Overijssel

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Province of Overijssel
Provincie Overijssel


Flag	Coat of Arms

Capital

Zwolle

Queen's Commissioner

mr. G.J. (Geert) Jansen

Religion (1999)

Protestant 32%
Catholic 27%

Area
• Land
• Water

3.327 km² (4th)
94 km²

Population (2006)
• Total
• Density

1.113.529 (7th)
335/km² (7th)

Anthem

Aan de rand van Hollands gouwen

ISO

NL-OV

Official website

www.overijssel.nl

Overijssel pronunciation (help·info) (Latin: Transiselania) is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The province's name in both Dutch and Latin means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Municipalities
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Overijssel is bordered by Germany to the east, the Achterhoek region of Gelderland to the south, the Veluwe region of Gelderland and Flevoland to the west, and Friesland and the former moors of Drenthe to the north. Overijssel is comprised of three regions: Kop van Overijssel in the northwest, Salland in the centre of the province, and Twente in the east. Besides the capital Zwolle, the major cities are Almelo, Deventer, Enschede, and Hengelo.

To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers, such as, Regge and Dinkel and brooks, in the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay. The northern parts were once covered by veen (bog), which separated the dryer and more arable south from Drenthe which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (Engbertsdijksvenen near Tubbergen, Witteveen (near Haaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (near Enschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining, the Weerribben, which is a valuable wetland.

The highest point in Overijssel is the summit of the Tankenberg (85 m), a hill in the municipality of Losser. The lowest point is in the Mastenbroek Polder near Kampen at 2 metres below sea level.

[edit] History

Overijssel was formerly known as Oversticht. In 1336 it was made part of Guelders, though it was ceded to the Bishopric of Utrecht in 1347 and was known as "het Sticht". The Bishops ceded the Oversticht to the Emperor Charles V in 1528, who styled himself "Lord of Overijssel", thereby giving the province its modern name. The people joined with the other Dutch and rebelled against Charles' heir Philip II. Overijssel became governed by the most powerful mayors and lords in the province.

After a brief occupation by the forces of the Bishop of Münster (1672 - 1674), Overijssel received a new form of government which granted the stadtholders more power. Widespread resistance against the increased power throughout the provinces eventually lead to the formation of the Batavian Republic in 1795. A centralist government arose and the Netherlands was organised into a series of départements, based on those used by revolutionary France. At first organised into its own département, it was merged with Drenthe to form Ouden Ijssel in 1798 which was renamed back to Overijssel in 1801.

The French annexed the Batavian Republic in 1810, and Overijssel was organised into the new French département of Bouches-de-l'Yssel. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the kingdom of the Netherlands and the former province of Overijssel were recreated. Overijssel was briefly annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II from 1940 until liberated in 1945.

After the creation of the Noordoostpolder, it became part of Overijssel in 1962, until 1986, when the province Flevoland was formed, which contained all of the polders.