesland | Frieslaand | フリースラント州 | Friesland (Nederland) | Fryslân | Fryzja (prowincja) | Província da Frísia | Frizia | Фрисландия | Friesland | Friisinmaa | Friesland | Friesland
"Friesland"