Wadden Sea by Jose Lok

About "Wadden Sea"

by Jose Lok

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 side.

The area extends between Den Helder in the Netherlands and Esbjerg in Denmark, has a length of 500 km and an average width of 20 km. The surface area amounts to approximately 10,000 km², of which about 7,500 km² tidal area (mud flats and sand banks), 1,100 km² islands and 350 km² salt marshes and summer polders,[1] the rest consists of navigation channels.

A number of rivers flow into the Wadden Sea. The estuary widened into an estuary like the Dollard, the Lauwerszee and the Middelzee. The Afsluitdijk, completed in 1932, has been part of the southern border 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 is of great natural value and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List,[2] which includes more than 12,000 km², including the transition area to the North Sea (about 4,000 km²). The Wadden Islands of the Netherlands and Schleswig-Holstein (almost 700 km²) and the estuaries of the Ems, Außenjade, Weser and Elbe are largely excluded. However, a large part of these areas are covered by the Natura 2000 regime. The protective measures are coordinated by the International Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) in Wilhelmshaven source