Lucia's Flood, this flood killed over 50, people and is considered one of the worst floods in history. A result of the massive St. Lucia's Flood was the creation of a new bay, called Zuiderzee "South Sea" , formed by floodwaters that had inundated a large area of farmland. For the next few centuries, the Dutch worked to slowly push back the water of the Zuiderzee, building dikes and creating polders the term used to describe any piece of land reclaimed from water.
Once dikes were built, canals and pumps were used to drain the land and to keep it dry. From the s, windmills were used to pump excess water off the fertile soil, and windmills became an icon of the country. Today, however, most of the windmills have been replaced with electricity- and diesel-driven pumps. Storms and floods in provided the impetus for the Dutch to start a major project to reclaim the Zuiderzee. From to , a mile On February 1, , another devastating flood hit the Netherlands.
Caused by a combination of a storm over the North Sea and spring tide, waves along the sea wall rose to 15 feet 4. In some areas, the water peaked above existing dikes and spilled upon unsuspecting, sleeping towns. Just over 1, people in the Netherlands died, 72, people had to be evacuated, thousands of livestock died, and there was a tremendous amount of property damage. This devastation prompted the Dutch to pass the Delta Act in , changing the structure and administration of the dikes in the Netherlands.
This new administrative system, in turn, created the project known as the North Sea Protection Works, which included building a dam and barriers across the sea. The point here is that the EMEA is not a complete set-in-stone term. While it most commonly refers to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, it is not uncommon for other nations to tweak the countries they include under the umbrella term. The EMEA group consists of many other organizations. Germany is one of the five founding countries of the Schengen agreement, signed on 14 June It started its implementation a year later on 26 March The cradle of Western civilization, Greece, is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The Hellenic Republic is considered the birthplace of democracy, western literature, historiography, political science, Olympic games, etc. Despite the fact that its borders have changed throughout the year, today Greece shares land borders with Albania in the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey in the northeast.
Despite that Greece signed the Schengen agreement on 6 November and started its implementation on 1 January , none of its neighbours has joined the area yet. The country has an area of , km2 and 11,, residents. Greece has a unique cultural heritage, beautiful island and beaches, which makes it a favourite destination for many travellers.
In , it received 1,, visa applications from travellers worldwide, which makes it the fifth Schengen country with the most applications received. Located in Central Europe, Hungary has an area of 93, km2 and is home to 9,, residents. It shares land borders with Slovakia in the north, Ukraine in the northeast, Austria in the northwest, Romania in the east, Serbia in the south, Croatia in the southwest, and Slovenia in the west.
A high number of travellers visit the country each year. When it comes to tourism, Hungary is one of the main medical tourism destinations in Europe. It signed the Schengen agreement on 16 April and started its implementation on 21 December The Nordic island country is located in the North Atlantic and is volcanically and geologically active.
It has a population of ,, two-thirds of which reside in the capital of Reykjavik and the surrounding area. The country has an area of , km2. Ecotourism and whale-watching are amongst the top tourist attractions in Iceland. However, in , the country received 7, visa applications, the least among all other states. It first signed the Schengen agreement on 19 December It signed a second agreement, which replaced the first, on 18 May following the incorporation of the agreement into EU law by the Treaty of Amsterdam.
Iceland finally started the implementation of the agreement on 25 March The sovereign state of the Italian Republic is located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.
With 59,, residents, it is the fourth most populous EU member. Italy is the successor of what was known as the enormous Roman Empire, which left behind a rich history and a lot of cultural attractions, which have affected Italy to become one of the top destinations in Europe. Italy is also the country that gave the world some of the most famous scholars, artists and polymaths as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Galileo and Machiavelli.
It started the implementation of the Schengen agreement on 26 October after having signed it previously on 27 November In , it was the third Schengen state with most visa applications received 1,, The Republic of Latvia shares borders with Estonia in the northern region, Lithuania in the south, to the east is Russia, and Belarus to the southeast. The 64,km2 country has a population of 1,, inhabitants. It signed the Schengen agreement on 16 April and started its implementation on 21 December , thus becoming part of the European borderless territory.
Riga was named the European Capital of Culture for The principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in Central Europe.
It has an area of only km2 and 37, residents, which makes it the fourth smallest European country. Liechtenstein shares borders with Switzerland to the west and south, and Austria to the east and north.
The country is mainly mountainous, thus an alluring winter sports destination. It is the last country that joined the border-free Schengen area after it signed the agreement io. The 65,km2 country is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast a Russian exclave to the southwest.
It has a population of 2,, residents and uses EUR as its currency. Lithuanian is one of the oldest languages in the world today.
The main attraction, however, is undoubtedly Maastricht. Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands, this wonderful place has two gorgeous town squares, a wide range of fascinating museums, and a plethora of beautiful old buildings, cobbled streets, and impressive religious sites. Its lively Prince Carnival is something very special to experience.
Bordering Belgium to its south, North Brabant has a different look and feel to the rest of the Netherlands; for much of its history, it was part of the Duchy of Brabant, which had a different religion and culture to the rest of the country.
Nowadays, these differences are not as evident as they once were, although the old fortified cities of Breda and Den Bosch still have certain Brabantine features, as well as monuments and museums dedicated to its past. Both Tilburg and Eindhoven are also well worth a visit; the former has lots of interesting historical and industrial sights for you to check out while the latter has some great modern architecture on show. Away from its many cities with all their history and culture, North Brabant also has some wonderful countryside for you to explore.
Biesbosch and De Groote Peel national parks are particularly delightful for their amazing wetlands and woodlands. The region also sports Efteling — the largest theme park in the Benelux — which has a host of fun and exhilarating rides and attractions.
The largest of the West Frisian Islands, Texel, and Zuid-Kennermeerland National Park lend themselves perfectly to hiking and cycling, with lots of lovely scenery on show. The undoubted highlight, however, is, of course, Amsterdam. Wandering around its cobbled streets or taking a cruise along one of its beautiful canals lined with impressive townhouses makes for a lovely day out in itself. Defined by the river Ijssel that runs through it, Overijssel is located in the east of the country bordering Germany, and most of its landscape consists of picturesque countryside.
Lining the banks of the Ijssel are many delightful, historic towns, with Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle among its finest. While the fantastic flower gardens at Keukenhof may attract the most visitors every spring, South Holland is awash with great things for you to see and do; Delft and Gouda are among its most popular attractions due to their famous ceramics and cheese.
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