Ameland Island

Ameland
It is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the west and Schiermonnikoog to the east.
Ameland is, counted from the west, the fourth inhabited Dutch Wadden island and belongs to the Friesland (Fryslân) province. The whole island falls under one municipality, which carries the same name. The Wadden islands form the border between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, which lies on the south side of the island file. The inhabitants are called Amelanders.
Ameland consists mostly of sand dunes. The island is home to a variety of different plants, which creates a beautifully diverse landscape. The Oerd dunes is one of the most scenic areas of the island, and they continue to expand each year. Thanks to its diversified landscape, there are more than 60 different species of birds and a variety of flora in this area.
Ameland was first mentioned during the 8th century and was referred to as “Ambla.” Until 1424, Ameland paid tribute to Holland County. Lord Ritske Jelmera declared the island a “free lordship” in 1424. It remained a free lordship, despite being contested by the Holy Roman Emperor, Friesland and Holland, until 1708 when the ruling family died out. Once the ruling family died out, Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau took over as the lord of Ameland. William IV and William V of Orange would succeed him.

There are four villages on Ameland and a small partial village:

Buren – Buren is located in the center of the island and is home to Ameland beach.
Nes – Nes is the second largest village on the island and attracts many tourists each year.
Ballum – Ballum is the smallest village and is also the home of Ameland Airport.
Hollum – Hollum is the most populated village and is also where Ameland’s famous lighthouse is located.
Two other villages existed at one time, but were lost to the sea. The ferries MS Sier and MS Oerd are named after the two lost villages.

Ameland
It wasn’t until the constitution of 1813 that Ameland officially became a part of the Netherlands. In the late 1800s, a dike was built between the Netherlands and Ameland to reclaim Frisian land from the sea. This dike extended for 8.7km from Holwerd to Bueren. Both the Dutch realm and the province paid 200,000 guilders, but the venture was unsuccessful. Unfortunately, the dike was not durable enough to withstand the heavy winter storms of 1882.