Noorderhaaks

Noorderhaaks
Noorderhaaks seen from the mainland
Geography
Coordinates 52°58′30″N 4°40′50″E / 52.97500°N 4.68056°E / 52.97500; 4.68056Coordinates: 52°58′30″N 4°40′50″E / 52.97500°N 4.68056°E / 52.97500; 4.68056
Archipelago (West) Frisian Islands
Adjacent bodies of water North Sea
Administration
Netherlands
Province North Holland
Municipality Texel
Demographics
Population Uninhabited

Noorderhaaks (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌnoːrdərˈɦaːks]), also called Razende Bol (Raging Ball in Dutch), is an uninhabited Dutch island[1] 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 five km², although the exact area varies due to tide and the dynamic nature of the area.

Being relatively untouched by man, the island has become 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.[1] Noorderhaaks is probably the sixth sand bar to develop in the mouth of the Marsdiep, since it formed in the late twelfth century. The previous five have also moved towards Texel and got accreted to the island, with intervals of approximately 150 years each.[2]

The island is visited by day trippers, and is also being used as a training ground for the Royal Dutch Navy and Air Force.

References

  1. 1 2 (in Dutch) "Zandplaat De Razende Bol voortaan eiland", Nederlands Dagblad, 2003.
  2. ↑ (in Dutch) Vos, A.D. (2012); Onderwaterarcheologie op de Rede van Texel, Nederlandse Archeologische Rapporten 041 (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, Amersfoort), p. 37-47.


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