Wadden Sea by Lisa Antoinette Photography

About "Wadden Sea"

by Lisa Antoinette Photography

About the artwork

The Wadden Sea (Frisian: Waadsee, German: Wattenmeer, Danish: Vadehavet) is the inland sea between the Wadden Islands and the North Sea on one side, and the mainland of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark on the other. The area extends between Den Helder in the Netherlands and Esbjerg in Denmark, has a length of 500 km and a width of 20 km on average. It covers about 10,000 km², of which about 7,500 km² is tidal area (mudflats and sandbanks), 1,100 km² islands and 350 km² salt marshes and summer polders. The rest consists of channels. A number of rivers flow into the Wadden Sea. The estuaries widened into estuaries such as the Dollard, the Lauwerszee, the Middelzee and the Zuiderzee. The last three have since been closed. The Afsluitdijk, completed in 1932, has been part of the southern boundary of the Wadden Sea since that year. The Wadden Sea is interrupted by the Hindenburgdamm from the island of Sylt and the Rømøvej, the dam to Rømø. The Wadden Sea area has great natural value and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The World Heritage Site covers over 12,000 km², which includes the transitional area to the North Sea (some 4,000 km²). It largely excludes the Wadden Islands of the Netherlands and Schleswig-Holstein (almost 700 km²) and the estuaries of the Ems, Außenjade, Weser and Elbe rivers. However, these areas are largely covered by the Natura 2000 regime. Protection measures are coordinated by the International Wa