Friday, February 02, 2018

Mapping the Nether ('lower') + lands


On February 1st 1952 the Netherlands experienced a disastrous flood. The North Sea flood of 1953 caused 1,836 deaths and widespread property damage. One reason why the flood was so devastating is because the Netherlands is a very low and flat country. About 26% of the country & 21% of its population is located below sea level and only about 50% of its land is more than one metre above sea level.

You can see which parts of the Netherlands are above and below sea level on a new interactive map called Visualising the height of the Netherlands. This map shows the height of the Netherlands in comparison to sea level. All of the country on the map is shaded to represent elevation. Areas colored blue have an elevation below sea level. Areas shaded yellow have an elevation above sea level.

The map includes a number of interactive elevation charts. Click on the markers on the map and you can load an elevation chart which shows an elevation profile running west to east across the Netherlands at that point. This elevation profile is interactive. If you hover over the profile a red dot shows that location on the map.

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