Flevoland
Flevoland, province (1994 pop. 253,700), 931 sq mi (2,412 sq km), central Netherlands, on the E shore of the Markermeer and IJsselmeer. Lelystad is the capital; other cities include Almere and Emmeloord. The Netherlands' youngest province, Flevoland comprises the Northeast Polder, Eastern Flevoland, and Southern Flevoland, almost all of which were reclaimed from the IJsselmeer after it had been converted from an arm of the North Sea into lake in 1932. Reclamation occurred in stages from 1937 to 1968, and the three areas were joined to form a single province in 1986. More than a third of province's area, which includes much of the Markermeer and the southern part of the IJsselmeer, is water. Eastern and Southern Flevoland are completely surrounded by wate; the Ketelmeer in the north separates them from the Northeast Polder. Much of the mostly flat, reclaimed land is agricultural with some planned, modern urban areas and villages, but there are a large deciduous forest (Horsterwold) in the southeast and a nature reserve (Oostvaardersplassen) on the Markermeer between Almere and Lelystad.